Bloomsbury is an area of central London between Euston Road and Holborn, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into a fashionable residential area. It is notable for its array of garden squares,[3] literary connections (exemplified by the Bloomsbury Group), and numerous hospitals and academic institutions.
Camden Town is located 2.4 miles (3.9 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the 35 major centres identified in the London Plan.[4] Its industrial heritage has made way for retail, tourism and entertainment, including a number of markets and music venues that are strongly associated with alternative culture.
Hampstead has long been known as a residence of the intelligentsia, including writers, composers, and intellectuals, actors, artists and architects — many of whom created a bohemian community in the late 19th century. In the 1930s it became base to a community of avant garde artists and writers and was host to a number of émigrés and exiles from Nazi Europe. Hampstead has more millionaires within its boundaries than any other area of the United Kingdom.[5]
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Until late Victorian times it was a distinct village outside London, sitting astride the main road to the north. The area retains many green expanses including the eastern part of Hampstead Heath, three ancient woods,[6] and Waterlow Park. Part of Highgate lies in the London Borough of Camden. The remainder lies in the London Boroughs of Haringey and Islington
Kentish Town is first recorded during the reign of King John (1207) as kentisston. By 1456 Kentish Town was recognised as a thriving hamlet, and in this period a chapel of ease is recorded as being built for the inhabitants. Kentish Town was a prime site for development as the Kentish Town Road was a major route from London northwards. Probably its most famous resident was Karl Marx who lived at 9 Grafton Terrace from 1856.
Somers Town, named after the Somers family who owned the land, is an area of London south of Camden Town. It has been strongly influenced by the three mainline north London railway termini: Euston (1838), St Pancras (1868) and King's Cross (1852), together with the Somers Town railway and canal goods depot (1887), where the British Library now stands.
Tufnell Park straddles the border of the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Camden. Its most infamous resident was Dr Crippen who lived at 39 Hilldrop Crescent and murdered his wife there.