Camden Town - London UK

Candem Town has a variety of colourful markets, shops, theatres and cinemas.

Nearest underground:  Candem town and Chalk farm

Open 7 days

 www.camdenlock.net

Camden Town, often shortened to Camden (ambiguously also used for the much larger London Borough of Camden of which it is the central neighbourhood), is a district of Inner London in northwest London, England. It is located 2.4 miles (3.9 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the 35 major centres identified in the London Plan.

Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras, Middlesex, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways and is also located on the London canal network. Its industrial economic basis has been replaced by retail, tourism and entertainment, including a number of internationally-known markets and music venues that are strongly associated with alternative culture.

Camden Town is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. His earldom was styled after his estate, Camden Place nearChislehurst in Kent (now in the London Borough of Bromley), formerly owned by historian William Camden. The name, which appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1822, was later applied to the early 20th century Camden Town Group of artists and the London borough of Camden, created in 1965.

Camden Town stands on land which was once the manor of Kentish Town. Sir Charles Pratt, a radical 18th century lawyer and politician, acquired the manor through marriage. In 1791, he started granting leases for houses to be built in the manor.^[5] In 1816, the Regent's Canal was built through the area. Up to at least the mid 20th century, Camden Town was considered an "unfashionable" locality. The Camden markets, which started in 1973 and have grown since then, attract many visitors all week. Camden Lock Village, then known as Camden Lock market, suffered a major fire, but no injuries, on 9 February 2008. It has since recovered.

Camden is well known for its markets: these date from the 1970s or later, except for Inverness Street market, for over a century a small food market serving the local community, though by 2013 all foodstuff and produce stalls had gone, leaving only touristy stalls.Camden Lock market proper started in a former timber-yard in 1973, and is now surrounded by five more markets: Buck Street market,Stables market, Camden Lock village, and an indoor market in the Electric Ballroom. The markets are a major tourist attraction at weekends, selling goods of all types including fashion, lifestyle, books, food, junk/antiques and more bizarre items; they and the surrounding shops are popular with young people, in particular those searching for "alternative" clothing.