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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask what it’s like to live in Camden Town?

107 replies

Halling · 16/02/2025 19:38

I fancy a fresh start - and am thinking of moving here / would love opinions

OP posts:
Penguinfeet24 · 16/02/2025 23:39

God no. In fact just avoid London full stop and I say that as a born and bred Londoner. Moved out 20 years ago and thank Christ I did, absolutely loathe going back now.

Copperoliverbear · 16/02/2025 23:32

I live near there would not recommend it, Primrose Hill or Hampstead are okay.

CurrentHun · 16/02/2025 23:20

Regents Park is one of my favourites (but the canal is grotty)

EmeraldRoulette · 16/02/2025 23:16

CurrentHun · 16/02/2025 23:09

This is like wanting to move to Leicester Square.

Agree

I am thinking of Camden Town though

I notice some posters are encompassing Regents Park in that, but I don't.

CurrentHun · 16/02/2025 23:09

This is like wanting to move to Leicester Square.

BarneyRonson · 16/02/2025 23:00

If you are thinking of 80’s Camden….. it’s gone. Camden is tourism and tourism and more tourism now, it parodies what it used to be. Belsize Park is still good though.

Davros · 16/02/2025 22:57

I was outing Camden Town last night with a friend (in her 50s) who lives there. It depends which part you mean. As someone else said, it's not just the high street. There are great streets going up towards Regent's Park and the area off Chalk Farm Road, the other side to the market, has some lovely streets. I like KT, it's got character, lots of gorgeous houses and it's very accessible.

Waitingfordoggo · 16/02/2025 22:42

MissKittyFantastico84 · 16/02/2025 20:45

My friend and I still laugh about the time we were walking back to Camden Town tube after a dinner out, probably about 10pm, quiet weeknight in January, and a drunken homeless man yelled "HERE THEY ARE THEN! Here they go on their LESBIAN TOUR OF LONDON!" at us.

Just a spectacular heckle. Very Camden.

That is hilarious 😂

BlondeFool · 16/02/2025 22:41

I grew up in Dartmouth Park and we were were always so happy to get the bus out of Camden. Look at Gospel Oak, Kentish Town, Dartmouth Park or Tufnell Park.

tobee · 16/02/2025 22:41

My cousin lived there in the 80s and is incredibly nostalgic about it!

I lived in Tufnell Park in my first year at poly and there are some lovely bits of Tufnell Park and Kentish Town. Or certainly were but that WAS eons ago and maybe it's radically changed? Bits are lovely, cheek by jowl to less lovely. Kind of like large parts of London.

Movinghouseatlast · 16/02/2025 22:38

My friends live in Camden Town and I often stay with them. I'm surprised how quiet it is (their road leads onto Camden Lock) It has residents parking so nobody has a reaso yo walk up the street unless they live there. The houses are beautiful Victorian / Edwardian and worth a fortune.

Personally I would hate to live there as I hate busy cities but if you want to live in Central London I vmcan see the appeal- near Primrose Hill, 10 minutes on the tube to the West End or walk it in half an hour. Too gritty for me though.

Hugsbunny · 16/02/2025 22:37

Camden town is not just Camden high street. Lots of great places to live without being reliant on the centre.

Gardeninging · 16/02/2025 22:34

Moonshine5 · 16/02/2025 21:26

Many celebrities / Nepo babies live there. Mornington crescent tube is reasonable and not too busy.

No they don't 😆😆 thousands of immigrants live there because they get social housing priorities.
"Famous people" live in nice places.

Comedycook · 16/02/2025 22:33

Would be my worst nightmare...and a bloody expensive too.

MeganM3 · 16/02/2025 22:31

Sounds fun to me. Why not try it

EmeraldRoulette · 16/02/2025 22:31

@Halling how recently have you visited? I have not long left London after nearly 30 years. In that time it always been a place I wanted to avoid. Of course everyone is different, but it's never been nice. Go down the road to chalk farm and Primrose Hill and it's much nicer.

LondonLawyer · 16/02/2025 22:29

Camden High Street and surrounds are very busy, noisy, energetic, and fun. I lived in a student halls of residence there when I was 19 and loved it. I'm not sure I'd be quite so keen as a mid 40s working mother, though!
There are lots of places also in the borough of Camden which are lovely places to live, although some of them aren't what you'd call cheap, such as Bloomsbury.

AmateurDad · 16/02/2025 22:18

Sixpence39 · 16/02/2025 19:59

Camden town is rough. High st way too busy and really, really loud problem with people experiencing homelessness on the streets, drug/drunk people passed out everywhere around the station area. Not a pleasant place. Go to Kentish town or Tufnell park. Really close to camden but lovely, vibrant and calm places to live.

Are you deranged? Kentish Town is an absolute craphole.

Camden isn't much better, but at least the market is fun to wander round and it's handy for Regent's Park...

NeelyOHara · 16/02/2025 22:02

I lived there for 20 years but moved two years ago. It’s really gone downhill in my opinion, it’s a shame because it used to be fab. Now it’s just scummy, people are constantly injecting and shitting on your doorstep.

Babadookinthewardrobe · 16/02/2025 21:54

I really wouldn’t recommend it. V v busy, noisy and funny. V fun to video but would be a nightmare to live there. Perhaps try around Belsize Park instead. Still close to Camden but much nicer to
live

downhere · 16/02/2025 21:53

Lived & worked in Camden for years (nearer to Primrose Hill), have very fond memories of living there and consider moving back there often. Loved being able to walk everywhere (including to West End). The main road/Camden Town tube area plain annoying in terms of tourists but go one stop away in any direction and it’s lovely imo.

NWnature · 16/02/2025 21:50

My friend rented right in the heart of Camden and someone did a poo on her doorstep.

So I wouldn’t recommend Camden Town itself but I do love NW London. Maybe look at Chalk Farm to just get that little bit more residential, less gritty/pooey

LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway · 16/02/2025 21:46

Do yourself a favour @Halling Go onto Camden High Street (near to Camden Lock,) on Google Streetview. It is INSANELY packed/rammed with people. (As far as the eye can see.) Looks like a very young demographic too.

Would have been lovely as a young, free 20-something, but middle aged or older? No way. I can't imagine why anyone over 26-27 would want to live there.

.

BarkLife · 16/02/2025 21:43

@Spidey66 haha I lived on Anson Road! Definitely Tuffers.

hattie43 · 16/02/2025 21:39

I used to live near Camden and loved a visit but you could not move for tourists and that would become tiresome if I lived there