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Camden Town is a place in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is also sometimes simply known as Camden although this should not be confused with the borough. Camden town is an inner-city district located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north north-west of Charing Cross, famous for its crowded market and as a centre for alternative lifestyles. The area is popular with students, including those from overseas.
Attractions
The Regent's Canal runs through the north end of Camden Town; its 8.5 mile towpath, which passes through London Zoo, is a pleasant and popular walk in summer //lndn.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_lndn_archive.html. Boat trips along the canal, from Camden Lock, are also interesting. Many of the handrails by the bridges show deep marks worn by the towropes by which horses pulled canal barges until the 1950s, and there are still underwater ramps to assist horses which have bolted and fallen in. One of the many canal bridges, Macclesfield bridge, is known as "Blow-up bridge": it was the site of London's largest pre-war explosion, where a barge laden with gunpowder blew up in 1874.
Camden Lock is a traditional manually-operated double canal lock operating between widely separated levels. A large complex of weekend street markets has mushroomed there since the 1970s.
Not far away is Regent's Park, a large and pleasant park which was formerly Henry VIII's hunting chase. There are spectacular rose gardens in bloom in the spring, a boating lake, always-hungry ducks and geese, and several children's playgrounds. Conkers are plentiful in autumn. London Zoo is at the north of the park.
The Roundhouse is a railway roundhouse constructed in 1847 for the London and Birmingham Railway. Within 20 years it was too small to cope with current locomotives, and underwent various uses, until it was converted to a music venue in the 1960s; it is undergoing refurbishment until June 2006.
There are a great many shops, bars, restaurants and cafes. The area south of the tube station is typical of a London High Street; towards the north we find the markets and attractions typical of the area. There are a number of English language schools in the area.
Camden street markets
Camden is well-known for its markets: these are of relatively recent date, except for Inverness Street Market, a small food market good for fruit and vegetables serving the local community, though now with more touristy stalls on weekends. Camden Lock Market proper started in a former timber yard in 1973, and is now surrounded by satellites: Buck Street Market, Stables Market, Camden Canal Market, and an indoor market in the Electric Ballroom.
The markets are a major tourist attraction at weekends, selling inexpensive goods of all types including fashion, lifestyle, books, food, junk/antiques and bizarre goods; they and the surrounding shops are popular with young people, in particular those searching for "alternative" clothing. Stables Market also has a growing antiques and furniture trade.
In recent years entertainment-related businesses such as a Virgin Megastore (on a site previously occupied by a Rumbelows electrical goods shop) and a Holiday Inn (in place of the Camden Recycling Centre) have moved into the area. Restaurants in particular have thrived, and represent an extensive range of world cuisine. Many restaurants are a little away from the markets: Camden High Street and its side streets, Parkway, Chalk Farm Road, Bayham Street.
Camden Lock market has its own web site * with maps, detailed transport information, and details of some shops and stalls.
As the area is so popular with overseas visitors and tourists, it is hardly surprising that it is a centre for language learning. Camden College of English is the oldest language school, situated on Chalk Farm Road, and is a famous landmark with an enormous wisteria plant that almost covers the school.
Bars, clubs, pubs, and restaurants
- The Black Cap pub on Camden High Street has a late licence and is aimed at a clientele of gay men and women. Often confused with the "Mother Black Cap" featured in cult British film "Withnail and I". The name "Mother Black Cap" is an amalgamation of "The Black Cap" and "The Mother Red Cap", situated nearby and now known as the "Worlds End" (see below). (The actual pub used for the exterior of the "Mother Black Cap" in the film is in fact in Notting Hill, London W11, and has recently changed its name to "The Mother Black Cap" to reflect its fame.)
- The World's End has had a pub on the site since 1778. Formerly known as "The Mother Red Cap" and later "The Red Cap", it is on Camden Road by Camden Town tube station.
- The Underworld is a small (500 capacity) live music venue, located under The World's End.
- Koko's, formerly known as the The Camden Palace, is a major dance venue located at the south end of Camden High Street near Mornington Crescent tube station.
- The Edinboro Castle, a gastropub with a beer garden for summer; opposite Dylan Thomas' former residence.
- The Hawley Arms, located by Camden Lock bridge
- The Dublin Castle a music venue, has hosted big names like Blur and Travis
- The Oh! Bar
- The Purple Turtle, small music venue near Mornington Crescent
- Electric Ballroom
- Quinns is an Irish pub on the Kentish Town Road
- The Devonshire Arms, a goth themed pub, popularly known as "The Dev"
- The Ice Wharf, a Lloyds No1 Bar.
- Lock 17
- The Camden Barfly, live music venue showcasing up and coming artists.
- The Good Mixer, famous 'muso' pub located on Arlington Rd. One time hang out of Brit Pop band members.
- The New Goodfare is a simple restaurant/cafe which has been on the corner of Parkway and Arlington Road for many years.
- A large and constantly changing range of conventional and fast-food restaurants and cafes, both independent and chain (KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Wagamama, Subway).
- There are a number of fast-food stalls in the markets, notably in the area of Stables Market.
Places of interest
- Camden Lock
- Camden Lock Market and other street markets
- Jewish Museum
- London Zoo
- Regent's Canal and its towpath
- Regent's Park
- The Roundhouse
- St Pancras Old Church
- St Michael's Church, Camden Town
Transport
Many bus lines serve the Camden Town area. Camden Town Underground station is close to the markets and other attractions; other stations are listed below. Black taxis ply for hire in the area, and there are minicab offices. Illegal unlicensed "taxis" tout for business on the street, particularly late at night when other forms of transport are much less commonthey often demand excessive fares and are not insured for hire services. There are an average of ten sexual attacks and rapes on women by illegal minicab drivers throughout London each month[http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=5704.
Camden Town Underground station was not designed for the volume of traffic it now attracts, is very crowded all weekend, and is closed to outbound passengers on Sunday afternoons, the peak time, for reasons of safety.
London Underground has made many proposals to upgrade the station. In 2004 a proposal requiring the compulsory purchase and demolition of 'the Triangle' — land bordered by Kentish Town Road, Buck Street and Chalk Farm Road — was rejected by Camden Council after opposition from local people; of 229 letters, only 2 supported the scheme.
Nearby places
Nearest tube stations
Nearest railway stations
Crime and safety
Although it can seem intimidating at first, Camden Town is not a very dangerous place to visit or work in, and in no way a "no-go" area. For the millions of visitors it attracts each year, very few ever fall victim to crime.
The large numbers of people who flock to the area, especially alotat the weekends make the place a haven for pickpockets. The best advice is to carry as little as possible ie. a small purse / wallet or even simply small amounts of cash. Extra precaution should be taken around the stables and markets as these areas are narrow and get extremely busy.
The streets of Camden Town are crawling with illegal drug dealers. It is very common to hear whispers of "skunk" or "weed" several times up and down the high street. Some can be fairly blatant when trying to get your attention but will very rarely attempt to stop you and ignoring them or saying no should be suffice for them to leave you alone. The Police have made several arrests in recent years and the numbers of pushers, although still high seem to be dwindling. The Police have also issued warnings regarding the quality of the illegal substances. They can be and often are heavily cut with almost anything the dealers can find making them even more hazardous to the users health. It is worth noting that a lot of these dealers work in groups. If you are "foolish" enough to engage in business with them they will often ask you for money first before going off to fetch the goods - never to return. Contrary to popular belief and widespread usage, Cannabis is a class 'C' drug. Cannabis possession and supply within the UK remains a criminal offence, attracting maximum sentences of five years for supply and two years for possession.
After dark it is advised to plan your evening especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. The streets around the tube station remain busy until the early hours when places like the Underworld and Electric Ballroom finish. The tube runs until midnight and buses run all night from a number of different locations. Both methods of transport stay busy and are never usually dangerous.
External links
In music
There is a song by Morrissey from his recent album You Are the Quarry called "Come Back To Camden", which was written about Camden Town; "Camden Town", from Uffington Horse's debut album Enchantment and identically titled song from Suggs' album The Lone Ranger, are also about the area. Camden Town is also mentioned in the Pulp song "Sorted for E's and Wizz". Puertorican singer and songwriter Robi Dräco Rosa makes reference to Camden Town in his song "La Flor Del Frio" from album Vagabundo. Not to mention the reference to Camden in the song "Ain't No Lie", by famous Camden resident guitar player Graham Coxon. Punk band The Clash also recorded their seminal album London Calling at an address in Camden Town.
Madness, the British ska group, make many references to Camden Town in their music. Arlington House (a hostel for the homeless) in Arlington Road, near Parkway, inspired Suggs from Madness to write "One Better Day" about the sadness of living in London. The joke shop Escapade on Camden High Street also features in the video to "House of Fun". Madness' one time record label 2 Tone Records also had their offices on Camden High Street. Suggs, Madness vocalist, also had a huge hit with 'Camden Town', an ode to is home turf. There is a signed poster of the song in Madness' spiritual home, The Dublin Castle pub.
In Film
The cult film Withnail and I starts and ends in Camden Town, and features Regent's Park as well.
In Television
- The ship from the BBC sci-fi sitcom Hyperdrive is called the HMS Camden Lock. The town has been featured in the Channel Four sitcom 'Spaced'.
- Television actress Tamsin Greig grew up in Camden as a child.
Gallery
External links
"Camden Town"