“And for London, this is for London, cos Camden Town ain’t burning down!” – Amy Winehouse
Camden Town or Camden for short is a district in London that is known for its alternative culture — alternative fashion, alternative arts & crafts, and alternative music.
I often hear “Camden” as a niche for alternative scene especially during the times that I was so fascinated with anything ‘gothic” and “punk”. I even found out that this is the not just the birthplace of Britpop, but also the very first shop that sells Doc Martens shoes!
So I told myself, I MUST pay a visit when I go to London, and if I can, I should buy a new pair of DMs hehe…I am so happy that I got my vintage red DMs now and for free! Because Laurie paid for it as a loan, but until now I haven’t pay him yet lol! Sssssshhhhhh….
Camden used to be a place of trading goods when Regent’s Canal was built in the 1800’s. People still use this canal, but for tourism purposes only. We see people (mostly youngsters) renting their own waterbus/boat and operate the canal on their own. Must be fun to do on a boring weekend, eh?
Later on, Camden became popular with its weekend markets, but now most of the shops, restaurants and pubs are open everyday, but it is still more lively and busier to come on weekends as there are wide variety of street performers, street artists, live bands and food stalls that are cheaper.
Camden markets is popular as the world’s shopping place for more alternative clothing — vintage, goth, punk, burlesque, ethnic, hippie, cyber, etc. etc! The more eccentric and hard to find fashion, you can surely find it here.
Art galleries and shop are also everywhere in Camden. Even the street/stall vendors have lots of artsy fartsy stuff to offer, we bought our vinyl record clock here hehe. You can find wide selection of— vintage paraphernalia, jewelries from around the world, paintings, sculptures, recycled products, and a lot more!
In music history, Camden has established itself as to play a very important part especially for artists and bands that started out here just like Amy Winehouse. In the early years artists and bands like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Van Morisson, The Ramones, Madness, The Clash, Sex Pistols, etc. upto the recent ones like Blur, Oasis, Prince, U2, REM, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. to name a few!
In Camden, you can find music shops that sells vinyl records, musical instruments, t-shirts and accessories with your favorite artist/band on it, etc.
Our trip to Camden was not just for eating and shopping! It surely a remarkable experience as it entertained us more than just seeing things or places. It is an experience that will be forever in your memories without spending a penny! 😉
