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In Camden Town
In Camden Town Thomson, David
- GenresLondon
251 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
37 people want to read
About the author
David Thomson
11 books9 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
David Thomson (1914 – 1988) was a writer and BBC radio producer. He was born in British colonial India to Scottish parents. As a child, he lived in Scotland, as well as in Derbyshire and London, where he attended University College School.
From 1943 to 1969 Thomson worked for the BBC as a writer and producer of radio documentaries. Many of these programs, which covered a range of topics in natural history of peoples and places also found a place in his written work, for example The People of the Sea (1954), on the lore and life of the grey seal in the coastal rural communities of Ireland and Scotland. In 1953-4 he was seconded to UNESCO to produce radio programs in France, Liberia and Turkey.
Among his most notable works are three moving memoirs: Woodbrook (1974), reflecting a ten-year period from 1932 when he visited Ireland regularly, tutoring Phoebe Kirkwood; In Camden Town (1983), describing his life and neighbors in London in the 1950s and 60's; and Nairn in Darkness and Light (1987), where he revisits his childhood years spent in his mother's home in Scotland.
David Thomson (1914 – 1988) was a writer and BBC radio producer. He was born in British colonial India to Scottish parents. As a child, he lived in Scotland, as well as in Derbyshire and London, where he attended University College School.
From 1943 to 1969 Thomson worked for the BBC as a writer and producer of radio documentaries. Many of these programs, which covered a range of topics in natural history of peoples and places also found a place in his written work, for example The People of the Sea (1954), on the lore and life of the grey seal in the coastal rural communities of Ireland and Scotland. In 1953-4 he was seconded to UNESCO to produce radio programs in France, Liberia and Turkey.
Among his most notable works are three moving memoirs: Woodbrook (1974), reflecting a ten-year period from 1932 when he visited Ireland regularly, tutoring Phoebe Kirkwood; In Camden Town (1983), describing his life and neighbors in London in the 1950s and 60's; and Nairn in Darkness and Light (1987), where he revisits his childhood years spent in his mother's home in Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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August 4, 2011In Camden Town was written in the 1980's by journalist/writer David Thomson, an Irish man who moved to Camden during the 1950's. The Camden he shows us is not the over developed tourist trap we are presented with today,it is Camden of yesteryear, when the character was genuine, not painted over and added as an after thought later.
The first thing you realise as soon as you start reading this book is that the writer is showing us a very real place with very real people, these are not to be confused with the 'pretty' people who moved in once it had been sanitised, these are the real people before they were tidied away, who dwelt literally on the streets, who's homes were on park benches who's cheer came out of bottles & passions were often punctuated by the odd black eye.
This book was not written in a patronising way, it was written compassionately, often touching, there are stories within stories, a book of layers, which could have become quite messy but seem rather apt for the subject matter and he draws some very fine comparisons between those dwelling in their smart town houses and those literally in the gutter.
There is a crumbling, Victorian derelict Dickensian element to both the place and its starkly contrasted inhabitants, the line between those who 'have and have not' is less blurred & very apparent.
As I am extremely familiar with a lot of the streets he walks, it strikes a very personal cord with me, as he's walking past buildings my great grand parents lived/worked in, talking about places I can remember, now long gone. I remember well the winos and dossers hanging around, far more in number than there are today, but I'm ashamed to say I walked past them, avoided them like everyone else did, where as he treated them with far more respect and gave them his time.
In reviewing this book it has been impossible to do so without drawing comparisons to the Camden of his book and the Camden I have known since the early 1980's, just as he compares within its pages,the Camden of years before with the Camden of his time...For me this was a very good book.
The first thing you realise as soon as you start reading this book is that the writer is showing us a very real place with very real people, these are not to be confused with the 'pretty' people who moved in once it had been sanitised, these are the real people before they were tidied away, who dwelt literally on the streets, who's homes were on park benches who's cheer came out of bottles & passions were often punctuated by the odd black eye.
This book was not written in a patronising way, it was written compassionately, often touching, there are stories within stories, a book of layers, which could have become quite messy but seem rather apt for the subject matter and he draws some very fine comparisons between those dwelling in their smart town houses and those literally in the gutter.
There is a crumbling, Victorian derelict Dickensian element to both the place and its starkly contrasted inhabitants, the line between those who 'have and have not' is less blurred & very apparent.
As I am extremely familiar with a lot of the streets he walks, it strikes a very personal cord with me, as he's walking past buildings my great grand parents lived/worked in, talking about places I can remember, now long gone. I remember well the winos and dossers hanging around, far more in number than there are today, but I'm ashamed to say I walked past them, avoided them like everyone else did, where as he treated them with far more respect and gave them his time.
In reviewing this book it has been impossible to do so without drawing comparisons to the Camden of his book and the Camden I have known since the early 1980's, just as he compares within its pages,the Camden of years before with the Camden of his time...For me this was a very good book.
July 10, 2025
Thomson has created a vivid picture of where he lived at the time of writing. Written in an era on the cusp of change, thanks to neoliberalism, it shows us a palette of characters who were cared for within their community, and often by state bodies.
I found his style of writing stilted at times, especially at the start. It lacked the lyricism of Woodbrook. I would like to have known more of the background of some of his characters, particularly those who had come down in the world, but perhaps they were too private for that.
I wonder if he was aware he was describing the transition from community to individualism and greed?
I found his style of writing stilted at times, especially at the start. It lacked the lyricism of Woodbrook. I would like to have known more of the background of some of his characters, particularly those who had come down in the world, but perhaps they were too private for that.
I wonder if he was aware he was describing the transition from community to individualism and greed?
December 8, 2019
Nice little book. I especially enjoyed reading about the lives of the pub punters at the Edinburgh Castle, the Mixer, the Engineer and other pubs around Camden Town. He did take his time talking to them and to the characters around his house. It is fun to see how much CT has changed but how much it stays the same. The market at Inverness St, the shops in Parkway, the ambience, it´s all still there, i wonder for how long....
February 17, 2022
A tomuching insight into a world now largely condemned to the past - where living in London was not prohibitively expensive, where communities were given space and time to grow, and where a man on a modest pension could afford a daily jar at his local in the company of regulars.
July 14, 2017
This book is a little gem. I found it in the second-hand bookshop at Camden Lock, but it feels more like this book found me. David Thomas' delightful portrayal of the life and characters of Camden Town, his way with words and descriptions of the many characters that enriched his years in Camden is so beautifully depicted that I feel as though I lived those years with him. He speaks of the history, the impact of the coming of the railway, the awful poverty and terrible loneliness of some of its (now long gone) residents, but he does so with pathos and humour. His portrayals of the market traders, the plight of the homeless and their daily rituals - endearing drunks Davy and Mary - with their quaint, humorous personalities are depicted with a photo-real quality. I could not put this book down, and even carried it with me when I had no chance of reading it, just so I knew it was there with me. When I go to Camden Town the words of this book will be there with me always. If you like the history of the People and Places of London, if you have feelings about the atmosphere of Camden Town that you cannot explain, please give this book a try. I will be reading anything else that David Thomas has written just to FEEL and experience the beauty of his writing.
October 23, 2025
finally finished my first book of the year...very embarrasing for me...
i loved reading this because of course i am living in camden and by now it actually does feel like home. this account is so mundane and so sweet and it offers a glimpse of camden in the 50s and 60s, which might not interest everyone but ive loved walking around and just thinking about how the area has changed and how many people have lived here and all of its gritty and glorious history. whenever i walk by the spread eagle i think of how it was david's favourite pub bless
i loved reading this because of course i am living in camden and by now it actually does feel like home. this account is so mundane and so sweet and it offers a glimpse of camden in the 50s and 60s, which might not interest everyone but ive loved walking around and just thinking about how the area has changed and how many people have lived here and all of its gritty and glorious history. whenever i walk by the spread eagle i think of how it was david's favourite pub bless
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews