Richard Grainger was the man behind the area’s development in the first half of the 19th century, and one of his most notable achievements was the construction of Grey St, which runs over the top of the Lort Burn.
The Lort Burn used to flow openly downhill to the Tyne, but eventually became just an open sewer until the lower section was transferred underground with the construction of Dean St over the top of it in 1749.
Camden Market is the collective name given to several markets that operate in Camden Town, and is reported to be the fourth most popular attraction in London with around 250,000 visitors each week.
There are supposed to be six markets here altogether: The first one started out around 1900 in Inverness Street selling fruit and veg but by 2013 all the original stalls had vanished thanks to the influx of supermarkets. There are still some stalls here selling a few bits and pieces, but from my experience you shouldn’t feel cheated if you managed to miss it.
If you’ve arrived by tube at Camden Town Station Inverness St is over on the left-hand side of the street, but if you stay on the right-hand side you’ll see an emporium, for want of a better word, that advertises itself as Camden Market. My advice is don’t fall for it because a) it’s not the Camden Market people come here to see, and b) the merchandise is of dubious quality. The official name of this outlet is Buck Street Market.
Between the tube station and Buck St Market is the Electric Ballroom which has been a nightclub since the 1950’s but is open during the day on weekends as an extension to Buck St Market.
If you head up Camden High Street you’ll come to the Regents Canal and Camden Lock, but before we walk across the road to Camden Lock Market it’s worth mentioning that the modern development taking place down by the canalside used to be the former Canal Market which burned down in 2008. It re-opened in 2009 as Camden Lock Village but is now being developed as Hawley Wharf.
For those who haven’t read the book it does a good job of blurring the lines between fact and fiction, especially for anyone who is not familiar with the subjects of religion and the crusades. For those who are familiar with these subjects it’s been controversial to say the least, especially to Roman Catholics.
The inclusion of the Knights Templar into the storyline has only added to the mystery of what some people already regarded as a secret society, and Temple Church is the church of the Knights Templar in London – and that’s one fact nobody can dispute.
To talk about Temple Church requires going back to the days of the crusades and the role of the Knights Templar, and as I’m no expert on this subject, I’d like you to bear with me while I try to unravel truth from fiction in just a few paragraphs.
