There's no chalk in Chalk Farm. But there is Camden Market.

While Covent Garden once had a convent, and King's Cross was named after King George IV and a monument of a cross now demolished, Chalk Farm, unfortunately, has no trace of either chalk or a farm.

Gloucester Road in Chalk Farm today (Peter Imbong) and before.

Located to the North of Camden Town, Chalk Farm takes it name from the 'Chaldecott' cottages--derived from the Anglo Saxon Old English language for 'cold cottages'--that were once found around the area. And from this a Chaldecott Farm, now gone, was perhaps also established.

In 1870, John Marius of Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Chalk Farm as "notorious for duels fought on it; specially for one between Col. Montgomery and Capt. Macnamara in 1803.' And while we may never know who won that encounter, Chalk Farm has now taken on a more festive atmosphere with the area now more known for the lively space of the Camden Market and its surrounding streets with pubs, live music venues, restaurants, specialty shops, and food stalls.

Chalk Farm station, which opened in 1907, lies at the bottom of Haverstock Hill that connects Camden with Hampstead. And to the west lies Primrose Hill, named when it was still covered with brushwood and an spring flowers, offers some of the best views of Central London.