Camden at 60 Unearthing the Archive, 1965-2025

On 1st April 1965, the metropolitan boroughs of Holborn, St Pancras and Hampstead were brought together to form the London Borough of Camden. Stretching from Bloomsbury and Covent Garden in the south to Hampstead and Highgate in the north, this wide and varied area is home to stories as diverse as the people who live and work here.

In the years following the Second World War, Camden – like much of the capital – was changing rapidly. Communities and individuals displaced by war, invited to help rebuild the country or seeking new opportunities for themselves and their families arrived in London from across the UK and overseas. They brought with them traditions and cultures that helped shape an ever-evolving borough.

Camden’s physical landscape was transforming too. The construction of new high-rise housing reshaped the skyline, while materials such as concrete and glass became increasingly popular with architects and developers. Transport hubs including Euston Station were given a modernist make-over, and structures such as the BT Tower in Fitzrovia became familiar landmarks across the borough.

Yet alongside these changes, many families and communities with long-standing connections to the borough remained in their neighbourhoods, maintaining a sense of continuity as Camden developed around them.

Today, Camden is internationally recognised for its markets, nightlife, parks and vibrant cultural life. But beyond the headlines, blog posts and viral videos, it is also a place of every-day experiences, where people live, work and visit. This digital exhibition explores life in the London Borough of Camden across its sixty-year history, spotlighting architecture and infrastructure, culture, communities, leisure, shopping and radical histories.