A City Guide to Camden
Situated just north of Central London, Camden has the proud reputation of being the birthplace of the British punk scene, as well as home to a thriving alternative music, art, and shopping scene. It’s hard to imagine that Camden only really became the place it is today in the 70’s, so fixed is it in the cultural consciousness of the City. Before that, it was a fairly rundown industrial town with nothing to its name but old breweries and fisheries.
But of course, that’s all fine information for historians or tourists. But you want to live in Camden. So, is Camden a great place to live? Definitely! Let me count the reasons why.
The Town Itself
If any word could be used to describe Camden, it’s colourful. No, seriously, the town is an explosion of colours, decorated shop fronts, bustling markets, painted houses, and street art. As was said before, Camden is home to a thriving and diverse artistic community, and it shows in the explosive character of the town itself.
A walk down Camden High Street is like walking down some strange commercialised acid trip. Wherever you look there’ll be a shop with a colourful façade quite literally popping out of the brickwork with huge sculptures, models and décor. While the typical London souvenir stores can be found in plenty, you’ll also be able to find stores selling vintage records, punk clothing, and tattoos.
Camden is the birthplace of the British rock scene, and the streets won’t hesitate to remind you by clubbing your eyes with a large plaster goth straddling a shop selling skull-shaped ear gauges.
The town doesn’t just embrace counter-culture. It has flung counter-culture over its shoulder Viking style and has run off with it to God knows where.
Chalk Farm is also worth checking out for this reason. The streets are always plastered with some truly awesome street art, so be sure to walk down there to check it out. The art is updated frequently, so there’s also something new to see.
The Cost
Okay, so we get it. Camden is really whacky and artistic and musical. It has street artists and goths and shops with Chinese dragons made of plaster clambering up the walls. All very cool and trendy. But what about one of the most crucial aspects of living just about anywhere – how much does it all cost?
Despite the fact that Camden is a very popular musicians’ neighbourhood only a few steps away from Central London, it’s actually possible to find some real bargains within the area if you know where to look. Among the expensive canal side properties that will probably cost both arms, both legs and half your right lung to afford, yet there are also some cheaper flats that you can rent.
For the cheapest, you’ll probably be looking at around £1400 p/m for a two-bedroom flat within Camden, and the price can go as high as £3500 p/m in some areas. A studio flat, meanwhile, will probably cost around £1000 p/m in most places.
It looks expensive, but for London prices, that’s not a bad deal.
What’s to See?
Camden Market
Alongside music, the Camden Markets are probably what placed the town on the map. Imagining Camden without its markets would be like imagining the Doctor without the TARDIS. A very sad affair.
Before Camden’s famous markets, the town was effectively nothing more than a former brewery and industrial zone. That all changed when the first of the markets opened and began trading in 1974. From there, the town quickly became a shopping and entertainment hotspot.
The markets are held weekly and are huge open-air affairs where you can pretty much find anything and everything a chap can unload. Just keep in mind that there are several markets, and each one caters to a particular variety of stalls. The Camden Lock Market, for example, focuses in clothes, jewellery, accessories and neat little odd gifts. Camden Stables, meanwhile, has a better selection of food stalls.
If retail therapy is your thing, then Camden Markets definitely have something to offer.
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse started life as an engineer’s shed back when Camden was still mostly known for factories and urban poverty. After a lengthy stint as a warehouse for gin, the building was acquired in 1964 by and turned into a cultural venue.
If a British band is worth listening to, chances are they’d debuted or at least performed at some point within the Roundhouse. It’s a cultural and musical landmark within the City, and you’re bound to catch good music playing within it most days. Tickets are nice and affordable – they go as cheap as £25 to as expensive as £55 – and there are some great bars and restaurants within the building as well.
The Roundhouse truly is one of the shiniest gems of the London gig scene, and no lover of live music would ever pass up the opportunity to attend the performances there. While the building’s layout can be kinda problematic in certain areas – it’s all too common to have a metal strut or column obscuring a singer’s face for most of the show – it’s still regarded as one of the go-to venues.
So, if you consider yourself something of a musical connoisseur, Camden should definitely be up your alley.
Camden “Beach”
Fancy a trip to the beach? But don’t want to spend money on a train to do so? Camden has you covered. Every summer for a few months, the terrace outside of the Roundhouse receives several truckloads of sand, numerous deck chairs and all the trappings of a day at the seaside.
The beach is free to enter, however, those looking for something extra special should look into renting out a VIP beach hut. As well as allowing you to jump the queue (always handy), the beach hut comes with private indoor and outdoor space, a glass of prosecco, candy rock and popcorn, as well as enough food for your own BBQ. You can order anything else via a handy-dandy app and all!
The London Zoo
Animal lovers can rejoice! The London Zoo is just down the road from Camden. While you may be able to catch a few sneaky glimpses of the larger animals from the canal, the London Zoo is well worth visiting properly if you’re in the area. Book online for a nifty 10% too!
Expect to see a healthy range of animals within the various exhibits and enclosures, from the usual standard zoo-fare such as lions, tigers, and koala bears (oh my!) to more exotic species such as Komodo dragons and pygmy hippos.
The Zoo opens from 10am, with last entries varying depending on the time of year. Bag checks are conducted at the gate too, so if you’re rather squeamish about people rummaging through your bags, best leave them at home.
Places to Eat
Poppie’s Fish and Chips
It might be hard to think of the humble chippie making much of a splash on the London foodie scene, but prepared to be amazed. Now operating from two restaurants within Camden, Poppie’s Fish and Chips takes a classic Saturday night favourite and gives it a dash of 1950’s nostalgia and carefully sourced ingredients.
The walls are plastered with vintage theatre, movie and music posters, lined with tin soldiers, and bedecked with wooden cupboards and jukeboxes, so that Poppie’s looks like the illicit union between an episode of Happy Days and Call the Midwife in the all the most positive ways.
It’s not just some glitzy restaurant with a kooky theme either. Poppie’s very much prides itself in using only the best, locally sourced ingredients. While its fish must be caught outside Camden, its ice comes from the Marina and the beer comes from local breweries. The fish is soft and delicate, the chips are crisp and golden, and the mushy peas are rich and savoury. Because it’s Camden, live music is often played within the newer restaurant as well.
Inhabitation Coffee Shop
If you’re looking for somewhere local, cheap and charming for a quick breakfast before work, then you should probably look into Inhabitation Coffee Shop (ICS). It’s really shooting for a semi-casual greasy spoon diner vibe, crossed slightly with the artistic, musical aesthetic that characterises much of the town.
As well as smart wooden tables laden with more condiment sauces than you can shake half a chewed sausage at, the walls are covered with numerous theatre posters from the past few decades. Everything from Les Miserables to Avenue Q.
The food includes the usual British caff line up, such as bacon, eggs and beans; eggs, beans, and bacon; or beans, bacon and eggs. (Okay, as well as omelettes, jacket potatoes, vegetarian meals, burgers, and grilled halloumi). The staff is friendly too, which is always nice.
Bang Bang Chicken
When you’re looking for some quick yet hearty street food, be sure to look into Bang Bang Chicken. Located on Camden High Street, it’s an open-wall shop that sells a sort of fried chicken and Asian fusion. Don’t be mislead by its rather unassuming appearance – the shop is wildly popular with everyone who’s eaten there.
The chap who runs it is reportedly very friendly as well, if slightly mad, as he’s known to give out very generous samples to hungry passers-by. The grub is very much worth the price of paying for it, however, and you won’t regret buying a second helping either.
Transport
Camden is served by the Northern Line, which offers quick access to the rest of the city. Likewise, Camden Town Station can be reached by the 31, N28, or N31 buses. There are also bicycles for hire if you just need a quick, cheap and healthy way to get from A to B. As a general rule in London, you should avoid driving a car as much as possible. Parking is awkward and expensive, and the London rush hour can make driving painful if you need to be somewhere fast.
Picking up an Oyster card is your best bet in this case, as it offers cheap and convenient travel across all of London’s public transport, whether it’s the buses, trains, underground or trams. You can either pay as you go with it or set up a prepaid credit.
We’ve given you the scoop and the lowdown – think the area could be for you? Check out our selection of rooms for rent in Camden to find your next home in the neighbourhood.
