Coolest stops on the Northern Line

On Wednesday at 11:00 AM, Shuya and I are meeting to explore some stops on the northern line. Based on my initial research, I propose we stop at (based on random facts I have accumulated):

• Camden Town
  • Named after the first Earl Camden, Charles Pratt, who started the development of Camden Town in 1791.
  • Camden Market
  • Chalk Farm was originally a farmhouse and later a tavern set in fields. Soon after 1840 housing and shops were developed in Regent’s Park Road but the building still survives as a restaurant.
• Old Street
  • William Shakespeare
    • He performed at Britain’s first permanent playhouse in 1576 on Curtain Road and over the years several of his plays had their debut in the area. 
    • The leading cleric John Wesley set up London’s first Methodist church in 1739 on Dereham Street.
    • Old Street underground station was opened in 1901. The station and it’s surroundings were modified in the late 1960’s to include the current sub surface structure.
    • Linked with influential artists like Banksy, whose work Balloon girl is among many first seen in the area
• Borough
  • Borough Market has existed for 1000 years (open since 1014)
  • It is likely that London’s first post-Roman bridge was constructed here in the mid-990s to bolster the city’s defences against Viking raiders
  • 1676 destroyed by fire
• Clapham
  • Medieval Clapham would seem a tiny place with a population of less than 100 people
  • Began to grow with refugees from the plague in 1665 and the fire in 1666
  • In the 19th century Charles Barry (1795-1860) the architect who designed the Houses of Parliament lived in Clapham. So did John Francis Bentley (1839-1902) who designed Westminster Cathedral.
  • Clapham Clock Tower was erected in 1906.
• Hampstead
  • The earliest known settlement was on the high lands of Hampstead Heath and dates back to the Mesolithic age around 7000BC.
  • In the 18th and 19th centuries it was considered to be a country retreat away from the bustle and smoke of London, with fresh air and water and, as the highest point in London, a variety of attractive views.

Citations:

Camden. The London Borough of Camden. (2018) < https://www.camden.gov.uk/camdens-history > [19 August 2019]

Old Street District.  History. (2019) < https://www.oldstreetdistrict.london/the-old-street-area/history/ >  [19 August 2019]

Borough Market.  < http://boroughmarket.org.uk/history > [19 August 2019]