Camden Lock, or Hampstead Road Locks is a twin manually-operated lock

Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...

 on the Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....

 in Camden Town

Camden Town

-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...

, London Borough of Camden

London Borough of Camden

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...

. 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.

History

The locks were constructed between 1818–20 by James Morgan

James Morgan (engineer)

James Morgan was a British architect and engineer, notably associated with the construction of the Regent's Canal in London....

, with John Nash

John Nash (architect)

John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...

, 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

Caisson lock

A caisson lock is a type of canal lock in which a narrowboat is enclosed in a sealed box and raised or lowered between two water levels. It was intended primarily as a water-saving measure, but also to save construction costs when compared with other engineering solutions. It was capable of...

 designed by William Congreve in an attempt to conserve water.

The lock is to the west of the Camden High Street

Camden High Street

Camden High Street is a short stretch of road in Camden Town, in London, England. It is part of the route from central London to Hampstead. It is the local high street and features major music venues at either end...

 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

Chalk Farm Road

Chalk Farm Road is a street in the Camden Town area of London England. There is a widespread misapprehension that the road that runs through Camden Market is part of Camden High Street, but it is actually 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

Camden Market

The Camden Markets are a number of adjoining large markets in Camden Town near the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regent's Canal , often called collectively "Camden Market" or "Camden Lock". The stalls sell crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac, fast food, and other things...

. It is a busy market popular with visitors, with music venues, cafes and canal towpath

Towpath

A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...

 walks. There is a large cut-steel sculpture by English artist Edward Dutkiewicz

Edward Dutkiewicz

Edward Dutkiewicz was a British visual artist known for his use of bright colours and abstract forms, reminiscent of Calder and Matisse...

 in the square beside the lock.

Cultural references

• Camden Lock is one of many landmarks in this area of London to have a corresponding structure underground in the novel The Horn of Mortal Danger
  The Horn of Mortal Danger
  The Horn of Mortal Danger is a 1980 novel by British musician Lawrence Leonard. It relates the adventures of a brother and sister as they discover a secret civilisation buried beneath the streets of London...
  
  (1980).
• The main spaceship in the British television science fiction sitcom Hyperdrive
  Hyperdrive (TV series)
  Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
  
  is called HMS Camden Lock.
• The Italian band Modena City Ramblers
  Modena City Ramblers
  Modena City Ramblers is an Italian folk band founded in 1991. Their music is heavily influenced by Celtic themes, and can be compared to folk rock music. The band has sold over 500,000 albums...
  
   wrote a song Notturno, Camden Lock, with a lyric relating to Camden town where one of the band members lived.
• The Russian band Aquarium
  Aquarium (group)
  Aquarium or Akvarium is a Russian rock group, formed in Leningrad in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov, then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly Gunitsky, then a playwright and absurdist poet.-History:...
  
   mentions Camden Lock in its song Garson #2
• Kate Winslet
  Kate Winslet
  Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
  
   appeared in a television commercial for American Express
  American Express
  American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
  
  , strolling around Camden Lock.

• In series 3 of British television comedy "The League of Gentlemen", Legz Akimbo Theatre Company member Phil and his friend Tish stroll around Camden lock. Tish comments "Camden's such a rip off, I love it".
• The Japanese rock duo B'z
  B'z
  is a Japanese hard rock duo, composed of and .B'z has released 45 consecutive #1 singles, 24 #1 albums, and sold more than 79 million records in Japan alone...
  
   re-recorded the song "Guitar Kids Rhapsody" from their second album Off the Lock
  Off the Lock
  Off The Lock is the 2nd studio album of the Japanese rock duo B'z.The band's first-ever "Live Gym" tour was in support of this album, and despite their being relatively new, tickets were sold out, a taste of what was to come....
  
  . The song is referred to as "Camden Lock Style" because the music video for the re-recorded version was shot in and around Camden Lock.

Transport

A regular waterbus service operates from Camden, heading westwards around Regent's Park

Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...

, calling at London Zoo

London Zoo

London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...

 and on towards Little Venice

Maida Vale

Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...

.

The tow path is open to pedestrians and cyclists.

The nearest London Underground station is Camden Town

Camden Town tube station

Camden Town tube station is a major junction on the Northern Line and one of the busiest stations on the London Underground network...

 on the Northern Line

Northern Line

The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...

. The nearest London Overground

London Overground

London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...

 station is Camden Road station.

See also

• Canals of the United Kingdom
  Canals of the United Kingdom
  The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
  
  
• History of the British canal system
  History of the British canal system
  The British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...