What is Camden Town famous for ?
Nestled in the heart of London, Camden Town stands as a vibrant hub of culture, creativity,
and alternative lifestyles. Its streets teem with bustling markets, iconic music venues, and an
unmistakable sense of bohemian flair
Camden has been home to many famous people including many writers such as John
Keats(18-19th century writer), Charles Dickens(19th wirter), George Bernard Shaw (20th
writer) and JB Priestley and continues to be the home for many celebrities.
Camden today is a multi-cultural area at the heart of London and will no doubt continue to
evolve and change over the next 2,000 years.
Geography
Nestled in the heart of London, Camden Town stands as a vibrant hub of culture, creativity,
and alternative lifestyles. Its streets teem with bustling markets, iconic music venues, and an
unmistakable sense of bohemian flair
Camden, inner borough of London, England, in the historic county of Middlesex. It lies to the
north of Westminster and the historic City of London. The borough extends some 5 miles (8
km) from below High Holborn (road) to the northern heights of Hampstead Heath
History
The Early Days
Camden Town traces its roots back to the 18th century when it was initially a small, rural
settlement on the outskirts of London
. Named after Charles Pratt, the 1st Earl of Camden, the area began to grow rapidly with the
advent of the Grand Union Canal in the late 18th century. The canal brought trade and
industry, transforming Camden Town into a bustling industrial center.
Victorian Splendor
During the Victorian era, Camden Town experienced significant development and expansion.
With the construction of the railway in the mid-19th century,
the area became an important transportation hub, attracting a diverse range of residents and
businesses.
The Market Legacy
One of Camden Town's most famous attractions is its vibrant markets. The history of Camden
Market dates back to the 1970s when a group of traders set up shop in the area.
Today, Camden Market is a sprawling maze of stalls, offering everything from vintage fashion
to international cuisine.
Music and Counterculture
Camden Town has long been synonymous with the music and counterculture movements. In
the late 1960s and 1970s, it became a haven for musicians, artists, and bohemians seeking an
alternative lifestyle
. The Roundhouse, a former railway engine shed, played a significant role in Camden's
musical legacy by hosting iconic performances from the likes of Pink Floyd, The Doors, and
Jimi Hendrix.
The Punk Revolution
In the late 1970s, Camden Town became the epicenter of the punk rock scene.
The Electric Ballroom and The Underworld quickly gained notoriety as venues that
showcased emerging punk bands.
The iconic British punk fashion, epitomized by the punk stalls of Camden Market, became a
cultural phenomenon. Punk legends such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols left an indelible
mark on the neighborhood's rebellious spirit.
The punk culture in Camden Town
Most notably, and perhaps one of the main reasons people visit Camden, is its fundamental
place in London's punk scene.
To punks, 1976 was ‘year zero’ – a time to rip up tradition, rail against convention and start
over. ‘There is no future’, chanted The Sex Pistols in banned anthem, God Save the Queen.
‘Don’t be told what you want, don’t be told what you need.’ An anarchic spirit, fueled by a
DIY attitude, roared through the streets of London, down the King’s Road and onto Camden’s
club circuit.
So, why Camden? At the time, an ex-industrial part of London, abundant with cheap pubs and
music venues and often described as a place that felt as though it was "un-policed", it was
where young people felt free to spend their time as they wished. It was the perfect place for
subculture to grow and develop, and Camden is where London punks found there home
Notable places that are connected to the punk culture
Where it all started- The Roundhouse
In the 1960s, The Roundhouse, an old railway building on Chalk Farm Road, had hosted a
number of groovy happenings, all night hippy freak outs, headlined by bands such as The
Pink Floyd and The Doors. By 1976 however, many young people had grown bored with
peace and love, flared trousers, long hair and so-called prpogtressive rock, and were ripe for a
cultural change.
On 4th July 1976 an event took place at the Roundhouse which is considered by many to be
the first Punk Rock gig to have taken place in London.
New York band, The Ramones, made their first live appearance in Britain, supporting The
Flaming Groovies. The concert was sold. From then on, The Roundhouse cemented its
reputation as a venue prepared to take artistic risks by allowing bands such as The Damned,
The Stranglers and Xray Spex to perform there, when many other music venues were scared
off by the rather unsavoury reputation that the media had established for this new wave of
young bands. Punk Rock had arrived in London.
Dingwall’s Dance Hall
This legendary venue opened in 1973
. It had previously been a run-down packaging warehouse located next to The
Regents Canal, in what is now Camden Lock Market, It was an ideal place for loud
music to be played as the building had very few windows, which made for a well
sound-proofed performance space.
After a couple of years, the dance hall had its own resident band on Thursday
nights,
Kilburn and The High Roads, who went on to become punk fellow travellers, Ian
Dury and The Blockheads. The Stranglers even namechecked the venue, singing
about ‘Dingwall’s bullshit’ in their debut single ‘London Lady’.
It was here that The Stranglers and The Clash were involved in fisticuffs, which would
affect the way The Stranglers, Britain’s biggest selling punk band would be reported
in the British music press for years to come.
The Stranglers had just come off stage at Dingwall’s, having supported the
Ramones here in late 1976, when, legend has it, a member of The Clash spat at
them, and, in true punk style, it all kicked off. On one side of the car park were
various members of The Sex Pistols, The Clash and assorted journalists, and on the
other were The Stranglers and their infamous followers, The Finchley Boys. Although
the skirmish only lasted for seconds, the music press never forgave The Stranglers
for the incident , and spent the next ten years bearing a grudge against them.
The Electric Ballroom
The building which eventually became The Electric Ballroom, located next to Camden Town tube
station on Camden High Street, first opened as a music venue back in 1938.
, in 1938 it became an Irish ballroom called The Buffalo Bar.
It became a rock venue in 1978 and was the location of the last ever British gig by the notorious Sex
Pistol, Sid Vicious, who played here in order to raise money for his, and his girlfriend, Nany
Spungen’s, air fares to America.
Sadly, Sid and Nancy got on their flight to America a few weeks later but within a couple of months
would both be dead.
The Music Machine
In 1977, the year that punk came out of the shadows, The Camden Theatre, just over
the road from Mornington Crescent tube station, became known as The Music
Machine and hosted some classic punk gigs.
You could still tell that it had once been a theatre, it had a certain plush seediness
about it. It was all dimly lit balconies, bars and twisty staircases.
in 1978, The Clash played a four-night stint here,. This venue is now known as
KOKO and is currently being refurbished after a fire broke out there in January 2020.
Punk’s legacy in Camden
Punk rock had a far-reaching impact on British culture, but, by 1978, it was all over. This
does not mean that its influence disappeared, however; its impact on Camden can still be felt
today, over forty years later.
