We will begin from Alfies Antique Market -the famous largest indoor antiques and vintage market in London. Visitors come from all over the world to get acquainted with the charms of this four-story Art Deco building. Almost one hundred dealers occupy four floors, offering for sale everything one can imagine — antique jewelry, vintage fashion, and accessories, works of art, collectibles, interior items, textiles, ceramics, glass, and silverware. Further along the Regency Canal, through the villas of Madonna and Stephen Hopkins, through the central mosque and the oldest zoo in the world, we will go to Primrose Hill! We will find out why the area was once part of a big hunting ground in the time of Henry VIII and how German beauties are involved in this. What was purchased from Eton College in 1841 to expand the park area available to poor residents of North London for outdoor recreation and why. We’ll learn why is this the most important place in the city for boxing fans and what prizes could be obtained here for duels.
In the second part of the tour, we will be able to climb the hill and recall its rather lively reputation, as Mother Shipton made threatening prophecies about what would happen if the sprawl of the city was allowed to invade its borders. At the top of the hill is one of the six protected viewing platforms in London. The peak is almost 63 meters above sea level, and the trees grow low so as not to obscure the view. We’ll see William Blake’s inscription and think about why it’s here!
In the third part of the tour, we will get to Camden Town and learn about its fate since the 1790s. Let’s find out how the development of the Grand Union Canal and improved rail transport have turned it into a busy part of London. We will be able to listen to live music and inhale marijuana for free as we’re crossing the street. Let’s talk about the fate of famous residents of the area — the fate of Dylan Thomas, Walter Sickert, and Amy Winehouse, it feels like peeping into a hidden world. Passing by the artisan shops and fancy clothing stores of the famous market, we will talk about the filming of movies in London and about the craft that brings millions.
Where are we going to have lunch on this tour? What a question! Bill or Break is one of London’s most beloved street food companies, which has been operating in the capital since 2014. You can’t miss two of their signature burgers. Crispy, sugary-sweet, and juicy chicken fried in honey oil with jalapeno mayonnaise is the people’s champion, but the cheeseburger «Patty» is known all over London.
Avoiding ambiguity as much as possible, the Fireplace market (the part with food) has a serious amount of meat for a serious appetite. Even if it’s just for the sake of photos that you can post on your Instagram feed, it’s worth a visit, and if you’re not starving, their little sausages and Polish dumplings are sure to please.
It is worth tasting a low-alcoholic, but pleasant-tasting Half Hitch gin, seasoned with herbal ingredients, including Malawian black tea and Calabrian bergamot. The drink was invented by a North London resident Mark Holdsworth, who decided to create it alone after 15 years of working at Bacardi.