Discover Camden Town

Camden Town became an important hub after Regent’s Canal opened to shipping in 1820. For planning your trip, you can consider markets, food options and music events as different areas of focus. If you’re looking for a hotel, it may help to think about which of these aspects is most likely to shape your stay.

Canal History and Markets

Camden Locks is on Regent’s Canal; the quays and warehouses of Camden Lock were converted into arts and crafts markets in the 1970s. Camden Locks is known for markets selling unusual gifts, artworks and antiques. This offers a way to connect the history of the canal-side with the markets’ distinctive range of goods.

Stables Market also has historical roots: it is located in an area that was once home to saddlers’ workshops, harness rooms, a horse hospital and stables. Its former uses thus covered various horse-related functions—from equipment and accommodation to care. By comparison, at Camden Locks the focus is on the conversion of quays and warehouses into arts and crafts markets.

Food Courts and Getting Around

At Hawley Wharf, the food courts are located in the Waterside Halls. If you consider food options a distinct focus of your trip, this is a specific point to help you find your way. Unlike the markets at Camden Locks, which are known for gifts, artworks and antiques, the focus here is on the food courts.

The Waterside Halls are fully accessible by lift for pushchair users and wheelchair users. This information about the halls is relevant when planning with a pushchair or wheelchair; it applies to the Waterside Halls.

Music and Events

The Electric Ballroom is a music venue at the heart of Camden Town’s vibrant community. Acts that have performed at the Electric Ballroom include The Clash, U2, Joy Division and The Smiths. The Electric Ballroom has been a music venue for 80 years; for more than 75 years, it has been used for concerts, club nights and live events.

The Roundhouse is an iconic music and arts venue in Camden, in north London. It hosts concerts by singer-songwriters, indie rock acts and smooth R&B bands. The café on the ground floor of the Roundhouse hosts pop-up events such as open-mic nights, wine tastings and exhibitions. These event formats may change.

For music enthusiasts, the venues have different areas of focus: at the Electric Ballroom, the emphasis is on its long history of hosting concerts, club nights and live events, as well as the acts mentioned above. At the Roundhouse, the listed concert genres and the café’s pop-up events offer a different insight into its event programme.

Discover more destinations: Cricklewood, Kilburn, Highgate

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