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London Borough of Camden
London borough
From the top left; Top: Camden Lock railway bridge; St Pancras Middle: BT Tower; the British Museum Bottom: King's Cross Central; Kenwood House
Coat of armsCouncil logo
Motto(s): Non sibi, sed toti (Not for self, but for all)
Camden shown within Greater London
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Created	1 April 1965
Admin HQ	5 Pancras Square, King's Cross, London
Government
• Type	London borough council
• Body	Camden London Borough Council
• London Assembly	Anne Clarke (Lab) AM for Barnet and Camden
• MPs	Keir Starmer (Lab) Tulip Siddiq (Lab)
Area
• Total	8.4 sq mi (21.8 km)
• Rank	287th (of 296)
Population
• Total	218,049
• Rank	87th (of 296)
• Density	25,920/sq mi (10,007/km)
• Rank	8th (of 296)
Time zone	UTC (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcodes	EC, N, NW, W, WC
Area code	020
ISO 3166 code	GB-CMD
GSS code	E09000007
Police	Metropolitan Police
Website	camden.gov.uk
There are concerns about the accuracy of this data

The London Borough of Camden (/ˈkæmdən/ ) is a borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies 1.4 mi (2.3 km) north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former metropolitan boroughs of Holborn, St Pancras and Hampstead.

To the south it shares with the City of Westminster parts of the West End, where it also borders the City of London. The cultural and commercial land uses in the south contrast with the bustling mixed-use districts such as Camden Town and Kentish Town in the centre and leafy residential areas around Hampstead Heath in the north. Well known attractions include The British Museum, The British Library, the famous views from Parliament Hill, the London Zoo, the BT Tower, the converted Roundhouse entertainment venue, and Camden Market. As of 2021 it has a population of 210,136. Politically, its local authority is Camden London Borough Council.

History

The area of the modern borough had historically been part of the county of Middlesex. From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London.

From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards. The ancient parishes of Hampstead and St Pancras were each governed by their vestry. The various smaller parishes and territories to the south were grouped into the St Giles District and Holborn District, each governed by a district board. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs, including the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead, the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras (each covering the parish of the same name) and the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn, covering the combined area of the former St Giles District and Holborn District (subject to some boundary adjustments with neighbours on its south-eastern edges).

The London borough of Camden was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963. It covered the combined area of the three metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and St Pancras, which were all abolished. The initial Herbert Commission report recommended that the new borough consist of St Pancras and Hampstead, but Holborn was later added.

According to Enid Wistrich, who was a member of Hampstead Council at the time, the name "Camden" was the idea of Alderman Room, the Leader of Hampstead Council, and Mr Wilson, the Town Clerk, while travelling in a taxi through Camden Town. The name "Fleet" had also been suggested, after the underground river that flowed through the three boroughs, but that was rejected as the river was little more than a sewer. Other suggestions included "Penhamborn", 'Bornhamcras" and "Hohampion". Government guidelines for the naming of the new boroughs suggested that the chosen name should be short and simple, and ideally one that was generally associated with the centre of the new Borough. The name "Camden" met those criteria.

The name "Camden Town" was derived from Camden Place, the seat of Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden who had owned and developed land in the area in the 1790s.

The transcribed diaries of William Copeland Astbury, recently made available, describe Camden and the surrounding areas in great detail from 1829 to 1848.

There are 162 English Heritage blue plaques in the borough of Camden representing the many diverse personalities that have lived there.

Geography and economy

The area of the old parish and borough of Hampstead in the north-west includes Belsize Park and part of Kilburn. The old parish and borough of St Pancras, which occupies most of the modern borough, includes 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.

In the south, the old Borough of Holborn was formed from the combined parish of Bloomsbury and St Giles, and most of the parish of Holborn (with the remaining part in the ancient Farringdon Without ward of the City of London).

The economy and land uses of the West End and other southern parts of the borough reflect their more central location. Camden has the seventh largest economy in the UK with a number of major companies headquartered in the borough; Google is in the process of completing a major headquarter building in King's Cross. Camden Town Brewery is among the newer businesses that have thrived in the borough.

In the far south of the borough, Lincoln's Inn Fields is within 500 metres of the Thames. The northern part of the borough includes the less densely developed areas of Hampstead, Hampstead Heath and Kentish Town. There are a number of Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Camden. Neighbouring boroughs are the City of Westminster and the City of London to the south, Brent to the west of the originally Roman Watling Street (now the A5 Road), Barnet and Haringey to the north and Islington to the east. It covers all or part of the N1, N6, N7, N19, NW1, NW2, NW3, NW5, NW6, NW8, EC1, WC1, WC2, W1 and W9 postcode areas.

For planning policy purposes, the London Plan places Camden in the 'Central London' group of boroughs.

Governance and politics

The local authority is Camden Council, which meets at Camden Town Hall (formerly St Pancras Town Hall) in Judd Street in St Pancras, and has its headquarters at 5 Panrcas Square.

Borough councillors are elected every four years. Since May 2022 the electoral wards in Camden are:

• Belsize
• Bloomsbury
• Camden Square
• Fortune Green
• Frognal
• Gospel Oak
• Hampstead Town
• Haverstock
• Highgate
• Holborn and Covent Garden
• Kentish Town North
• Kentish Town South
• Kilburn
• King's Cross
• Primrose Hill
• Regent's Park
• St Pancras and Somers Town
• West Hampstead

South Hampstead Ward, formerly Swiss Cottage Ward.

Greater London representation

Since 2000, Camden forms part of the Barnet and Camden London Assembly constituency, represented by Anne Clarke of the Labour Party.

UK Parliament

There are two parliamentary constituencies covering Camden: Hampstead and Kilburn in the north, represented by Labour's Tulip Siddiq, and Holborn and St. Pancras in the south, represented by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Demographics

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century as the district became built up, reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth slowed, for while many people were drawn in by new employment, others were made homeless by the new central London termini and construction of lines through the district. The population peaked at 376,500 in the 1890s, after which official efforts began to clear the overcrowded slums around St Pancras and Holborn.

After World War II, further suburban public housing was built to rehouse the many Londoners made homeless in the Blitz, and there was an exodus from London towards the new towns under the Abercrombie Plan for London (1944). As industry declined during the 1970s the population continued to decline, falling to 161,100 at the start of the 1980s. It has now begun to rise again with new housing developments on brownfield sites and the release of railway and gas work lands around Kings Cross. A 2017 study found that the eviction rate of 6 per 1,000 renting households in Camden is the lowest rate in London. The 2001 census gave Camden a population of 198,000, an undercount that was later revised to 202,600. The latest ONS projection puts the 2019 population at 270,000.

On 20 May 1999, the Camden New Journal newspaper documented 'Two Camdens' syndrome as a high-profile phenomenon differentiating the characteristics of education services in its constituencies. In 2006, Dame Julia Neuberger's book reported similar variation as a characteristic of Camden's children's health services. Her insider's view was corroboration – in addition to the 2001 "Inequalities" report by Director of Public Health Maggie Barker of "stark contrasts in" health and education opportunities – of earlier similar Audit Commission findings and a verification/update of the 1999 CNJ report.

Ethnicity

The following table shows the ethnic demographics in Camden.

Religion

The following shows the religious identity of residents residing in Camden according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses.

Landmarks

Parks and open spaces

London is well known for its greenery and the Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Camden make an important contribution to this. Hampstead Heath is well known for its view over London, notably from Parliament Hill, its wild nature and its Hampstead Heath Ponds. Camden shares Regents Park with Westminster and the views from Primrose Hill are famous.

Attractions

• Bloomsbury Theatre
• BT Tower
• Camden Arts Centre
• Camden Catacombs (see also Catacombs of London)
• Camden Market
• Parts of Covent Garden
• Dickens House
• Dominion Theatre
• Drama Centre London
• Euston station
• Fenton House
• Foundling Museum
• Freud Museum
• Grant Museum of Zoology
• Gray's Inn
• Hampstead Cemetery
• Hampstead Heath
• Hatton Garden
• Highgate Cemetery
• Jewish Museum London
• Keats' House
• Kenwood House
• King's Cross railway station
• Lincoln's Inn
• Parliament Hill Lido
• Phoenix Garden
• The eastern part of Regent's Park is in the borough
• The Place
• The Roundhouse
• Russell Square
• Shaftesbury Theatre
• Sir John Soane's Museum
• Upstairs at The Gatehouse
• World's End (Camden)
• London Zoo
• London Astoria
• Electric Ballroom
• Wellcome Collection
• Primrose Hill
• St. Pancras Library
• St Pancras railway station

Education

The Borough of Camden is home to a large number of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Over recent years, a number of significant institutions have moved into the borough or are planning to do so. The included Central Saint Martins, the Francis Crick Institute, as well as the planned move by Moorfields Eye Hospital, recently unveiled as Project Oriel.

Primary schools

The London Borough of Camden is the local education authority for the borough, organised through the Children, Schools and Families directorate.

Major public and private bodies

Some of London's best universities and teaching institutions are located in the Borough of Camden. They include the main campus of University College London, part of the campus of the London School of Economics near Lincoln's Inn Fields, and Central Saint Martins.

• The Architectural Association
• Birkbeck, University of London
• The British Library
• British Medical Association
• The British Museum
• Cancer Research UK
• Central Saint Martins
• Fordham University (London Centre)
• Francis Crick Institute
• Friends House
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• Goodenough College
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (part of University of London)
• New York University (NYU London)
• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
• National Union of Students
• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
• Royal College of Anaesthetists
• Royal College of General Practitioners
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
• Royal College of Physicians
• Royal College of Surgeons
• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Royal Free Hospital
• Royal Veterinary College (Camden Campus)
• Senate House (University of London)
• School of Oriental and African Studies
• Slade School of Fine Art
• St Pancras Hospital
• Student Central
• Trades Union Congress (TUC)
• University College Hospital
• University College London
• The University of Law
• University of London Union
• Wellcome Trust
• Working Men's College

Public services

Police

Camden is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service. There are two police stations across the borough, situated at Holborn and Kentish Town. There are various other contact points around the borough including West Hampstead, Greenland Road, Highgate Road, Station House (Swiss Cottage), West End Lane, Hampstead Town Hall and Kingsway College. All locations have varying opening hours with Kentish Town Police Station open to the public on a 24-hour basis.

Hampstead Heath, situated within the London Borough of Camden and managed by the City of London Corporation, has its own Constabulary who deal with everyday incidents on the Heath, however, all serious criminal offences are passed to the Metropolitan Police to investigate.

With a large London Underground network and major railway stations such as King's Cross, St Pancras and Euston, Camden also has a much larger presence of British Transport Police (BTP) than many other London boroughs. BTP are responsible for policing Great Britain's railway network.

London Fire Brigade

The area has three fire stations: Euston, Kentish Town and West Hampstead and they are operated by London Fire Brigade in the borough of Camden. None of these fire stations are home to any specialist units; only pumping appliances and a rescue tender.

Public libraries

Camden is the home of the British Library. In addition, Camden has numerous libraries which include:

• Swiss Cottage Library
• Holborn Library
• Camden Town Library
• Kentish Town Library
• Pancras Square Library
• West Hampstead Library
• Kilburn Library
• Highgate Library
• Queens Crescent Library

As well as a number of community libraries including Keats community library.

Transport

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2024)

There are no motorways in the borough, and few stretches of dual carriageway road, but the borough has great strategic transport significance to London, due to presence of three of the capital's most important rail termini, which are lined up along the Euston Road.

The position of the railway termini on Euston Road, rather than in a more central position further south, is a result of the influential recommendations of the 1846 Royal Commission on Metropolitan Railway Termini that sought to protect the West End districts a short distance south of the road.

Rail

National Rail

Three of the fourteen central London's railway terminals are located in the borough. Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross are the London termini for the West Coast, Midland and East Coast Main Lines and also High Speed 1. This connects the borough with the East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East & West England, North Wales, Scotland, South East England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Since 14 November 2007 when St Pancras International became the new terminus of Eurostar, a major regeneration of the area has occurred with the King's Cross Central development happening behind the station.

London Overground's North London Line services run through the borough serving Camden Road, Kentish Town West, Gospel Oak, Hampstead Heath, Finchley Road & Frognal and West Hampstead. London Overground also operates the Watford DC Line services from Euston serving South Hampstead, trains continue to Watford in Hertfordshire.

Thameslink route services serve St Pancras, Kentish Town and West Hampstead Thameslink stations. Currently the Thameslink network is undergoing a major expansion project called the Thameslink Programme. This will link more places in Southern England to the borough and to the East of England. While some services on the Great Northern network, which currently terminate at King's Cross will be diverted onto the Thameslink network, all work is due to be complete by 2016.

Underground

The London Borough of Camden is served by 18 London Underground stations and 8 of the 11 lines.

The three major rail termini are served by two underground stations, Euston and the combined King's Cross St Pancras station. Between them, the termini are served by the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. The Central and Jubilee lines serve other parts of the borough, as does the Elizabeth line.

As well as the two major termini stations, the borough's other stations are: Euston Square, Warren Street, Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Russell Square, Chancery Lane, Mornington Crescent, Camden Town, Chalk Farm, Belsize Park, Hampstead, West Hampstead, Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage and Kentish Town.

Future

The proposed High Speed 2 railway line to northern England is intended to terminate at Euston Station. The proposed Crossrail 2 line, (originally referred to as the Chelsea–Hackney line) would serve Euston and Tottenham Court Road underground stations. The increase in passengers at Euston as a result of the proposed High Speed 2 services is a major driver of the proposals.

The formerly proposed Cross River Tram was going to start in the borough of Camden but was scrapped by the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2008.

Buses

All bus services are operated by Transport for London. Buses serve every suburb in the borough.

Statistics

The 2011 census found that the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: underground, metro, light rail, tram, 21.5% of all residents aged 16–74; on foot, 9.2%; bus, minibus or coach, 9.2%; driving a car or van, 6.3%; work mainly at or from home, 5.2%; train, 4.1%; bicycle, 4.1%.

The census also found that 61% of households had no car, 32% had one car and 7% of households had 2 or more cars. There were an estimated 46,000 cars belonging to Camden residents."Camden Borough Profile" (PDF).

Speed limit

From 16 December 2013, Camden Council introduced a borough-wide speed limit of 20 miles per hour (32 km/h), as of 2022, this was expanded to Transport for London red routes. This is to make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

See also

• Camden Head
• Camden bench

References

1. "2021 Census". London Borough of Camden. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
2. "Camden – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com.
3. Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120)
4. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
5. London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14)
6. Vision of Britain – Camden LB Archived 27 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
7. Wistrich, Enid (1972). Local government reorganisation – the first years of Camden;. London: London Borough of Camden. pp. 30–32. ISBN 0901389137.
8. Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
9. Walford, E. (1878). "Camden Town and Kentish Town". Old and New London. Vol. 5. pp. 309–324.
10. Orchard, Stephen (ed.). The diary of William Copeland Astbury (1783–1868). The originals of the Astbury Diary are held in the Cheshunt Collection at Westminster College, Cambridge
11. "The Journal of William Copeland Astbury". Astbury Diary. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
12. ^ https://www.london.gov.uk/in-my-area/camden Camden
13. "Search Blue Plaques". Blue plaques search – Camden. English Heritage. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
14. Atkins, Peter J. "How the West End was won: the struggle to remove street barriers in Victorian London." Journal of Historical Geography 19.3 (1993): 265.
15. How the West End was won: the struggle to remove street barriers in Victorian London. Atkins, P J. Journal of Historical Geography; London Vol. 19, Iss. 3, (Jul 1, 1993): 265.
16. "Improvements in a part of the borough they refer to as 'West End'" (PDF). London Borough of Camden.
17. Joanna Partridge (28 July 2020). "Google commits to vast London office despite rise of remote working". The Guardian.
18. "The London Plan 2016" (PDF). The London Assembly.
19. "5 Pancras Square, Camden Council's new community building, is opened". Argent. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
20. Article reporting Keir Starmer's victory in the Labour party leadership contest. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52164589
21. "London's Poverty Profile". Trust for London. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
22. Camden Council – Camden Key Facts 2001–2016
23. "Open Data Portal". London Borough of Camden.
24. see the DFES Children Act report (2000); The Health Divide by Voluntary Action Camden; Health Inequalities in Camden Maggie Barker, a public Health Report; "Seen But Not Heard" an Audit Commission report based on research carried out mainly in Camden; and The Moral State We're In by Dame Julia Neuberger, former chair of Camden Community Health Services NHS Trust, et al.
25. Ethnicity in the 1991 census: Vol 3 - Social geography and ethnicity in Britain, geographical spread, spatial concentration and internal migration. Internet Archive. London : HMSO. 1996. ISBN 978-0-11-691655-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
26. "KS006 - Ethnic group". NOMIS. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
27. "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
28. "Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
29. "KS007 - Religion - Nomis - 2001". www.nomisweb.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
30. "KS209EW (Religion) - Nomis - 2011". www.nomisweb.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
31. "Religion - 2021 census". Office of National Statistics. 29 November 2022. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
32. "Census products: Issues and corrections - Office for National Statistics".
33. "Latest updates". Oriel.
34. "Camden Borough Profile" (PDF). London Fire Brigade. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008. London Fire Brigade – Camden Profile
35. "London Fire Brigade – Camden Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008.
36. "1846 Royal Commission".
37. Thameslink Programme: About the project Archived 5 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 27 July 2010
38. "Overview of changes at Euston station". HS2.
39. "HS2 warns it will not 'work properly' without Crossrail 2". Financial Times. 25 September 2017.
40. "TfL scraps projects and cuts jobs". 6 November 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
41. "2011 Census: QS701EW Method of travel to work, local authorities in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Percentages are of all residents aged 16–74 including those not in employment. Respondents could only pick one mode, specified as the journey’s longest part by distance.
42. "20mph speed limit in Camden – Camden Council". Camden Council. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
43. "Speed limits – Camden Council". Camden Council. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
44. "New 20mph speed limit for five of London's boroughs". BBC News. 31 March 2023.

External links

• Camden Town London website – News about the Camden Markets and Camden Town
• The website of Camden Council
• Camden TV
• Camden Town Online
• WHO's Commission 2008 finding on the Social Determinants of Health finding re 'two Camdens' syndrome (3rd para)
• Camden Council YouTube channel

v t e London Borough of Camden
Districts	Bloomsbury Camden Town Chalk Farm and Haverstock ward Fortune Green Gospel Oak Hampstead (inc. Belsize Park, Frognal, Finchley Road, South Hampstead and Swiss Cottage) Hatton Garden (inc. Saffron Hill) Kentish Town Primrose Hill Regent's Park Estate St Giles St Pancras Somers Town West Hampstead Partly in Camden Brondesbury / Kilburn Covent Garden Cricklewood Dartmouth Park Fitzrovia Highgate Holborn Kings Cross Tufnell Park St John's Wood (less than 2% in Camden)
Attractions	Ben Uri Gallery & Museum Bloomsbury Theatre British Library British Museum Brunswick Centre BT Tower Camden Arts Centre Charles Dickens Museum Dominion Theatre Donmar Warehouse Fenton House Foundling Museum Freud Museum Highgate Cemetery Keats House Kenwood House The Jewish Museum O2 Forum Kentish Town Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology Roundhouse Shaftesbury Theatre Sir John Soane's Museum Wellcome Collection West End theatre
Street markets	Camden Market Chalton Street Market Goodge Place Market Inverness Street Market Leather Lane Market Plender Street Market Queen's Crescent Market Swiss Cottage Market
Parks and open spaces	Adelaide Nature Reserve Bloomsbury Square Camden Highline (proposed) Hampstead Heath Kilburn Grange Park Lincoln's Inn Fields Phoenix Garden Primrose Hill Regent's Park Russell Square Waterlow Park Westbere Copse
Constituencies	Hampstead and Kilburn Holborn and St Pancras
Tube and rail stations	Belsize Park  Camden Road  Camden Town  Chalk Farm  Chancery Lane  Euston  Euston tube  Euston Square  Finchley Road  Finchley Road & Frognal  Goodge Street  Gospel Oak  Hampstead  Hampstead Heath  Holborn  Kentish Town  Kentish Town West  Kilburn High Road  King's Cross  King's Cross St Pancras  Mornington Crescent  Russell Square  St Pancras South Hampstead  Swiss Cottage  Tottenham Court Road  Warren Street  West Hampstead  West Hampstead (Overground)  West Hampstead Thameslink
Public libraries	Swiss Cottage Library Holborn Library Pancras Square Library Camden Town Library Kilburn Library
Other topics	Blue plaques Coat of arms Council Listed buildings Grade I Grade II* People Public art Schools
Category Commons

v t e History of the formation of the London Borough of Camden
Metropolitan boroughs	Hampstead Holborn St Pancras
District boards	Holborn St Giles
Parishes	Furnival's Inn Gray's Inn Hampstead Lincoln's Inn Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place Staple Inn St Andrew Holborn St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr St Giles in the Fields St Giles in the Fields and St George Bloomsbury St George Bloomsbury St Pancras

51°32′N 0°10′W / 51.533°N 0.167°W / 51.533; -0.167

• London Borough of Camden
• 1965 establishments in the United Kingdom
• London boroughs