Welcome to our newsletter for April, and for this month we start with an exciting new initiative that will run through the following twelve months, to highlight the history, people and places to visit across the London Borough of Camden in its 60th year:
60 Places for 60 Years of the London Borough of Camden
The London Local Government Act of 1963 significantly changed the way that London was governed and administered.
The act created a two tier system of governance with the Greater London Council taking over from the London County Council, and the 32 metropolitan boroughs being brought under a smaller number of borough councils.
One of these was the London Borough of Camden, formed in April 1965, bringing together the former metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and St Pancras.
The name of the borough comes from the first Earl Camden, Charles Pratt who was responsible for the development of Camden Town, starting in 1791.
To celebrate 60 years of Camden, starting in April, we will be exploring 60 places, people and themes across the whole of the borough, and which tell a story of the history of this significant part of London.
There will be a blog post for each story, and the location of each story will be added to the map on the home page of our website, so as the posts build up during the coming twelve months, the map will provide a visual directory of posts, and places to visit.
If you do not already subscribe to our blog posts, then subscribe via our homepage, and receive every post as an email, and follow along as we explore 60 Places for 60 Years of the London Borough of Camden.
The first blog post in this series will be next Saturday, and to explore Camden, we have the following walks available:
A history walk in Hampstead, the quaintest of urban villages
Perched on a North London hilltop, Hampstead has retained the charm of a country village with wisteria covered cottages, atmospheric pubs, cobbled street and a history that goes back centuries.
This “urban village” attracted, and continues to attract, artists, actors, writers, musicians and glitterati of all kinds: indulge in a bit of celebrity spotting while walking up and down its quiet streets lined by pretty houses from all architectural eras.
We will admire the grand Burgh House, and Fenton House, the oldest surviving mansion in Hampstead. We will be walking in the footsteps of famous thespians, like Dame Judy Dench, bestselling authors like HG Wells and Daphne Du Maurier, and world renowned painters like John Constable, who was inspired by the Heath and painted his view of St Paul’s Cathedral from here. And we will visit a back-to-front church and an old graveyard which is the last resting place of many celebrities.
This walk takes place on the 25th of April, and can be booked by clicking here.
Abolition! Anti-Slavery Campaigning in Central London
This walk reveals where many key London events took place in British campaigns against slavery and slave-trading between the mid-1700s and mid-1800s. Fugitive and former slaves, white lawyers, activists and orators along with black activists, authors and musicians come alive in a walk from Chancery Lane to Fleet Street, Lincoln’s Inn and Covent Garden, ending at Embankment Gardens. The capture in London of escaped slaves led to legal cases campaigners loudly supported. Slaves were given as gifts by West Indies slave-owners to wealthy Londoners who considered them fashion-accessories. There were small communities of free blacks, many working as servants. Blacks made free by fighting on the British side during wars thronged to London, some becoming beggars but others getting by and even moving into the middle class. On the walk you meet Olaudah Equiano, James Somerset, Granville Sharp, Billy Waters, Sarah Parker Remond, Thomas Clarkson, Mary Prince, Ottobah Cuguano, Elizabeth Heyrick, Samuel Johnson, the Fisk Jubilee Singers and more names now usually forgotten.
This walk takes place on the 26th of April, and can be booked by clicking here.
Discovering the hidden gems of Hatton Garden
This fascinating area, located on the West bank of the now subterranean River Fleet, is home to so much more than gold and diamonds.
Once the site of medieval monasteries and noble estates, it later became the heart of the London Jewish diamond trade. The Italian community made this area their home in the 19th century, leaving an indelible mark on its streets.
From long forgotten palaces to ancient churches, from terrible poverty to beautiful jewellery, come and meet the characters, both real and fictional, criminal and charitable, who have made this unique and fascinating part of London their home.
If you are a lover of London’s hidden gems- both literal and figurative – this walking tour is for you!
This walk takes place on the 8th of May, and can be booked by clicking here.
Blog posts for the 60 years of Camden will be published each Saturday, and our next newsletter of walks and events will be on the first Saturday of May.