Camden Town was named after Charles Pratt, the first Earl Camden, who started its development in 1791. It began life as little more than a handful of buildings beside a main road. Camden Town’s expansion as a major centre came with the opening of the Regent’s Canal to traffic in 1820
Improvements to transport provided employment for the local population, which, by the end of the 19th century, had grown significantly. Many streets were changed when new housing developments and schemes were introduced in the 1960s. The conversion of Camden Lock’s wharves and warehouses on the Regent’s Canal to craft markets in the 1970s ensured Camden Town’s future as one of London’s top tourist attractions.
