Free
Art
#96
Camden Arts Centre
A former Victorian library turned nimble contemporary art hub. Expect changing shows, residencies, talks, and a pocket garden with a mellow café. The appeal is scale and pace: two or three focused exhibitions you can actually finish—and still have arguments about on the Overground home.
Opening Hours
Sunday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
What's not to miss inside?
Main Galleries
Museum-quality shows without museum overwhelmRotating solo and group projects favour risk and depth over spectacle.
📍 Ground and first floors
Studios & Residencies
Process on viewVisiting artists develop new work here—talks and open studios let you catch ideas mid-flight.
📍 Onsite workspaces (check programme)
Garden & Café
Reset between showsA small walled garden that doubles as spill-over for performances and readings.
📍 Rear of the centre
Inspire your Friends
- The centre occupies the former Hampstead Central Library (1897), repurposed for art in the 1960s.
- Its programme is known for artists’ residencies—often the first UK outing for international names who later headline larger institutions.
- The intimate scale means you can see everything in under an hour—rare for London—and still feel you’ve had a rigorous encounter with contemporary art.
