London's Pocket Parks: Castlehaven Open Space, Camden, NW1

"The area was largely fields until the arrival of the Regents Canal just to the south in 1815, which spurred the northward expansion of London. The area was developed into rows of houses in the 1830s onwards, and those closer to the North London Railway (in 1849) were cheaper, with smaller back gardens, than those further north. However, the richer houses didn't get away with it for long, because in the 1860s an extension was built that sliced right through them."

"Many of the houses would likely still be there, save for a direct hit by a bomb on the evening of 6th July 1944, which killed 22 people and destroyed a lot of the houses around the railway. Although houses around the pocket park were rebuilt, the wasteland that forms the park's heart remained untouched until the 1970s, when a weekly market began using the space. This eventually expanded, and that's how the famous Camden Market got started."

The site remained mostly fields until the Regents Canal arrived in 1815, prompting northward expansion and 1830s residential development. Housing near the North London Railway (1849) was cheaper with smaller gardens, while wealthier houses lay further north until an 1860s extension cut through them. A direct bomb hit on 6 July 1944 killed 22 people and destroyed many houses, leaving a central wasteland. A weekly market in the 1970s grew into Camden Market. Community campaigns led to the Castlehaven Community Association, refurbishments including a sports pitch, pedestrianisation in 2002/3, and an HS2 grant nearing £74,000.

Read at ianVisits