Seeking Out The Elephants Of Camden

Elephants in Camden, surely not?! Surprisingly, yes, Camden has an unusual association with elephants and if you know where to look you will spot some around.

The Coat of Arms

The first link to elephants is the borough’s coat of arms.

When the borough of Camden was created in 1965, it incorporated the old boroughs of Holborn, St Pancras and Hampstead and borrowed elements from each of their coats of arms for its own.

Most of it is pretty standard: a shield, a lion, various frills and a latin motto. Atop all this, however, sits a rather awkward looking elephant inside a castle.

The elephant is from the old coat of arms of the St Pancras borough which had displayed 2 elephant heads. These in turn came originally from the coat of arms of the Marquess of Camden. It was Sir Charles Pratt, the 1st Earl of Camden, who established Camden Town in the late 1700’s and the coat of arms was created when his son was made the Marquess of Camden. 

The symbol of an elephant and castle is one that goes back hundreds of years. An elephant was a symbol of strength, so strong, in fact, that it could carry a castle on its back. It was also a popular pub name and the famous Elephant and Castle junction in London gets its name from a pub that once stood there.

I haven’t been able to find the coat of arms on any buildings, however,  the St Pancras coat of arms can be seen on the outside of Camden Town Hall.

Elephant House

At the junction of Hawley Crescent and Kentish Town Road you will find the Elephant House. Adorning the front is an elephant’s head. Built in 1901 and designed by William Bradford, this building was once the bottle store for the Camden brewery. Camden brewery operated in Camden from 1859-1926.

The Elephant head became the trademark of the brewery after one of their most popular ales: Elephant pale ale. Whether they took inspiration from the coat of arms or it was a lucky coincidence- who knows!

In 2012 the modern Camden Town Brewery found the old recipe for the original Elephant Pale Ale and recreated it for the London Olympics as it would have been among the drinks consumed at the London Olympics in 1908.

The Elephant’s Head pub

The Elephant’s Head pub on Camden High Street was established in 1869 and is a lovely Victorian corner pub. 

Some sources claim that the name comes from the proximity of the Camden Brewery but the most likely explanation is the a link to the coat of arms of our old friend; the Marquess of Camden.

Elephant and Castle Pub/Elephant Row

Another pub now, this one long gone. The George and Falcon stood at the bottom of what is now St Pancras Way and dated back potentially as far as the 1600’s. In the early 1700’s it was renamed the Elephant and Castle. You can see it on the map below from the 1890’s- where it says ‘P.H’ for public house.

A 19th century historian proposed that the name change was because, in 1714, an elephant tusk was found in the River Fleet, near to this spot. The find was attributed to archaeologist, John Conyers. The only issue with that theory is that Conyers died in 1694.

The sources are muddled and potentially relate to a discovery he made in 1679 of a Palaeolithic flint axe and tusk near King’s Cross. You will now find Hand Axe Yard on this spot. The find could well have been a mammoth tusk, although Conyers proposed that it was from an elephant brought over by the Romans.

Another element of confusion to throw in is that this stretch of road used to be called Elephant Row, presumably named after the pub but perhaps also related to this mysterious find. You can see Elephant Row on the map below from 1828.

By the end of the century the road name had changed and by 1914 the pub had gone; demolished for a warehouse.

There is still a reminder however of the old road name on the gate to the South Stables: a beautiful old stable block for the Midlands railway.

The stable block has recently been transformed and restored as a home. See the video below to have a look inside!

Namaste

Our final elephant is this magnificent beast on the front of Namaste on Camden High Street. They have been operating from here for over 20 years, bringing us nicely into bustling, colourful and brilliant modern day Camden. 

If you know of any other elephants in Camden- let me know in the comments below!

More quirky London history below…