Camden when it rains: markets, galleries and pubs under cover
The Odeon on Parkway has shut, but Camden still has a roof for you: covered markets, a free gallery, a museum and two pubs with plenty of indoors.
By Only Camden Editorial
Short version: head for the Stables if you want to browse, Albert Street if you want a museum, Arkwright Road if you want free art, and Chalk Farm Road or Castlehaven Road if you want a pint. Do not head for the Odeon on Parkway. It has closed.
Start with what is gone: the Odeon on Parkway
Plenty of old listings still show the Odeon at 14 The Parkway, NW1 7AA, as open. It is not. Odeon’s own notice and Camden CASP both say it closed in late February 2026. Camden CASP says the 1937 building is due to be demolished, with some one-off events in the meantime. The Camden New Journal reports the site is planned to become about 250 student homes plus 40 affordable homes. So if the plan was a film, pick another screen and check its programme first.
The covered bit of Camden Market
The Stables, on Chalk Farm Road (NW1 8AH), is the one to aim for. Time Out describes it as an indoor market, built in the former Pickfords stables and a Grade II-listed horse hospital, according to STAY’s guide. Look for the bronze horses at the entrance. Collectables, crafts and vintage are the draw. It is free to walk in, so a downpour costs you nothing until you spot a jacket.
Time Out also notes that the big redevelopment cost the place some old charm. Fair. Go anyway, and go for the vintage rather than the souvenirs.
Camden Market as a whole spreads across the Stables, the Lock (Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF) and Hawley Wharf (Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AA), with around 1,000 independent traders according to the official site. Wikipedia records that a three-storey indoor market hall opened in 1991 on the site of the first outdoor market, and another large indoor hall was built in 2006 between Camden Lock Market and the Stables. STAY gives Camden Market as 10:00 to 19:00 daily and the Hawley Wharf food halls as 11:30 to 23:00, but traders vary, so check camdenmarket.com before you set off.
A museum three minutes from the tube: Jewish Museum London
Raymond Burton House, 129 to 131 Albert Street, NW1 7NB, is about a three-minute walk from Camden Town station, says All in London. Visit London lists adult tickets from £7.50, concessions from £5.50, children aged 5 to 16 from £3.50 and a family ticket from £18. Art Fund, MA and London Pass holders and carers get in free.
The museum is known for a 13th-century mikveh, a ritual bath found in the basement of a house in the City of London. For families, there is a dressing-up box and an exhibition trail. Opening days differ between listings, especially Saturday, so check the Visit London listing and the museum’s own site before you go. Fridays close early, at 14:00 in both listings.
Free art, a bus ride away: Camden Art Centre
Be clear on the geography: Arkwright Road, NW3 6DG, is in Hampstead near Finchley Road, not Camden Town. It is a bus or train hop, not a stroll. The official site gives Finchley Road or Hampstead on the Underground, Finchley Road & Frognal on the Overground, and buses 13, 268, 82 and 113.
Exhibitions are free. It is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00, so it is open today, Thursday, and shut Monday and Tuesday. Visit London describes contemporary shows in a Victorian Gothic building with a modern extension. Check camdenartcentre.org for what is currently showing.
Two pubs with a proper indoors
The Hawley Arms, 2 Castlehaven Road, NW1 8QU. By Camden Lock. CAMRA lists it as an independent, large single-bar pub with an eccentric interior, ceiling fans and gilt mirrors, serving real ale and food. The building dates to 1851, and after a year-long campaign it was bought in 2019 to keep it out of developers’ hands, according to CAMRA. Vice covers its indie-music and Amy Winehouse era. Phone 020 7428 5979 if you want to ask about food and hours, as CAMRA gives none.
The Lock Tavern, 35 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AJ. At the edge of the market, and a McMullen’s pub since 2024. Downstairs is the main bar and beer garden. Upstairs is a candle-lit cocktail bar, with a rooftop terrace above. In the rain, ignore the roof and take the upstairs bar. Yelp’s listing names the Lock classic burger, beer-battered fish and chips and a club sandwich. See McMullen’s page for the layout.
A sensible wet-day order
- Late morning: the Stables, for vintage and a dry browse.
- Afternoon: Jewish Museum London on Albert Street.
- Evening: upstairs at the Lock Tavern or a corner of the Hawley Arms.
If you would rather go for art, make it a separate trip to Arkwright Road, Wednesday to Sunday.
