Camden Stables Market gets its name from its previous incarnation as a horse hospital. In Victorian times, the stables were where horses injured pulling barges down the canals would come for treatment. Now it and the catacombs under the arches opposite have been combined under the umbrella term 'Stables Market' and together make up the largest of Camden's popular market spaces. Over 450 shops and stalls are housed here selling a variety of antiquarian and unique items from accessories and jewellery to furniture and clothing. Even media mogul Chris Evans famously has a stall here.

Camden's group of markets is now the fourth most-visited tourist attraction in London. It is the largest street market in the UK, and attracts around 500,000 visitors each week. There are various markets located in Camden Town which are collectively known as Camden Market; these are Camden Lock Market, Camden Stables Market, Camden Canal Market, Inverness Street Market, and Camden (Buck Street) Market.

The area around Camden Lock was first developed in 1791 by the Earl of Camden, with the famous Regents Canal opening in 1820. The first market to appear in Camden was Camden Lock Market, which opened in 1972.

Today, there are hundreds of designer workshops, studios, stalls, shops, cafes, restaurants and bars selling an individual and extensive array of high quality goods from designer, alternative & vintage clothing and accessories to one-off pieces of art, furnishings, antiques, jewellery, records & CDs, collectables, arts & crafts and international food.