Camden Town street art – free activities in London

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I recently went back to the UK, and visited London, a place I’ve been to so many times I can’t even count. Some places I visit are the regular “I have to go there” places such as the museums and tourist attractions. But I’m also trying to discover new things in London each time I visit. I have been really excited about finding new street art recently, wherever I go. After seeing a picture online of an amazing John Lennon mural in Camden, I really wanted to check it out. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t exist anymore. Someone painted over it with what appears to be more of an advertisement for the building where it was located. Disappointing? Yes. But it led me to taking a longer walk around Camden Town and I found some amazing things.

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Camden Town for beginners

Not far from Central London, Camden Town is still pretty accessible. You need to use the Northern Line (the black line) to get there. Camden Town station is the main Tube stop, right in the centre of all the craziness that is Camden. It’s where the markets start, and you don’t know which way to turn because everyone’s yelling about something for sale. You’re in the middle of a scene of neon lights, cardboard signs, and bustling crowds. Camden is an assault on the senses. But it’s raw, and real and more of a true London than you’ll get wandering around Piccadilly Circus or similar tourist traps. The people are nice, and genuine, and proud of where they live.

Starting my self guided walking tour

Coming from the Kensington area I took the underground to central London, changing at Tottenham Court Road station for the Northern Line. Camden Town is the central station in Camden, but to really see everything I would suggest getting off the train at Mornington Crescent and walking up. That’s what I did, and there were things I saw before getting to the Camden Town station that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. 

It’s not really possible to get lost, just head North on Camden High Street and you’ll get to Camden Town in about 5-10 minutes. Unless like me, you detour through every alleyway and side street, drawn in by one small piece of art that leads to another. Well and truly down the rabbit hole, I just let myself follow the murals and sometimes hastily drawn sketches on the sides of buildings, working my way deeper into the heart of Camden.

Walking down the left hand side of Camden High Street the first pieces I got to were on Miller Street. This one was hard to miss, right at the corner of Miller and Camden High Streets:

Miller Street was full of amazing works of art like these:

Camden Markets

Continuing back up Camden High Street I came to the main drag with all the shops, both national brands and independent stores. Even the big national brands had embraced their place in the Camden Town community and created street art style murals around their stores:

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Then there are the local pubs and restaurants who have done something like that too:

Right next to Camden Town underground station is the Buck Street Market, unofficially billed as The Camden Market. The bustling main street gives way to a maze of local market vendors selling various wares. Clothing and fashion dominate the market. Everything from hoodies and t-shirts, to dresses and jewelry. Worth a look around, you might find some cheap novelty t-shirts with reference to the latest pop-culture fad.

Camden Lock

For the really interesting market keep going up the main street until you reach the locks. Here you’ll see barges and the locks, and the bridge you will have to walk across. Riverside cafes and restaurants line the lock, and on the left side you will see the main Camden Market. The monopoly man will welcome you with this amazing art piece by artist Alec Monopoly:

Inside the market there is a lovely art tribute to one of Camden’s notable former residents, the late Amy Winehouse. A beautiful Andy Warhol-esque piece reminding you of some the amazing talent that love to call Camden home.

The market has two levels, and one cool store after another. A lot of clothing, but some great vintage looking items. There’s jewelry, books, records and handmade crafts. Just outside the market is a courtyard with some more market stalls and a great selection of food vendors. I wanted to buy way more than I could ever fit into my suitcase, but kept a relatively level head and suppressed my inner shopper. It was hard, good thing the patch was working that day.

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Around the Camden Lock

I walked out of the market and around the back of the Camden Lock. The area has an unpolished non-tourist London feel to it, and it’s really nice to see. A little bit of an older industrial area made to attract the younger crowd. Art and music are central to this whole area and it feels more like Brooklyn is to NYC. Going under the bridge still further away from the Camden Town station I crossed over the road and walked down Hawley Street. Along one wall of this street were some striking art pieces. Another mural of singer Amy Winehouse, and some animal designs, something that seems to be a bit of a theme walking around Camden.

Hawley Mews alley of street art

Across from the above works of art is a small alley that runs behind the few shops on the main street. One bright and beautiful mural after another, I was not the only one to discover this hidden gem. A few others were there also taking their own photos, but Camden is so stocked with art that I never really had any trouble getting my pictures. Others who are also there to see this street art were considerate of me wanting to take pictures. A mutual appreciation of what we were seeing was unsaid as we worked around each other to get our shots. Here are some of the ones I saw in the alley of Hawley Mews

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As much as I wanted to keep going further up the street, it was getting later in the day. There were pieces I’d seen on my way that I still wanted to check out again and get pictures of. Plus I’d passed the main shops and market and wasn’t sure how much more there would be past Hawley Street. I started to head back the way I’d come, stopping around the railway bridge to stop and admire these ones:

Through the back streets of Camden Town

I wanted to avoid crossing the road over and over again, despite seeing art that I wanted to check out closer. For that reason I decided it was best to keep going on one side of the street, then head back the same way on the opposite side. Trying desperately not to miss anything, which I’m sure I still did, I took a slow walk back. 

Along the way back up the High Street I found this origami rose by Airborne Mark. I’m pretty sure it was on Hawley Crescent but not 100%. The reason I think that is because I then walked around the back along Stucley Place which is where this Gnasher chimpanzee mural is. Just a stunningly real looking art piece, this was definitely one of my favourites of the day.

Turning left onto Buck Street towards Kentish Town Road I found this amazing, bright, vibrant mural. The last bit of sun for the day caused a few reflections so I took photos from both angles. I also stood looking at it for a long time, trying to count all the different animals I could see in there.

Temporary murals in Camden Town? I hope not

There were some construction areas around Camden Town. But instead of finding the usual plain wooden boards protecting the building site, even these had been given the street art treatment. It kin of makes me sad that some of these may not last past the end of the building renovations. I saw this one around the corner from Buck Street as I turned onto Kentish Town Road. 

Opposite that was an open area with a few parking spaces. The buildings had all been painted with various murals brightening up what would typically be a very urban, drab space.

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I retraced my steps up Buck Street, turning back onto Camden High Street. Snapping a few shots along the way as I walked up the High Street, I continued up back to Mornington Crescent station. 

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Wish you were in Camden Town

There were a few Camden signs that I saw as I walked along. But this Welcome to Camden sign over the bridge at the lock drew my attention. It felt like one of those old postcards that you can still sometimes find when travelling. The kind that you send back to people at home telling them you’re having a wonderful time. Not what typically comes to mind when you think of Camden, but maybe it should be.

In total I spent about 2 hours wandering around the streets of Camden. I found more than I was expecting to, and can’t believe what such a typically urban part of London has done with it’s otherwise boring brick walls. Alleyways and side streets are no longer just filled with graffiti, but they are a blank canvas for the increasing number of street artists. Next time I go to London, I’ll be back in Camden for sure. Looking forward already to seeing what new pieces will go up before then, and naturally I’ll have room in my suitcase for a shopping trip to the Camden Lock market.

I’ve tried to give artwork credit to all those I could find in these pictures. If you know any that are not mentioned please let me know and I’ll be sure to add them. 

If you have enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Where’s your favourite place for street art? Do you have a favorite area of London?

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