A Goth Travel Guide : London - the heart of Batcave
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London, a couple years ago, could also be called the heart of the gothic subculture. What does it look like in London nowadays? I went there in 2010 with my friends to find out. We booked a room in a hotel in King’s Cross and it happened to be nearby Camden Town and close to the city centre as well. One very nice thing about our hotel was, that it had a 24 hour reception. Useful, when you arrive to London at 2.30, eh?:) Anyways, as we were to find out soon, London can be dangerous at night sometimes, so if you’re walking in the city preferably don’t go alone or be very careful. Some people get aggressive for seemingly no reason, which can of course happen in any city in the world, but I would say the ratio here is a bit higher. Also, watch your wallet, whenever around a lot of people. This is also true for most large cites, but I would say the London pickpockets are skilled. London can be dangersome, but at the same time compared to some other areas it is quite alternative-friendly meaning no one will be staring at you or giving you stupid comments. Also, you will meet quite a lot of goths and other alternative people, although the largest concentration of them is in Camden Town.
Sightseeing
As much as I expected London to be wonderful, I must say I was really impressed. I was carried away not only by the diversity and alternative-ness of Camden Town, but also the astonishing architecture. It was not just those sights you’ve seen in pictures already. It was also the things which could be quite common somewhere else, but in this place they weren’t. For example an underground station - in this case The Victoria Underground Station – is definitely not just another tube station. Standing there, you feel like you’ve travelled back in time into the late 19th century. Make sure you put this breathtaking place on the list of sights you want to see in London.Another fun and extraordinary place to visit is The London Dungeon. Not only it a haunted dungeon, but it also tells about creepier parts of London’s history in an entertaining way. Going there I felt like a six year old again. In addition, there’s a great souvenir shop near the exit selling all kinds of strange, funny, kitschy and pretty Halloween-style items, so don’t forget to take a look in there. Another plus point for the Dungeon goes for the stylish toilets with coffins on the doors. What more could you ask for?:)
As for Camden Town, I’m just wondering if it needs any introduction at all. Well, it is probably not what it used to be a couple years ago, but it is still an ideal place for your goth trip. You definitely won’t get any unwanted attention, whatever you look like, if you take a walk in Camden. Doing a bit of shopping also seems like a good idea when in Camden Town. I actually expected that everything will be overprized in there, but I was surprised to find out that’s not true at all. While shopping you will find a piece of history also in the Stables Market in Camden, as it stands on the place of a former horse hospital. I totally recommend you to visit this market.
Clubbing
This one’s a bit of a cliché, but anyways, I didn’t want to miss The Madame Tussauds Museum. Of course, this tourist attraction is not to everyone’s taste and it’s not really unique as you can find this museum in other countries, as well. Anyways, compared to the other Madame Tussauds I have visited I considered this one the most interesting and the largest one as well.
Some more must-sees are in my view Westminster Abbey with Big Ben (and a lovely nearby park), The Buckingham Palace and the Tower Bridge, but there are definitely more things you will enjoy. When in London, don’t forget to visit Trafalgar Square in the evening or at nighttime, you will find it a splendid place with a truly special atmosphere.
As for Camden Town, I’m just wondering if it needs any introduction at all. Well, it is probably not what it used to be a couple years ago, but it is still an ideal place for your goth trip. You definitely won’t get any unwanted attention, whatever you look like, if you take a walk in Camden. Doing a bit of shopping also seems like a good idea when in Camden Town. I actually expected that everything will be overprized in there, but I was surprised to find out that’s not true at all. While shopping you will find a piece of history also in the Stables Market in Camden, as it stands on the place of a former horse hospital. I totally recommend you to visit this market.
Shopping
When talking about shopping, I have done that mainly in Camden Town. There are many other places with interesting shops in London, but I have concentrated on Camden during my visit, so I will provide more information on that. Where to spend cash on goth and alternative clothes, shoes, cosmetics and accessories? Try Camden High Street, Camden Lock Market and Stables Market.
One of the markets, Camden Lock Market has some rather cheap alternative clothes and it is also great for buying shoes. You can buy brand name shoes like Iron Fist for a bargain at this market.
One of the markets, Camden Lock Market has some rather cheap alternative clothes and it is also great for buying shoes. You can buy brand name shoes like Iron Fist for a bargain at this market.
My personal favourite, as for shopping in Camden Town, is the Stables Market. You will find it easily if you get off the tube at the Chalk Farm station. There are lots of shops and stalls to choose from if you are after some alternative clothing. The largest shop of the whole market must be Cyberdog. I recommend it to everyone who loves pvc, UV reactive clothes and accessories, neon colors, etc. The one of a kind interior of this huge shop is also worth seeing. They do also have sales sometimes, so you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune to get something new. If you like Cyberdog, another shop named Hexagon, could be to your taste as well. If you need to visit a hairdresser’s there is a place for that in the Stables Market, too – Pepy’s. If you are into gothic lolita clothing, shops like Sai Sai and Gothic Lolita & Punk may be interesting to you. If you are looking for traditional goth, rockabilly and burlesque clothes and accessories, you should head for The Blackrose, Collectif and Burleska. These shops also have very reasonable prices. In some of the stalls you might even get an unexpected discount. Next to Burleska, there is a stall with beautiful traditional Chinese garments – blouses and dresses mostly. Unfortunately I don’t remember the names of the other stalls anymore, but you will find a lot of stunning alternative and vintage stuff in this market. What else can I add than the fact I spend more or less the whole day walking around Stables market and still came back the next day for the bit I had not seen yet.
Eating
I was staying in London for just a short period of few days and while in there I wanted to see the sights, do shopping and go clubbing, so I did not really invest time into getting to know its gastronomical side.
Since I avoid fast food chains like McDonald’s or KFC, when I wanted to eat something quick I usually just had a salad or a sandwich. The best places as for food were definitely the markets to me. For instance, I remember, there was a really good pizza and tasty Chinese cuisine, too at the Stables market. In fact, there must have been stalls with food from all around the world. As for eating in London, these kinds of food stalls were my favourite.
Since I avoid fast food chains like McDonald’s or KFC, when I wanted to eat something quick I usually just had a salad or a sandwich. The best places as for food were definitely the markets to me. For instance, I remember, there was a really good pizza and tasty Chinese cuisine, too at the Stables market. In fact, there must have been stalls with food from all around the world. As for eating in London, these kinds of food stalls were my favourite.
Clubbing
What about the London’s nightlife for those who prefer goth/alternative events?
What I found a bit dissapointing about the night side of London was, that most clubs and pubs closed early during the week. In a city like London I expected it to be otherwise for some reason. In real, the chances to find any goth event or a decent pub to hang out at with my friends during the week after midnight were pretty slim. You can take your chance with the Purple Turtle, though. It is situated at Crowndale Road in Camden town. When we went there it stayed open until 2 or 3 a.m. which is quite long for London during the week. However it could have been because there was a concert in the Purple Turtle that night.
What I found a bit dissapointing about the night side of London was, that most clubs and pubs closed early during the week. In a city like London I expected it to be otherwise for some reason. In real, the chances to find any goth event or a decent pub to hang out at with my friends during the week after midnight were pretty slim. You can take your chance with the Purple Turtle, though. It is situated at Crowndale Road in Camden town. When we went there it stayed open until 2 or 3 a.m. which is quite long for London during the week. However it could have been because there was a concert in the Purple Turtle that night.
One night, I happened to stumble across Hobgoblin (former Devonshire Arms), which used to be a meeting place of goths as well other alternative people in Camden Town. I had heard it has changed throughout the years though, but I still wanted to see it with my own eyes. You can find Hobgoblin at the address 33 Kentish Town Road in Camden. Unfortunately, Hobgoblin is just an average metal pub nowadays or at least that’s the impression it made on me the night we came across that place.
During the weekend, I finally went clubbing in London. I visited two clubs.
On Friday I went to The Electric Ballroom. The security guards at the entrance were not the nicest people on Earth to be honest. Before we could enter they searched our bags thoroughly and they took my friend’s chewing gums. The club itself was ok. The place was very large, so there was enough place for dancing. The music was pleasant, too. It was a mixture of everything, but mostly ebm, industrial, darkwave and a bit of gothic rock. It was definitely a more electro-oriented event. For some reason the crowd mostly considered of metalheads and a few cybers. As far as I know, there was no dresscode in this place. It was a nice club night, not the best one I have ever had, but an fairly good one.
On Saturday I visited Slimelight. To this day, it remains the best club I have been to. The entrance fee was rather low for a club in London. I loved Slimelight’s interior as well as the friendly staff. The visitors were quite different from those of the event in Electric Ballroom, maybe because there is a dresscode in Slimelight. The styling of some people in the club was very outstanding and unique. The club has three dance floors with different music styles: one was a gothic rock floor, at the largest dance floor industrial and ebm was played and on another floor the music choice was mostly electro and hardstyle and a bit of ebm, too. I enjoyed the gothic rock floor the most, the music was to my taste and the dj accepted and played all requests fiting the music style played. Unfortunately I don’t know the name of this dj. At the industrial/ebm floor, the new electronic music was played. The dance floor was packed with people, but there was still enough space for dancing. If you got tired of dancing there were some comfortable sofas in the club. The drinks were surprisingly cheap for London. As for the floor with electro and hardstyle played, this is not really my sort of music, but I liked the interior of that room, where you could also dance in a cage, which seemed fun at that moment. The clubbers in Slimelight were friendly, too. And the cherry on the top of is, that this club closes at 7.30. I remember I left at 6.30 very tired, but totally satisfied with the time I’ve spent there.
Another club I would like to recommend to people visiting London is Club Antichrist. I have not personally been there, however the next time I go to London I will probably take a look also there. At the time I was in London, there was an event in Electric Ballroom the same night as in Club Antichrist. I chose the cheaper party in Electric Ballroom. However, judging from other people’s recommendations I think spending the money on a night at Club Antichrist would have been worth it. Anyway, if you are in London you can check this club out or also try some other of London’s numerous (mostly irregular) events.
Hope you enjoyed reading a bit about the fascinating city of London.
I will take you to another interesting destination next time.
Thanx for reading!
During the weekend, I finally went clubbing in London. I visited two clubs.
On Friday I went to The Electric Ballroom. The security guards at the entrance were not the nicest people on Earth to be honest. Before we could enter they searched our bags thoroughly and they took my friend’s chewing gums. The club itself was ok. The place was very large, so there was enough place for dancing. The music was pleasant, too. It was a mixture of everything, but mostly ebm, industrial, darkwave and a bit of gothic rock. It was definitely a more electro-oriented event. For some reason the crowd mostly considered of metalheads and a few cybers. As far as I know, there was no dresscode in this place. It was a nice club night, not the best one I have ever had, but an fairly good one.
On Saturday I visited Slimelight. To this day, it remains the best club I have been to. The entrance fee was rather low for a club in London. I loved Slimelight’s interior as well as the friendly staff. The visitors were quite different from those of the event in Electric Ballroom, maybe because there is a dresscode in Slimelight. The styling of some people in the club was very outstanding and unique. The club has three dance floors with different music styles: one was a gothic rock floor, at the largest dance floor industrial and ebm was played and on another floor the music choice was mostly electro and hardstyle and a bit of ebm, too. I enjoyed the gothic rock floor the most, the music was to my taste and the dj accepted and played all requests fiting the music style played. Unfortunately I don’t know the name of this dj. At the industrial/ebm floor, the new electronic music was played. The dance floor was packed with people, but there was still enough space for dancing. If you got tired of dancing there were some comfortable sofas in the club. The drinks were surprisingly cheap for London. As for the floor with electro and hardstyle played, this is not really my sort of music, but I liked the interior of that room, where you could also dance in a cage, which seemed fun at that moment. The clubbers in Slimelight were friendly, too. And the cherry on the top of is, that this club closes at 7.30. I remember I left at 6.30 very tired, but totally satisfied with the time I’ve spent there.
Another club I would like to recommend to people visiting London is Club Antichrist. I have not personally been there, however the next time I go to London I will probably take a look also there. At the time I was in London, there was an event in Electric Ballroom the same night as in Club Antichrist. I chose the cheaper party in Electric Ballroom. However, judging from other people’s recommendations I think spending the money on a night at Club Antichrist would have been worth it. Anyway, if you are in London you can check this club out or also try some other of London’s numerous (mostly irregular) events.
Hope you enjoyed reading a bit about the fascinating city of London.
I will take you to another interesting destination next time.
Thanx for reading!
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