Kentish Town: A lively area for shopping and nightlife

People seeking a fashionable, vibrant and culturally exciting place to live could find what they are looking for by finding flats to rent in Kentish Town.

This busy and lively area in the borough of Camden has become popular among young professionals thanks to its wide array of amenities, with reasonable local rates and a strong retail sector making it attractive on many levels.

Kentish Town has a long history that predates Camden itself, having originally been recorded as a settlement on the river Fleet called Kenisston during the reign of King John in the early 1200s.

A thriving hamlet throughout most of its existence, the area saw extensive modernisation during the Victorian era and is now a bustling urban centre, bordered by Camden Town in the south.

Its main retail and business area is located along Kentish Town Road and extends up to Fortess and Highgate Roads, encompassing A1 retail floor space totalling 17,400 sq m and offering services to suit the everyday needs of the local populace.

In addition to the usual banks, phone shops and homeware outlets, the area offers a wide range of independent retailers and a significant amount of food and drink outlets, with the organic food shops along Kentish Town Road a highlight worth noting.

The town centre is equally alive in the night as during the day, thanks to its healthy mix of pubs and bars, many of which offer regular live music performances.

Most prominently, Kentish Town is also home to the HMV Forum, one of London's many high-profile live entertainment venues, which regularly hosts performance by some of the world's top music acts.

Originally created as an art deco cinema in 1934, the Forum has hosted legendary performers such as The Velvet Underground and Pixies over the years, offering an audience capacity of well over 2,000.

Even beyond the standard pubs and music venues, residents will find plenty to do in Kentish Town, which offers diverse attractions such as art galleries and a four-and-a-half-acre city farm, where families can see chickens, cows, ducks, pigs, sheep and horses, among other friendly animals.

Other attractions include the Cantelowes Gardens and skate park, the large dance complex Club Expressions and the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, which regularly stages classical shows and cutting-edge dance performances from the acclaimed Giant Olive Theatre Company.

Locals can keep regular track of the cultural goings-on in the area at The Kentishtowner, a popular blog dedicated to the area that has been running since 2010.

Other local amenities available include the Kentish Town Sports Centre, which offers swimming pools, a gym, a games zone and a sports hall, as well as well-established parking, walking and public transport provisions.

Camden Council is also committed to making further improvements to the area, having identified Kentish Town as a placeshaping area of focus due to its popularity as a town centre, its significant business community and growing residential population.

It means those moving to Kentish Town can expect to see the area continue to develop as a thriving urban centre for many years to come.

Posted by Ben Carter

Published 23rd January, 2012

© 2012 Estates IT Limited