A Visit To Camden Market

Based on what I've seen so far, I seriously doubt that anyone who lives in London is aware that London is purported to be a fashion epicenter. Today, however, we discovered a part of London that certainly has plenty of unique style. It is true that Camden Market's style leans more towards cabaret than runway but we strapped on our emotional corsets and fish-nets and allowed ourselves to be swept away into the world of Camden Market.

Our trip began on the Northern Line of the London Underground into the tiny Camden Town station. We had arranged to meet up with Taylor's friend Kate and Kate's mother at the station but began to wonder at the wisdom of those plans when we saw the herds of people who were shoulder to shoulder as we all attempted to exit through the turnstiles.

Shuffling out of the station, I noticed a beautiful yellow Labrador being led on leash by a man in a dark blue shirt. I snidely whispered to Ryan, "I hope that isn't a drug sniffing dog. If it is, I bet he is going to be very tired at the end of his day."

Guess what?

It was a drug sniffing dog which made our first Camden experience observing multiple drug busts. We waited for our friends and watched with fascination as the sweet dog alertly sniffed everyone then, when he found his mark, circle around the criminal, wrapping him up in his leash. The officer would then calmly ask the mark to step to the side for a word with his colleague. All very calm and reasonable...at least from our point of view!

When Kate arrived, Kevin and Jackson decided to forgo the shopping and head to the Imperial War Museum. I can't imagine why! We girls dove straight into the shopping chaos.

Camden Market started out as a craft market in 1974 but very few things on display now would qualify as a craft (except maybe witchcraft!). The market consists of a mixture of stalls and shops with the stalls primarily open on the weekends. Many things about the market reminded us of Canton (not the witchcraft part).

One of the focal points of the market is the Camden Locks, a twin manually-operated lock on the Regent's Canal. (Source) Apparently, an American Express commercial starring Kate Winslet was filmed on this site. I just enjoyed seeing a working lock for the first time.

As we explored the stalls and browsed through the shops, we discovered an unexpected area of the market, Camden Stables. This section of Camden is a converted Victorian horse hospital complete with cobblestone alleyways and underground tunnels. This was much more to our particular tastes with many vintage shops including several antique stores that carried some beautiful pieces of antique technology. If we had traveled in the car rather than on the train, I would have added an Imperial typewriter to my collection and maybe a few cameras! Of course, that gives us a great excuse to go back.

Our day ended with an early dinner at a local restaurant called Pier 1 where we enjoyed the best fish and chips that we have had so far.

We completely enjoyed our day at Camden Market and highly recommend a visit there for anyone who can handle the crowds and is prepared to experience the other side of London.