CAMDEN TOWN Northern Line (Edgware)
Markets galore - and a canal walk
















From Camden Town station turn right. Soon you will reach brightly painted shops - many sporting huge models of their wares. There are several street markets on the way to the main cluster, The Stables and the old Horse Hospital (for treating horses injured while drawing barges along the Regents Canal). This section resembles a souk, with units created in every dark nook and cranny. There are some magnificent horse sculptures in the area of the tunnel where horses used to be brought in for treatment. Nowadays tempting aromas from the many exotic food outlets drift pleasantly down the cobbled pathways.

Most of the markets are open during the week, but it is particularly at weekends that they are crowded with tourists and trendy youngsters drawn by the vast array of 'alternative' clothes, jewelry and tempting take-away food. Market website
Please note that photographing individual stalls is not allowed without prior permission of the owners.









The buildings of Camden Lock itself have been completely redeveloped on the far side.
The Ice Wharf is a well-designed apartment building in a suitably pale icy turquoise colour.














For other interesting architecture go left down the tow path under the bridge and you will see the once famous 'Egg-cup House', home of TV AM. Happily, all the egg-cups are still in place, even if the staff are not.















If you want to stroll towards London Zoo, return to the lock and walk past Pirate Castle, a youth club from which children can take out canoes and generally have a lot of fun.









More sedate buildings in the form of grand houses line the far bank and then at Cumberland Basin comes another oddity - a floating pagoda restaurant. After admiring the Snowden Aviary and any animals you might see at the Zoo you might want to go a little further on to have a look at Blow-Up Bridge.













As its name suggests, it was the scene of a disaster. In 1874 a gunpowder barge blew up sending the bridge in all directions. The canal was closed for three days and such was the hurry to get the bridge rebuilt that the indestructible cast iron columns,
clearly marked 'Coalbrookdale', were put back the wrong way round, so tow rope marks are visible on both sides of one of the columns.


Macclesfield (Blow-Up) Bridge

If you are feeling energetic it is possible to walk the 2 1/2 miles to Little Venice along the towpath from here.


©DR2008
MAP

This is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and whacky buildings to be found, even in the most unpromising areas covered by the Greater London Underground stations. Usually the places listed are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored . You'll be amazed at what's out there!