53-579: Mornington Crescent is a terraced street in Camden Town , Camden , London, England. It was built in the 1820s, on a greenfield site just to the north of central London. Many of the houses were subdivided into flats during the Victorian era, and what was the street's communal garden is now the Carreras Building . Mornington Crescent tube station which opened in 1907, takes its name from
106-526: A blacking warehouse. 51°32′00″N 0°08′26″W / 51.5334°N 0.1405°W / 51.5334; -0.1405 Camden Town Camden Town ( / ˈ k æ m d ən / ), often shortened to Camden , is an area in the London Borough of Camden , around 2.5 miles (4.1 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross . Historically in Middlesex , it is identified in
159-620: 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. While originally open on Sundays only, market activity later extended throughout
212-472: A fourth, a Pals battalion , which joined a different regiment, the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) , as the 16th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade, (St. Pancras), (The Prince Consort's Own). It also established a training battalion, the 17th (Reserve) Battalion, which spent most of the war on Wimbledon Common . During World War I these three front line battalions were deployed: St Pancras
265-572: A major fire, but there were no injuries. It later reopened as Camden Lock Village, until closed in 2015 for redevelopment. Camden Town was contained within the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the new London Borough of Camden, of which it is the namesake and administrative centre. Camden Town is contained in the following political constituencies for different purposes, listed with some incumbents as of December 2022 : Camden Town
318-589: A more central position further south, is a result of the influential recommendations of a Royal Commission of 1846 which sought to protect the West End districts a short distance south of the road. National Rail stations include London King's Cross and St Pancras . St Pancras is one of the best-known railway stations in England. It has been extended and is now the terminus for the Eurostar services through
371-570: 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. 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. A 1993 bomb blast injured 18 people on Camden High Street . On 9 February 2008, Camden Canal market suffered
424-626: Is a London Overground station at the corner of Royal College Street and Camden Road, on the line from Richmond in the West to Stratford station in the East. The nearest National Rail station is Kentish Town station on the Thameslink route on the Midland Main Line . St Pancras International , Euston , and King's Cross terminals are within 20 minutes' walk of Camden Town. The area
477-474: Is a free, independent weekly newspaper that covers the London Borough of Camden. Camden tv, Web site with short films about Camden. St Pancras, London St Pancras ( / ˈ p æ ŋ k r ə s / ) is a district in central London . It was originally a medieval ancient parish and subsequently became a metropolitan borough. The metropolitan borough then merged with neighbouring boroughs and
530-505: Is a major hub for London Buses . The following routes serve Camden Town: 24 (24 hour), 27 , 29 , 31 , 46, 88 (24 hour), 134 (24 hour), 168, 214 (24 hour), 253 , 274 and Night Bus Routes N5, N20, N27, N28, N29, N31, N253 and N279. Parts of the A503 (Camden Road) and A400 (Camden High Street and Camden Street) are designated as red routes on which vehicles may not stop for any reason, managed by Transport for London (TfL) rather than
583-513: Is a shared-use pedestrian and cycle path maintained by the Canal and River Trust . The towpath links Camden Town to Angel and King's Cross to the east, and Regent's Park and Maida Vale in the west. The London-wide Santander Cycles cycle hire scheme operates in Camden Town. There are several docking stations, some near rail and Tube stations. Cycle counters on Royal College Street to
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#1732797232363636-543: Is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden . His earldom was styled after his estate, Camden Place near Chislehurst 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. The emergence of
689-481: Is on relatively flat ground at 100 feet (30 m) above sea level , 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. To the north are the hills of Hampstead and Highgate ; to the west is Primrose Hill . The culverted , subterranean River Fleet flows from its source on Hampstead Heath through Camden Town south to the River Thames . The Regent's Canal runs through the north of Camden Town. At
742-509: The Camden Town Group ; the painter Walter Sickert lived there from 1905, at number 6, and Spencer Gore lived at number 31 from 1909 to 1912. Clarkson Stanfield (a painter friend of Charles Dickens ) lived at number 36 from 1834 to 1841. The painter Harden Sidney Melville lived for a time at number 34. Dickens went to a school, Wellington House Academy, on Granby Terrace adjoining Mornington Crescent, after his spell working in
795-527: The Channel Tunnel . London Underground stations include King's Cross St Pancras . Immediately to the north of St Pancras churchyard is St Pancras Hospital , once the parish workhouse and later the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases . During the 18th and 19th centuries, St Pancras was famous for its cemeteries. In addition to the graveyard of Old St Pancras Church, it also contained
848-486: The Domesday Book of 1086, and there is evidence to suggest it predated Domesday by several centuries. A chapel of ease was subsequently established at Kentish Town to supplement the main parish church, which was replaced by a new building in 1822, St Pancras New Church on the south side of Euston Road . The then-dilapidated Old Church continued in use but was reduced to the status of a chapel of ease . Most of
901-473: The Islington Tunnel . A regular waterbus service operates along the Regent's Canal from Camden Lock. Boats depart every hour during the summer, heading westward around Regent's Park, calling at London Zoo and on towards Maida Vale. Sightseeing narrow-boat trips run from Camden Lock to Little Venice. A new park and walkway utilising the former railway alignment between Camden Town and Kings Cross
954-478: The London Borough of Camden . In the 1950s, St Pancras Council gained a reputation for left-wing radicalism and was referred to as "the most freakish borough in London.” The council refused to take part in civil defence preparations for war which local councils were obliged to provide. The Home Office monitored Mayor John Lawrence , and as of 2016, still refuses Freedom of Information requests related to him on
1007-741: The London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London . Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras , Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the London canal network . The area's industrial economic base has been replaced by service industries such as retail, tourism and entertainment. The area now hosts street markets and music venues associated with alternative culture . Camden Town
1060-548: The borough . Black taxis ply for hire in the area and there are minicab offices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, from about March 2020 roadworks were carried out to make many side roads more suitable for cycling and reduce vehicle traffic. This led to traffic jams described as "gridlock", and opposition. Transport for London and Camden Council both provide and maintain cycling infrastructure in Camden Town. Segregated cycle tracks run alongside Royal College Street to
1113-403: The 17th century had become the "' Gretna Green ' of the London area". On that account Elizabethan playwright Ben Jonson alludes to the area frequently in his plays. It was a rural area with a dispersed population until the growth of London in the late eighteenth century. In the 1790s Earl Camden began to develop some fields to the north and west of the old church as Camden Town . About
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#17327972323631166-576: The 1958 council election. In 1960, a widespread rent strike in the district led to rioting in September. From 1859 to 1955, the St Pancras produced dedicated military units for the British Army, initially infantry battalions and later anti-aircraft and searchlight regiments. A high proportion of the recruits were drawn from working-class districts of St Pancras, such as Camden Town . At
1219-544: The 19th century it stood on a knoll on the eastern bank of the now buried River Fleet . The church, dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras , gave its name to the St Pancras district, which originated as the parish served by the church. The church is reputed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England; however, as is so often with old church sites, it is hard to find documentary or archaeological evidence for its initial foundation. One tradition asserts that
1272-537: The area increased in popularity with the introduction of the markets the narrow platforms became dangerously overcrowded, particularly on Sunday afternoons. London Underground 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 Camden High Street—was rejected by Camden Council after opposition from local people; of 229 letters, only two supported
1325-415: The area it covered now forms around half of the modern London Borough of Camden . The area of the parish and borough includes the sub-districts of Camden Town , Kentish Town , Gospel Oak , Somers Town , King's Cross , Chalk Farm , Dartmouth Park , the core area of Fitzrovia and a part of Highgate . St Pancras Old Church lies on Pancras Road, Somers Town , behind St Pancras railway station . Until
1378-467: The canal bank designed to assist horses that fell in the canal after being startled by the noise of a train. Camden Lock is a regularly used traditional manually operated double canal lock operating between widely separated levels. A large complex of weekend street markets operates around the Lock. The towpath is a pedestrian and cycle route which runs continuously from Little Venice through Camden Lock to
1431-656: The cemeteries of the neighbouring ecclesiastical parishes of St James's Church, Piccadilly , St Giles in the Fields , St Andrew, Holborn , St. George's Church, Bloomsbury , and St George the Martyr, Holborn . These were all closed under the Extramural Interment Act in 1854; the parish was required to purchase land some distance away, beyond its borders, and chose East Finchley for its new St Pancras Cemetery . The disused graveyard at St Pancras Old Church
1484-463: The church was established in AD 314 in the late Roman period. There is little to support that view, but it is notable that to the south of the church was a site called The Brill , believed at the time to have been a Roman Camp. The Brill was destroyed during the urbanisation of the area, without any archaeological excavation to assess its age and purpose. The church is certainly very old; it was mentioned in
1537-499: The core area of Fitzrovia and a part of Highgate . There are no motorways in St Pancras, and few stretches of dual carriageway road, but the district has great strategic transport significance to London, due to the presence of three of the capital's most important rail termini; Euston , St Pancras and King's Cross , which are lined up along the Euston Road . The position of the railway termini on Euston Road, rather than in
1590-553: The east of Camden Town, past Camden Road railway station. Cycling provision changes from time to time—in particular, cycling provisions were added during the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 . Current provision information (open and proposed cycle routes, Santander Cycles docking stations) is on the TfL Web site. The CycleStreets mobile app finds suitable routes throughout the UK, including Camden Town. The Regent's Canal towpath
1643-456: The end of the 20th century, entertainment-related businesses began moving into the area, and a Holiday Inn was built abutting the canal. A number of retail and food chain outlets replaced independent shops, driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants with a variety of culinary traditions thrived, many of them near the markets, on Camden High Street and its side streets, Parkway , Chalk Farm Road, and Bayham Street. The plan to redevelop
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1696-537: The fabric of the Old Church building dates from a subsequent Victorian restoration. The ancient parish of St Pancras (also known as Pancrace or Pancridge ) was established in the medieval period to serve five manors: two manors named St Pancras (one prebendial, one lay), Cantlowes (Kentish Town) , Tottenham Court and Rugmere (Chalk Farm) . By the end of the nineteenth century, the ancient parish had been divided into 37 ecclesiastical parishes, including one for
1749-511: The front and rear, yet was conveniently close to town . It was at the southern end of the slightly older Arlington Street, now Arlington Road . However, the building of the railway line into the Euston terminus, and encroachment from the nearby working class districts of Kings Cross and Camden Town led to a change in the demographics of the area during the Victorian era . More and more,
1802-560: The grounds of protecting national security. Housing was in excess demand after the damage and disruption of the Second World War . There was strong opposition to the 1957 Rent Act , which led to a series of decisions that caused serious financial difficulty. John Lawrence and several other councillors were expelled from the Labour Party in 1958 but continued to serve as Independent Socialists. The Conservative Party won
1855-449: The historic Stables Market led to a steel and glass extension, built on the edges of the site in 2006, and increased the market's capacity. Camden is well known for its markets. These date from 1974 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 and only touristy stalls remained. Camden Lock Market proper started in
1908-517: The houses were subdivided into houses of multiple occupancy with flats housing artists and artisans. The communal gardens of the crescent are occupied by a large Art Deco building, known as the Carreras Building . Originally built as a tobacco factory in 1926–28 by the Carreras Tobacco Company , it is a striking example of early 20th Century Egyptian Revival architecture and a distinctive local landmark, not least because of
1961-560: The industrial revolution in the 19th century meant Camden was the North Western Railway's terminal stop in 1837. It was where goods were transported off the tracks and onto the roads of London by 250 000 workhorses. The whole area was adapted to a transportation function: the Roundhouse (1846), Camden Lock and the Stables were examples of this. Camden Town stands on land that was once the manor of Kentish Town . Sir Charles Pratt,
2014-459: The large bronze statues of the Egyptian cat god Bastet which adorn the front. In the 1990s the building was restored and converted into an office building and renamed Greater London House. The crescent has a number of literary and artistic associations. The artist Frank Auerbach has a studio nearby and has often painted the crescent and surrounding area. The crescent was a popular subject of
2067-407: The line, and the station, had to pass exactly below the narrow streets to avoid having to pay landowners for access. The platforms of the station are consequently very narrow, and the station has one platform directly above another. There is an air raid shelter under the station used during the Second World War ; many stations were used as air raid shelters, but few had dedicated shelters. After
2120-546: The narrow platforms during busy market hours. Mornington Crescent, Chalk Farm, and Kentish Town stations, within walking distance, remained open. The restriction was extended temporarily due to escalator renovation, and removed due to reduced traffic during the peak of the covid pandemic from 2020 , but the Sunday afternoon closure continues, and outbound access is via a long spiral staircase instead of an escalator at other busy times when many market visitors arrive. Camden Road
2173-423: The north of Camden Road railway station recorded over 375,000 journeys between August 2017 and July 2018. Regent's Canal runs through the north end of Camden Town. Canal boat trips along the canal from Camden Lock are popular, particularly in summer. Many of the handrails by the bridges show deep marks worn by the towropes by which horses pulled canal barges until the 1950s, and it is still possible to see ramps on
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2226-409: The old church was rebuilt in 1847. In the mid-19th century two major railway stations were built to the south of the Old Church, first King's Cross and later St Pancras . The new church is closer to Euston station . The parish of St Pancras was administered by a vestry until the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras was established in 1900. In 1965 the borough was combined with two others to form
2279-740: The old church, to better serve a rapidly growing population. There are currently 17 Church of England parishes completely contained within the boundaries of the ancient parish, all of which benefit from the distributions from the St Pancras Lands Trust and most of which are in South Camden Deanery in the Edmonton Area of the Diocese of London . In the Middle Ages it had "disreputable associations", and by
2332-552: The same time, a residential district was built to the south and east of the church, usually known as Somers Town . In 1822 the new church of St Pancras was dedicated as the parish church . The site was chosen on what was then called the New Road (now Euston Road ) which had been built as London's first bypass, the M25 of its day. The two sites are about a kilometre apart. The new church is Grade I listed for its Greek Revival style ;
2385-479: The scheme. It was later planned to redevelop the station entirely between 2020 and 2024/5, with less demolition than proposed previously, but the redevelopment was postponed in December 2018 by TfL "until we have the funds we need"; no work had been announced as of September 2023 . Early in the 21st century the station closed to outbound passengers on Sunday afternoons due to the danger due to overcrowding of
2438-536: The southern boundary with Holborn . The course of this watercourse is now marked, in part, by Roger Street (formerly known as Henry Street). The tree which gave the Gospel Oak district its name, formed part of the boundary with neighbouring Hampstead . The boundaries of St Pancras include take in around half of the modern London Borough of Camden , including Camden Town , Kentish Town , Somers Town , Gospel Oak , King's Cross , Chalk Farm , Dartmouth Park ,
2491-542: The start of World War I, the St Pancras Battalion was part of the London Regiment and known as 19th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (St Pancras). The increase in wartime recruitment led to it being split into two battalions (each around a thousand strong), the 1/19th and 2/19th, with the 3/19th established as a training battalion. These three St Pancras battalions were joined by
2544-551: The street. The crescent was named after the Earl of Mornington , brother of the Duke of Wellington . Comprising three curved terraces grouped in a crescent form around communal gardens , the north side of the crescent (numbers 37–46) was constructed first, dating from the 1820s or earlier. With 36 spacious houses suitable for professional people, the crescent was originally surrounded by green fields, enjoying views across open country to
2597-473: The week, though concentrating on weekends. Camden Town tube station is near the markets and other attractions. Chalk Farm and Mornington Crescent tube stations are also within walking distance. This station is a key interchange station for the Northern line , both northbound (towards Edgware or High Barnet/Mill Hill East) and southbound (via Bank or Charing Cross). When the station was designed in 1907
2650-497: Was given planning permission in January 2023. To the north of Camden Town station and running along the canal is a modern pop art complex designed by Terry Farrell as the studios of the former TV-am , now used by MTV but retaining TV-am's eggcup sculptures along the roof line. Associated Press Television News has its head office in a former gin warehouse near Camden Lock called "The Interchange". The Camden New Journal
2703-585: Was given to the removal of remains than in the 19th century. Old St Pancras Church and its graveyard have links to Charles Dickens , Thomas Hardy , and the Wollstonecraft circle. Open spaces in the district include: The name “St Pancras” survives in the name of the local parliamentary constituency , Holborn and St. Pancras . One of the political wards in Camden is called St Pancras and Somers Town; however, ward boundaries are chosen to divide
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#17327972323632756-619: Was left alone for over thirty years until the building of the Midland Railway required the removal of many of the graves. Thomas Hardy , then a junior architect and later a novelist and poet, was involved in this work. He placed a number of gravestones around a tree, now known as "the Hardy Tree". The cemetery was disturbed again in 2002–03 by the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link but much more care
2809-448: Was originally an Ancient Parish that ran from a point a little north of Oxford Street , extending north to include part of Highgate , and from today’s Regent's Park in the west to the road now called York Way in the east. These boundaries encompass much of the current London Borough of Camden . The former River Fleet formed part of the boundary with Clerkenwell , while a tributary of it – later known as Lamb’s Conduit - formed
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