Horse Tunnel Market: vintage, denim and a Victorian tunnel

Free to walk in, no booking, typically open 10:00 to 18:00 daily, with traders setting their own hours. Horse Tunnel Market is the vintage and second-hand cluster at the entrance to the Eastern Horse Tunnel, in The Stables, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH. Come for denim and old jackets. Stay for the fact that you are shopping inside a piece of railway history.

What it is

Camden Market describes it as the entrance to the Eastern Horse Tunnel, which runs from the Stables Market to The Henson on Oval Road. Its own vintage tour places it between Camden Lock Place and Stables Market. Shop addresses here read like "D04 Horse Tunnels Market", so look for the D units.

It is a vintage and fashion stop, not a food market. Eat elsewhere (we get to that below).

The history, briefly

The site was part of the Camden Goods Station and depot. Camden Market says the tunnels were built so horses could carry goods safely to the Regent’s Canal, and that tack rooms, saddlers’ workshops and a horse hospital sat inside the buildings now called The Stables. The last shunting horse was withdrawn in 1967 and the depot closed in 1980.

Historic England lists the Horse Hospital in Stables Yard at Grade II*, calling it a fine example of 19th-century industrial stabling with horse ramps and interior fittings. Its entry says the four stable blocks are estimated to have housed 162 horses, with the Eastern Horse Tunnel linking them to the marshalling yards, and that around 700 to 800 horses were used at the depot at its peak. Look down at street level and you can trace the tunnel routes by the cast-iron grilles set into the road, which were the horses’ only light below.

What to find

• Time Tunnel Vintage (unit D04). Clothing from the 1900s to the 1990s, with a strong line in motorcycle jackets, denim, military and youth-culture pieces. Its own page lists Monday to Friday 11:00 to 18:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:30 to 18:00.
• Camden Vintage. A few doors down from Time Tunnel, according to Camden Market’s vintage tour, and described as a cavernous store of old-school designer finds and denim. Labels mentioned include Ralph Lauren, Barbour and Burberry.
• Saddle Row. Known as umbrella alley, home to Vintage Collection, one of the biggest vintage shops, stocking un-worn pieces from the 1930s to the 1990s.

The Nudge also points to The Baggage Room for restored vintage luggage and Oi Oi for old punk Camden. Traders change, so treat any list as a starting point and have a wander.

When to go

Weekday mornings are the quiet option. Weekend afternoons are the busiest, so if you want to rummage through a rail without someone reaching over you, go early in the week. Individual shops keep their own hours, so a unit may open later than the market headline. Cobbles cover much of the Stables, so wear flat shoes. Because the tunnel area is largely covered, it suits a January afternoon better than most of the open-air market.

Prices and booking

Entry is free and there is no ticketing for browsing. Garment prices vary shop by shop, so check tags before you fall for a jacket. One third-party guide says a polite offer is usually fine on handwritten-tag stock, but do not count on it.

Getting there

Chalk Farm station on the Northern line is the closest, with Camden Town also in reach and Camden Road on the Overground as another option. The market address is Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH.

For after: Pick & Cheese

Pick & Cheese (formerly The Cheese Bar) is at units 93 and 94 in Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH, and Camden Market lists it among the North Yard venues. The Infatuation’s older review calls it a cheese-mad counter restaurant and advises sticking to the sandwiches and grilled cheese. That is the order: a grilled cheese after a morning of cold rails. Check opening times on the day.

More on the site and its history: Camden Market on the life of a Camden horse, Historic England’s listing for the Horse Hospital, and Time Tunnel Vintage.