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Camden

General Information

Council Offices: Judd Street, WC1H 9JE (020-7278 4444, info@camden.gov.uk).
Council CPA Assessment: Improving well, 4 stars (see www.go-london.gov.uk/boroughinfo)
Website: www.camden.gov.uk
Council Tax 2005/6: from £822 (Band A) to £2,465 (Band H)
Main areas/towns: Belsize Park, Bloomsbury, Camden Town, Hampstead, Holborn, Kentish Town, King’s Cross, Primrose Hill, Regent’s Park, West Hampstead
Postcodes: N6 (part), NW1 (part), NW3, NW5, NW6 (part), WC1
Population: 210,800, with a high proportion aged between 20 and 35. Over 20 per cent of the population comes from an ethnic minority and there are large Irish, Jewish and Turkish communities. The borough attracts the super-rich and successful professionals, although some of England’s poorest also live here.
Unemployment: 6.4 per cent (London average is 7 per cent)

Overview

Camden encompasses some of London’s smartest areas – around Regent’s Park to the south-west and Hampstead to the north-east – as well as some of its seediest around King’s Cross, one of the capital’s unofficial red light districts. The latter area is due for a major facelift after the Channel Tunnel rail terminus is completed in 2006, which will create new homes, businesses and around 220,000 jobs.

The jewel in Camden’s crown is Hampstead, with its medieval street plan and exclusive, village atmosphere. Hampstead Heath is a popular destination, particularly in the summer when the open-air bathing ponds and the outdoor concerts at Kenwood House are big attractions. Originally a summer retreat for writers and artists, Hampstead has become one of the most expensive and fashionable districts in London.

Camden Town is a bustling, cosmopolitan place with an energetic atmosphere, thanks largely to the famous markets and the town’s vibrant night life. In a Yellow Pages survey in 2005, it emerged as the best place to live for young, professional singletons.

The British Museum, British Library, University of London and numerous other institutions dominate Bloomsbury and Holborn. Among famous former residents here were the Bloomsbury Set, a mix of influential writers, artists and critics in the early 20th century.

Residential Areas

Property types and prices vary enormously, from reasonably-priced ex-local authority flats to multi-million pound mansions. In between are the Georgian terraces of Camden, Italianate villas of Primrose Hill and new flats springing up at King’s Cross. The majority of properties are flats (86 per cent), of which over a third are conversions of large houses. A further 10 per cent are terraces and just 4 per cent are detached and semi-detached houses.

Belsize Park, Primrose Hill & Regent’s Park (NW1)

Attractive stucco-fronted houses, quiet streets and chic cafes make this a popular area with celebrities and wealthy families. A four-storey house overlooking Primrose Hill costs over £2m, but there’s no shortage of spacious flats and maisonettes, plus some pretty mews cottages, at more reasonable prices. At Swiss Cottage there are several swanky new apartment blocks. Some of the most expensive property in the borough is to be found on Crown Estate land bordering Regent’s Park, where spectacularly large mansions and grand terraces can cost up to £20m.

Bloomsbury & Holborn (WC1)

Amongst the offices and institutions occupying many of the Georgian terraces here, converted flats and the odd single house are snapped up by professionals who can afford to live in walking distance of the West End. Inter-war mansion blocks, once used as offices, are being converted back into flats, and a crop of smart developments has appeared around Hatton Garden. There’s a brisk rental market for ex-local authority properties and flats above shops, among hospital workers, students and academics.

Camden Town & Kentish Town (NW1, NW5)

The mixture of large and carefully-restored houses, post-war council blocks and varied flats suits the trendy families and young professionals attracted to Camden Town. The most desirable areas are the quieter roads away from the busy high street, which becomes frantic at weekends when crowds descend on the markets. Kentish Town is more down at heel, but only a short journey to the West End and with a good stock of early Victorian terraces and ex-council houses, it remains a good choice for the bargain hunter.

Hampstead (NW3)

Zealously protected by local organisations determined to preserve the town from unsympathetic builders, Hampstead offers a wealth of period properties with seriously high price tags – £3m or more for a family-sized house. As well as handsome Georgian and Victorian houses, there are some interesting and individual properties, including smart flats in converted hospitals, the Bauhaus-style Isokon building, built as an experiment in communal living, and the exclusive Holly Lodge Estate, a Tudor- style blend of houses and flats dating from the ’20s.

King’s Cross & St Pancras (N1)

This entire area is poised for transformation, thanks to the massive investment in the new rail terminus. Work began in 2006 on 1,800 new homes, and a smaller development (Regent Quarter) is already finished to the east of King’s Cross, with cobbled courtyards and apartments from £315,000. Away from the stations there are lots of ex-council Victorian properties, mostly converted into flats, which are slowly being bought up and refurbished.

West Hampstead (NW3, NW6)

Once regarded as being too close to Kilburn for those aspiring to Hampstead, nowadays the area is being dubbed a ‘new Notting Hill’. Its supply of Victorian mansion blocks and family houses are reasonably priced (a one-bedroom flat costs around £290,000) and attract young professionals and families. There’s a healthy rental market.

Property Prices

The table below shows the range of property prices (£'000) in the borough.

Studio/1-bed: Flat: 180-300 House: n/a
2 bed: Flat: 370-410 House: 445-670
3 bed: Flat: 550-600 House: 690-800
4 bed: Flat: n/a House: 870-1,390
5 bed+: Flat: n/a House: 1m+

More pages

Page 1: General Information
Page 2: Rental Costs
Page 3: Further Education
Page 4: Shopping
Page 5: Live Music