| Hampstead Road Lock No 1 (Camden Lock) |
|
|---|---|
The twin locks |
|
| Waterway | Regent's Canal |
| County | Camden Greater London |
| Maintained by | British Waterways |
| Operation | Manual |
| Fall | 8 feet (2.4 m) |
| Distance to Limehouse Basin |
6.17 miles (9.9 km) |
| Distance to Paddington Basin |
2.77 miles (4.5 km) |
| Geographical Data | |
Camden Lock, or Hampstead Road Locks is a twin manually-operated lock on the Regent's Canal in Camden Town, London Borough of Camden. The sign on each of the twin locks reads "Hampstead Road Lock 1". Hawley lock and Kentish Town lock are a short distance away to the east; there are no nearby locks to the west[1].
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The locks were constructed between 1818–20 by James Morgan, with John Nash, supervising engineer. It is the only twin-lock remaining on the Canal, the remainder having been modified to single lock operation. The current locks are Grade II listed and replaced an innovative, but unsuccessful, hydropneumatic lock designed by William Congreve in an attempt to conserve water.
The lock is to the west of the Camden High Street road bridge. The yard and former warehouses, an area known as Camden Lock, are on the north side of the canal, at the junction with Chalk Farm Road. This area is adjacent to a canal basin and holds Camden Lock Market, one of the group of markets often called collectively Camden Market. It is a busy market popular with visitors, with music venues, cafes and canal towpath walks. There is a large cut-steel sculpture by English artist Edward Dutkiewicz in the square beside the lock.
A regular waterbus service operates from Camden, heading westwards around Regent's Park, calling at London Zoo and on towards Little Venice.
The tow path is open to pedestrians and cyclists.
The nearest London Underground station is Camden Town on the Northern Line. The nearest London Overground station is Camden Road station.