Sir Charles Igglesden

Malcolm Horton

02 August 2019, 13:44

A biography of Sir Charles Igglesden (1861-1949) by Malcolm Horton was published in 2018 entitled “Sauntering through Kent”. He was editor of the Kentish Express for 64 years,and is best remembered for his series of articles entitled “A Saunter through Kent with Pen and Pencil” which were published from 1899 until 1944, and covered 242 Kent villages.They were published in hardback form over 34 volumes from 1900 until 1946. Volume 35 was published posthumously in 2018. His father Henry founded the Kentish Express in 1855 as Kent’s first penny newspaper. He was a gifted musician and sportsman. He attended the Paris Conservatoire, before joining his fathers newspaper as a reporter. He was appointed editor when aged 23. He represented Kent at Lawn Tennis and was runner up twice in the County Singles Championship. He represented Ashford at rugby and cricket. In later life he beat Sir Arthur Conan Doyle twice in the Authors Club Billiard Championship and was a lifelong friend of W. G. Grace. In public life he was a County Councillor and Alderman for 45 years. He was chairman of the Kent Insurance Committee, forerunner of Area Health Authority for 35 years. He was one of the first journalists invited Up Front by Lord Kitchener in January 1916. He was elected President of the Institute of Journalists in 1927 and knighted in 1928. He was the author of 13 other novels.