Local historian Averil Nottage writes:
Peter Darley has just published the Chalk Farm Railway Lands: a guided tour from 1830 to 2030 about a significant aspect of our local heritage. You couldn’t wish for a better guide. Peter’s knowledge and long-standing enthusiasm for his subject shines through.
In 1830 it was proposed to build the London to Birmingham Railway through the fields alongside the planned Adelaide Road. It was the first inter-city railway to London and brought goods from England’s industrial heartlands. Robert Stephenson, as the Chief Engineer, faced many challenges, including digging the Primrose Hill tunnel through stiff clay and creating an underground Winding Engine House to pull engines by rope up the incline from Euston.
The company’s London goods depot was between Chalk Farm and the Regent’s Canal where Camden Station opened. The depot housed the goods yard, locomotive sheds, warehouses, and stables. The Roundhouse was built in 1847 to cope with large numbers of goods engines. From 1851 trains transported goods directly to and from London Docks making the Roundhouse redundant, and it became a store. At its peak, 800 horses transported goods from the station by road. Horses continued to be used until the 1950s. The last steam trains were in 1962 and, around then, commercial traffic on the canal ceased.
Boat trips started on the canal in 1951 and the towpaths opened in 1972. The first market stalls opened in 1973 and by the 1980s Camden Lock had a fully-fledged market. The Camden Goods Station closed around 1980. From 1966 the Roundhouse became an iconic rock venue, closing in 1983 before reopening in 1996 as a centre for the performing arts.
Peter ends the book by describing his dream that by 2030 the seven wonders of the Chalk Farm Railway Lands will all be publicly accessible. These are:
- the Stationary Winding Engine Vaults, only accessible under Network Rail supervision
- Primrose Hill Tunnel East Portal, now only partly visible
- the Roundhouse, open for events but with the hub and undercroft not usually open
- the Stables complex, largely accessible in the Stables Market
- vaults, horse tunnels and catacombs, parts are incorporated into the market, but much is inaccessible
- the Interchange Warehouse, now offices with no access to the historically significant basement and canal basin
- Hampstead Road Locks and the Regent’s Canal Information Centre which are publicly accessible.
The book costs £25 and can be obtained by from Peter, emailing BelSoc at membership@belsize.org.uk for more details.