Queen's Crescent was developed in the 1860s and the street name at the time complimented Queen Victoria after whom the Victorian Age is named. I'm paraphrasing here, but Queen Victoria was known to hand out good advice: people should drink plenty of beer, buy a dachshund, beware of artists and close their eyes and think of England. Are we amused by these? No, we are not amused.
Nowadays, Queen's Crescent is a marvellous representation of Camden's rich diversity of people and architecture. Since Victorian times, this curved street, stretching from Prince of Wales Road near Chalk Farm to Gillies Street in Kentish Town to the east, has been a mix of grand and modest homes. In 1873, J Sainsbury set up his second ever shop at 159 Queen's Crescent. He moved his family to the flat above because he wanted to enjoy the better quality of air. There's a photograph in the Museum of London taken in 1913 of a redoubtable bunch of shop assistants standing outside, not a smile between them. Glad to say I find Sainsbury employees much sunnier now.
Malden Road, running roughly north to south, bisects Queen's Crescent, and this division separates the grander, leafy west side from the famous bustling mixed residential/commercial east side.
Below, I've described each side, starting with the east side.
From Malden Road to Gillies Street, Queen's Crescent is predominantly Victorian shop-fronted terraced houses with a variety of flats converted on the upper floors. This broad road is home to one of North London's largest street markets operating 94 stalls on Thursdays and Saturdays selling household goods, flowers, food and fresh produce. Many of the shops retail similar goods and the atmosphere has an amazing buzz. There's a real sense of authenticity as the market competes with the more famous tourist markets. If, in the words of Cher, I could turn back time, I'd visit Queen's Crescent Market and I doubt it would seem much different. You feel like you've stepped into a Tardis or a DeLorean or even H G Well's Time Sled and been transported back into the East End of London.
In contrast, Queen's Crescent feeds quiet residential streets such as Bassett Street, Allcroft Road and Weedington Road. Access from Grafton Road is now prohibited, so vehicle traffic is minimal.
The west section of Queen's Crescent continues from Malden Road to Prince of Wales Road where the road is closed off. This peaceful section of street is more residential and aesthetic with large Victorian Villas shaded by an abundance of mature Ash and Silver Maple. According to ReForest London's website, the leaves of the Silver Maple (Acer Saccharinum) flash their silver undersides in the breeze. The trees' flowers are said to be the harbingers of Spring. So as not to leave out the Ash tree, I found this little ditty on the London Tree Surgeons site: If ash be brown or ash be green, ash burns fit for a queen (anon).
The road on this side is still broad, yet vehicle traffic is trifling. It feeds some gorgeous little cul de sacs, built in the same era, such as Modbury Gardens and St Thomas Gardens and similar quiet residential streets such as Herbert Street and Marsden Street.