Camden Town is an area of contrasts - walk along some of the elegant streets off Camden High Street, the main drag, and you will see beautiful Regency houses worth huge amounts of money. Stay on the High Street and you will be engulfed in a colourful, buzzy mix of cafes, music shops and, what it is renowned for, busy markets selling everything from funky clothes, books, jewellery and ethnic food of great variety, plus much more - you name it and you’ll find it at Camden Town.
London - Camden Town - The Regent's Canal
Then there’s the Regent’s Canal. London’s canals tend to be a bit of an unknown quantity for many visitors. A product of the Industrial Revolution, they were created in the 18th and 19th centuries to serve the ever increasing needs of industry and commerce. The Regent’s Canal, which runs through Camden Town, was opened in 1820. At this time the canals would have been busy with barges carrying all manner of goods to be shipped around the country. They would also have been noisy with calls from the barge men making sure the horses pulling the boats were doing their job properly and pretty grimy from the dust and pollution emitted from the coal-burning furnaces that fuelled them.
As the commercial use of the canals declined, they have become peaceful places for recreational boating and for walking along the canal paths. Today the Regent's Canal at Camden Town is a pleasant corner of London with a lot to offer visitors who can wean themselves away from the West End.
Camden Town - Explore the markets
Take the underground to Camden Town and walk northwards. One of the most unusual aspects of this crowded, market-filled street is the display of huge colourful models of whatever the shop is trying to sell. These are placed on the walls above the shops and you’ll find everything from giant sized Doc Martens to studded leather jackets decorating the length of the street. It’s quite surreal. But very interesting.
A big draw is the street markets. The weekend is the time to go, when Camden High Street itself seems to turn into one huge market. Then there are the converted Victorian wharehouses and stables, stuffed with stalls selling everything one could imagine - and very handy on a rainy day.
Cross over the bridge and go down the steps to the Camden Lock Market, situated alongside the Regent's Canal. There are outdoor cafes where you can sit and watch the brightly painted canal boats go by and you can also take a trip on one if you wish. A canal walk is a really nice thing to do. In a few minutes you leave the hustle and bustle and are in a quiet world of fishermen trying their luck and people sitting watching them. A good place to chill out for a while.
Camden Town - Good Night Life
Camden Town has a great night life and is one of tbe best places in London for music. The massive Roundhouse, a former railway terminus, is large enough to host acts like Cirque du Soleil, the brilliant Canadian circus company. There are also some great jazz clubs, pubs, dance venues and bars.
‘Cosmopolitan’ is the word for Camden Town. There is more to it than the weekend markets. A huge student population packs clubs like The Electric Ballroom, WKD's, The Underground, Camden Palace and The Laurel Tree. There are dozens of reasonably priced restaurants and it has a great atmosphere.
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