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Deep beneath the streets of Camden lies a secret
unknown to the hoardes of visitors and market traders up
above - a long-forgotten labyrinth of tunnels and vaults
that bear witness to the area's colourful Victorian industrial
past.
Entrance to the labyrinth
The underground maze weaves its way under the
markets and has become known as the Camden Catacombs.They
were built in the 19th Century as stables for horses and
pit ponies that were used to shunt railway wagons.
Horse tunnel under Camden's markets
The complex is now owned by Railtrack and the
only access now is a tunnel entrance alongside the main line.
No-one is now allowed access because of the danger of flooding
as the tunnels are linked to a huge canal basin, linking
the old railway with the canal system.
Underground canal basin
The tunnels run under the Euston mainline,
under the goods depot at Primrose Hill, beneath Gilbeys Bonded
Warehouse on the Regents Canal (now part of Stables Market)
and under Camden Lock Market. Their route can be traced from
the distinctive cast-iron grilles set at regular intervals
into the road surface; originally the only source of light
for the horses below.
Another horse tunnel
The network of tunnels also includes an underground
canal basin and this is clearly visible from the canal just
outside Camden Lock Market, close to Camden Lock itself,
where the towpath is carried across it on a bridge. The tunnels
also gave access to the basements of a number of Victorian
Warehouses but most of these and sections of the tunnel network
were lost during a major redevelopment of the area in the
1980's.
Old warehouse basement
The pictures on this page are reproduced with
the kind permission of photographer Nick Catford of the
website Subterranea Britannica. You can see more of the pictures
(and in a larger format) and those of many other underground
sites by clicking here |
