World's End (Camden)
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The World's End is a pub in Camden High Street in Camden Town, London, England just south of Camden Town tube station. It is a long established business, formerly known as Mother Red Cap or Mother Damnable's.
The first reference to a tavern in the area occurs in 1690. At that time the locality was entirely rural and the proprietors relied on trade passing by on the road from London to Hampstead and Highgate. The name Halfway House was accordingly also used. It is not clear whether there was one establishment in the first half of the 18th century or two, but by 1751 the Mother Red Cap and the Mother Black Cap (now The Black Cap) were both in business. In the late 18th century the Mother Red Cap was at its present location, and it had acquired a tea garden. Camden Road was later built across the grounds, and the building was reconstructed. The present building dates from 1875 and was designed by H.H. Bridgman.
There is a legend that the names Mother Red Cap and Mother Damnable's derive from the story of a Kentish Town woman named Jinney who had several husbands who died in mysterious circumstances, but there is no documentary evidence for this. The pub and the Underworld Club below is also said to be haunted by the ghost of Mother Red Cap, with several staff members, and other members of the public, experiencing strange incidents within both venues over several years.
The World's End is located over a 500 seat music venue, the Underworld Club, for which it sells tickets. The Underworld Club has hosted bands like The Cranberries, The Darkness and Radiohead, as well as a host of extreme metal bands.
[edit] References
- Camden Town and Primrose Hill Past by John Richardson (1991). ISBN 0-948667-12-5
- London 4: North by Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner (1998). ISBN 0-14-071049-3
