Situated in the northwest of the city, this innovative design serves as the frontage for the brewery’s new beer hall, perfectly mirroring its interior elements while embracing the area’s renowned industrial aesthetics.
Camden Town Brewery started its humble beginnings in a railway arch nestled in London’s vibrant Kentish Town. As time went on, its success led to expansion, gradually encompassing all the neighbouring arches along the charming mews. For the beer hall, the chosen location comprised two arches situated directly beneath Kentish Town West Station. The site exudes a captivating aura with its predominant Victorian brick and cobblestone, accentuated by later additions of steel gantries, columns and concrete elements. Throughout the years, the space has evolved into a bustling scene adorned with glistening stainless brewing equipment and vibrant stacks of packaging that catch the eye.
Gundry + Ducker’s design thoughtfully encapsulated the essence of the brewery by harmoniously incorporating these materials. Its objective was to celebrate the arches as the home of Camden Town Brewery while seamlessly integrating visitors into the existing, live brewing atmosphere. The design encompassed several key elements outlined in the brief, including a vibrant tap room, a designated area to embark on captivating brewery tours, a well-curated shop offering an array of beers and merchandise and, finally, a versatile space to accommodate meetings.
Preserving the essence of being immersed within a bustling working brewery was paramount. Gundry + Ducker ingeniously established a seamless connection between the two arches by constructing a captivating new glass facade positioned in front of the arches. At the rear, the team skilfully designed a double-height corridor that guides visitors towards a range of essential service areas tucked away behind the arches.
The front facade, carefully composed of galvanised steel and glass, serves as a testament to the industrial heritage of the site. Notably, the facade was creatively concertinaed, creating a stunning interplay of oblique views and fluid circulation, effortlessly inviting glimpses from the narrow mews into the enchanting interior.
Inside, the interior fit-out is simple and robust. In an effort to reveal and celebrate the intrinsic beauty of the space, old linings, paint and partitions were diligently stripped away, unveiling the beautiful inside face of the brick arches. The existing, heavily-patched concrete floor, with its unique character, was thoughtfully preserved, serving as a testament to the brewery’s history.
A striking feature within the interior is the long bar that gracefully extends the entire length of the arch, designed as an open front counter, inviting interaction and social engagement. Complementing this, the back bar takes the form of a visually-impactful super-graphic sign, featuring beer taps directly connected to the glass-fronted cellar adjacent. Crafted in vitreous enamel, this bar sign not only pays homage to the simplicity of Camden’s graphic branding but also captures the visual language of the railway station above, seamlessly merging the graphic materiality of both environments.
