12 June 2007

To Market, To Market

Camden Market. It's billed as the most popular market in London, according to the Lonely Planet. I decided to find out for myself whether it was really that great.



Clockwise: amazing donuts, goth outfits, retro tins and the most desirable kid's car ever.

The market itself is a fascinating warren filled with a zillion different things. When I first got off the tube it was into a street streaming with people, a street with a huge number of flamboyantly painted shops advertising all kinds of Goth-style clothes. The actual market stalls are hidden inside halls, alongside the canal and inside the old Horse Hospital.



Clockwise: Retro mirror I wanted to take home, Charlie Chaplin (and me if you look closely), an ad for a cafe and a shop selling hookahs.

My favourite part of the market was the part selling retro furniture and antiques. Above is a photo of a mirror I love and would have loved to buy. Reflected in the mirror you can see a stack of three tables, I loved those too. There was also some Danish wooden furniture from the '70s and some couches...

See the hookahs for sale in the photo above? These fascinate me. They're sold in a shop just down the road from us, and the men from the middle-east sit outside a local cafe smoking from them. Aussie Ben, who gives me a lift to school, says he has a hookah. Apparently the smoke tastes like spices, cinnamon and cloves.

I went to the part of the market near the canal and saw a nice selection of those tshirts. You know those tshirts. The ones that say 'My mother/brother/aunt/etc went to London and all they got me was this tshirt.' Oh. And there was also a guy with tattoos all over his body wearing leather undies, green fluffy flourescent leg-warmers and with rings ALL OVER HIS FACE. Gah! He called himself Prince Albert and was posing with tourists for a pound. Sadly I didn't have my photo taken so you will just have to imagine him.

As always, the Lonely Planet was right. Camden Market is huge and fascinating and totally deserves to be so popular. I'll be back one day for that furniture!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It all sounds very interesting and exciting! I love the photos. There are so many wonderful antiques in England. I mean real antiques that are hundred of years old! What fun to be exploring these markets. Is it worth a second visit? love mum

Lex said...

Totally worth a second visit! There was so much I wanted to buy the first time but didn't.
Lex