Hidden london

Site Records
SiteName: Camden Catacombs
Beneath Camden Lock Market
Chalk Farm Road
London NW1
OS Grid Ref: TQ286841
Subbrit site visit 1987 [Source: Nick Catford]

Photo:Horse Tunnel
Photo by Nick Catford
An interesting complex of tunnels and vaults are to be found close to the Roundhouse at Camden. The Camden Catacombs, as they have become known are owned by Railtrack and the only access now is a tunnel entrance alongside the main line.

Photo:Entrance labyrinth
Photo by Nick Catford
They were built in the 19th Century as stables for horses and pit ponies that were used to shunt railway wagons. The tunnels run under the Euston mainline, under the goods depot at Primrose Hill, beneath Gilbeys Bonded
Warehouse on the Regents Canal 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.

Photo:Warehouse Basement
Photo by Nick Catford
The network of tunnels also includes an underground canal basin and this is clearly visible, close to Camden Lock 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.