Camden Town

Camden Town is a place in the London Borough of Camden, north London.

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It is well-known for Camden Market which is made up of Buck Street Market, Stables Market, Inverness Street Market, Camden Canal Market, and Camden Lock Market, and an indoor market located in the Electric Ballroom. The markets are a major tourist attraction, particularly busy at weekends, selling variety of fashion, lifestyle and bizarre goods; they (and the surrounding shops) are popular with young people, in particular those searching for "alternative" clothing. Stables Market also has growing antique and furniture trade. The town also has a reputation for readily available drugs. 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, is also about the area. It is also an area popular with overseas students who come to Camden to learn English and find a job in one of the local bars or restaurants. The oldest established language school is Camden College of English, which is located at the Chalk Farm side of the market.

Related Topics:
Camden Market - Buck Street Market - Stables Market - Inverness Street Market - Camden Canal Market - Camden Lock Market - Electric Ballroom - Furniture - Drugs - Morrissey - You Are the Quarry - Uffington Horse - Enchantment - Camden College of English

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The Regent's Canal runs through the north end of Camden Town and is a popular walk in summer.

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Close by is Regent's Park with the London Zoo sited in the north side. The Roundhouse is a music venue located in a converted railway roundhouse, which is currently (May 2003) being refurbished. It was originally an engine shed for the London and Birmingham Railway.

Related Topics:
Regent's Park - London Zoo - The Roundhouse - Roundhouse - May 2003 - Engine shed - London and Birmingham Railway

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Due to the high popularity of the Camden Market with visitors and tourists, some more mainstream businesses such as a Virgin Megastore and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area in recent years, diluting the "alternative" character that made the market popular. Food outlets in particular have thrived in the town in more recent years, and represent an extensive range of world cuisine. There has been no fall in visitor numbers despite the changes, and it is necessary to close Camden Town tube station to outbound passengers on Sunday afternoon. To resolve the inadequacy of the station, London Underground sought to replace it with a much larger one. The proposal involved the compulsory purchase of the whole block on which the station is situated and would have required demolition of the Electric Ballroom and the reallocation of Buck Street Market. Larger shop units, office space and some flats were proposed for the new building. The radical changes involved gathered significant opposition from people who felt that would damage the character of the area, and they were rejected in 2004. Transport for London still wishes to enhance the station, but it is unclear when they will announce a new proposal or what it will involve.

Related Topics:
Virgin Megastore - Holiday Inn - Camden Town tube station - London Underground - Electric Ballroom - Buck Street Market - Transport for London

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It should be noted that the alternative character of Camden Town, which is perceived as "traditional", today only dates back to the 1970s. Before that the area was more conventional and it offered a full range of shopping for local residents, but this is no longer the case. Partly due to the small size of nearly all of the retail units, there are almost no shops selling clothing for adults or small children (unless they dress in a punk/goth/hippy style), or furniture and other large household goods. Consequently much of the local retail spend leaks to the West End, Brent Cross and elsewhere.

Related Topics:
West End - Brent Cross

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