Camden Passage

Camden Passage in 2009

Camden Passage is a pedestrian passage off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The passage is known for its many antique shops, and hosts an antique market on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. It was built, as an alley, along the backs of houses on Upper Street, then Islington High Street, in 1767.^[1]

The antiques market was founded in the 1960s, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Borough of Islington by John Payton. The venture was initially successful, attracting over 350 traders, but recently the centre of Islington has undergone regeneration, leading to higher rents being asked at the renewal of leases. Following some years of lying derelict, a former tram shed was reopened on 14 November 1979 as The Mall Antiques Arcade, and at its height housed over 35 dealers on its ground and lower ground floors. The building also housed other businesses, such as a restaurant in its upper floors, but the mall closed in 2008. In 2013 it became a Jack Wills shop, and as of 2014 is currently a Superdry store. The closure of the arcade reflects the reduction in the number of antique traders in the nearby Camden Passage, though a weekend antiques market is still held there. The building is a Grade II listed building. Its severe windowless brick aspect is dictated by its original use, English Heritage describe its architecture as influenced by, and a tribute to, Newgate Prison (by George Dance the Younger), which had been demolished in 1902, three years before this building's construction by the LCC.^[2]

Camden Passage also has the Camden Head public house, which holds comedy nights for local comedians.

References

↑ Islington: Growth, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 9-19. Accessed: 11 August 2008
↑ Historic England. "Details from image database (369411)". Images of England.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camden Passage.

Official Camden Passage Site

London Borough of Islington

Districts	Angel Archway Barnsbury Canonbury Clerkenwell Farringdon Finsbury Finsbury Park Highbury Highgate Holloway Islington Kings Cross Lower Holloway Mildmay Nag's Head Newington Green Pentonville St. Luke's Tufnell Park Upper Holloway

Attractions	Almeida Theatre Business Design Centre Emirates Stadium House of Detention museum Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art Islington Local History Centre Islington Museum The King's Head Theatre London Canal Museum Museum of the Order of St John Sadler's Wells Theatre St. Luke's LSO Union Chapel Wesley's Chapel

Street markets	Camden Passage Chapel Market Exmouth Market Nag's Head Market Whitecross Street Market

Parks and open spaces	Barnard Park Bingfield Park Bunhill Fields Caledonian Park Gillespie Park Highbury Fields King Square Gardens Paradise Park Quaker Gardens Rosemary Gardens Spa Fields Gardens Whittington Park

Constituencies	Islington South and Finsbury Islington North

Tube and rail stations	Angel Archway Arsenal Caledonian Road Canonbury Crouch Hill Drayton Park Essex Road Farringdon Finsbury Park Highbury and Islington Holloway Road Old Street Tufnell Park Upper Holloway

Other topics	Council Grade I and II* listed buildings People Public art Schools

Coordinates: 51°32′07″N 0°06′12″W / 51.53528°N 0.10333°W / 51.53528; -0.10333

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