Did you know that...
Regent’s Park is a location that was featured in movies, video games, and books. In the movie 28 Weeks Later, a group of survivors crosses the Park on their way out of London. The Park is featured as a location in a video game based on the 102 Dalmatians movie.
Regent’s Park includes the Regent’s University London and the London Zoo. Prince Felix of Luxembourg, Prince Konstantin of Bavaria, comedian Ruby Wax, Karl-Johan Persson the CEO and president of H&M are notable former Regent’s University London alumni.
The London Zoo, also known as the Regent’s Zoo, is the oldest scientific zoo in the world. It was opened in 1828 as a collection for scientific study. It was opened for the public in 1847. The London Zoo has 637 species of animals and more than 19,000 individual items. The zoo scene from the first Harry Potter book takes place at the London Zoo.
Regent’s Canal runs through Regents Park Camden Town. Camden Lock was a wharf with stables on the canal. It is featured in a 2005 American Express commercial, in the Italian song “Notturno, Camden Lock”, and in the Camden Locke song by Small Town No Airport band.
Camden Markets are London’s fourth largest attraction and the most popular tourist destinations in Camden. Markets see over 100,000 people visiting them every weekend.
However, Camden Market is not the only notable place in the area. For history lovers, it will be interesting to learn the inner, underground history of this area.
You can still find some reminders of Camden’s industrial heritage dotted around the area. Horse slips and ventilation shafts that look like drains are the remnants of so-called Camden’s catacombs. In the 20s-40s of the 19th century, it was actually a network of horse tunnels and engine vaults largely underneath the Camden markets. The mega-stables also incorporated tack rooms, saddler’s workshops, stable blocks, and horse hospital.
A place that initially was a five-street village owned by Sir Charles Pratt since 1791 eventually became the largest stables for horses and pit ponies. This equine heyday serviced 700 to 800 horses and supplied the Camden Goods Depot with the excellent working force.
Horses enabled much of the industrial activity above ground; they were used to pull trains, train parts, luggage long before and even after the appearance of the railways. Catacombs also connected the Roundhouse and the Regent’s Canal giving a safe walkway for horses, however, these fascinating places are inaccessible at the moment due to the risk of flooding.
