When I first stepped off the tube for a job interview in Camden Town over a half a decade ago, it’d be fair to say that I was less than immediately enamoured to the place . “A vastly unattractive part of London,” I called it. A grubby corner of North London, overcrowded with “punk/goth poseurs of the most misguided and self-involved variety” and home to a market dealing almost exclusively in “useless tat”. However, after I got the job and started spending most of my time working in the area, I came to discover that most of those first impressions were actually largely correct. A pit it might be, but an infinitely curious one that – as the years passed – I came to love.
During my time in Camden Town, I got the chance to find and photograph some truly incredible works of street art, found some interesting memorabilia, and met some remarkable people. I even got friendly with many of those tat merchants and enjoyed a fair few drinks and shite talking sessions with the old punks in the pub on a Friday night. Thinking back now, it was a wonderful time. Every week brought dozens of new creative pieces to discover and occasionally there was just too many appearing at any one time to keep up with. I finished working in the Camden Town a couple of years ago, but try to visit as often as possible to keep up with that ever changing street art scene and to eat a bowl of pork belly Pho at Kim’s Vietnamese Hut – if you ever get to visit the city, this is a must stop for lunch. This week was one such an occasion.
After starting Saturday morning with a strong cup of coffee in our quiet West London parish, herself and I hopped on the Overground and to that clamorous neighbourhood across the city we headed. While we were able to get that beautiful bowl of Pho, it was a surprise to find that the days of new street art pieces appearing every week look to have stalled somewhat. I hesitate to say that the street art scene in Camden has stagnated, but it took a fair amount of searching before we were able to find anything new. The well may not have dried up completely just yet, but I worry that perhaps Camden is no longer as desired a place as it once was for street artists from across the globe to leave their mark.
Here is what we were able to find on this trip, enjoy:
You can now follow my increasingly strange adventures on Instagram here.
