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.
The . 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.
Conker s 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 is well-known for its markets: these are of relatively recent date, except for ,
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.
- 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 real "Mother Black Cap" is in fact in Notting Hill, London W11, and was chosen for use in the film as its name is an amalgamation of both "The Black Cap" and "The Mother Red Cap", situated directly opposite and now known as the "Worlds End" (see below).
- 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. Underworld is full of a diverse collection of people reflecting the eclectic music that the club plays. There are many ladies of the night available.
- Koko's , formerly known as very-long-established 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 recently renovated, stylish gastropub with comfy leather seats; popular chillout for club-goers on Sundays; huge beer garden for summer; opposite Dylan Thomas' former residence.
- not to be confused with The Edinburgh Castle
- The Crown & Goose, fantastic and cosy pub, with great menu and Sunday roasts; periodically under threat from developers but loved by locals.
- The Dublin Castle, semi-famous music venue, has hosted big names like Blur and Travis; popular with the trendy but rank.
- The Oh! Bar
- The Purple Turtle, very small music venue near Mornington Crescent
- Electric Ballroom
- Quinns is a large family-run 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, though it changed ownership in 2005.
- A large and constantly changing range of conventional and fast-food restaurants and cafes, both independent and chain.
- There are a number of fast-food stalls in the markets, notably in the area of Stables Market. Many of them sell food at half-price shortly before closing time.
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 Taxi s ply for hire in the area, and there are
Minicab offices. Illegal taxis tout for business on the street, but are not recommended: they may ask excessive fares, and are often involved in sexual attacks on passengers.
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.
Camden Town has a reputation for readily available
Drugs .
The area around the tube station and the markets is scruffy, though no worse than many other parts of London, with much rubbish on the street, and too much public urination and vomiting. Matters are better further from the station.
Crime is relatively high and it is not uncommon to see tourists wandering around the market without realising that their rucksack has been unzipped and emptied.
Camden Town is not a very dangerous place to visit or work in, and in no way a "no-go" area. The crowds of people who visit the markets do not seem to be worried. Most residents have no particular fear of walking in the area, although more warily when it is quiet in the early hours of the morning.
There is no need to be afraid of visiting, though vigilance against theft of unwatched personal belongings is advisable. Don't let people approach very late at night. People involved in drug transactions are more at risk of crime, particularly would-be purchasers who hand over money and are asked to wait a moment by somebody who then disappears while supposedly getting the merchandise.
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 .
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".
The cult film ''
Withnail And I '' starts and ends in Camden Town, and features Regent's Park as well.
- 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.
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Britannia_Junction" class="copylinks">Britannia Junction in Camden Town
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Regent's_Canal" class="copylinks">Regent's Canal in Camden Town
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Electric_Ballroom" class="copylinks">Electric Ballroom
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