Above: The London Borough of Camden (bounded by a RED line). The YELLOW dotted lines show the boundaries of the three old Metropolitan Boroughs (Click image to enlarge to 1280×800).
The London Borough of Camden shares part of its southern boundary with the City of London and yet it extends north to the wooded hills on which the villages of Hampstead and Highgate are situated. The borough is land-locked with no part of it being beside the River Thames.
In 1965, when Greater London was created, nearly all the 12 Inner London Boroughs took their names from one of the old Metropolitan Boroughs from which they were formed. There were two exceptions. The newly-created London Borough of Tower Hamlets was formed from three Metropolitan Boroughs but it did not take its name from any of them. Instead, it used a name that related to ancient times when the land was made up of hamlets. The London Borough of Camden was also formed from three Metropolitan Boroughs – Hampstead, Holborn and St Pancras – but none of the three names was chosen for the new London Borough. Instead, a completely new name was devised – that of Camden – which in turn was related to a place-name within the newly formed London Borough.
Camden Town is almost at the centre of the land-mass of the London Borough. Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the London canal network. Sir Charles Pratt, a radical 18th-century lawyer and politician, acquired the manor through marriage and started granting leases for houses to be built on his land. Sir Charles Pratt became Lord Camden. His earldom was related to his estate, Camden Place near Chislehurst in Kent, formerly owned by the historian William Camden.
At the southern end of the London Borough was the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn which is as densely developed as the neighbouring land of the City of London. Probably the most famous building in the old Metropolitan Borough is the British Museum.
Much of the eastern side of the London Borough was once the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras, named after a village of the same name. It extends north to where the village of Highgate is to be found. Until the 20th century, most of the land was very rural and to a certain extent, it still is. Probably one of the most well-known facts about the Metropolitan Borough was that it was ‘home’ to three famous London railway termini – St Pancras Station, King’s Cross Station and Euston Station.
The western part of the London Borough was the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead – named after another ancient village. The village itself is on the edge of the extensive Hampstead Heath which has some of the highest ground in Inner London.
Having mentioned the village of Highgate, it should be mentioned that this is one of the few villages in Inner London that is not entirely situated within one London Borough. Part of the village of Highgate is inside the boundary of the London Borough of Camden. The northern part of Highgate is within the London Borough of Haringey (an Outer London Borough). A third part of Highgate, including most of Highgate Hill, lies in the London Borough of Islington. To keep things simple, the author regards all of Highgate village as being in the London Borough of Camden – even though he is well aware of the boundaries just mentioned.
All things considered, the London Borough of Camden has plenty to offer in the way of history. It covers a large piece of land with much of it being given over to large green open spaces – including its many attractive squares.
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Know Your London 