Office Spaces in Camden Town

Camden Town's transformation from Victorian railway depot to creative office hub happened organically, not through masterplanning. The canal-side warehouses that once stored goods now house The Centro Buildings, where Workspace converted seven industrial structures into a campus accommodating up to 794 desks. LABS arrived later, colonising the Hawley Wharf development with over 1,000 workstations spread across multiple buildings including the flagship Hawley Lock with its on-site gym and auditorium.

The area's office stock splits between heritage conversions and purpose-built spaces. Grade II listed buildings like MetSpace's Oval Road property preserve original features whilst delivering plug-and-play managed floors for 48-72 people. Meanwhile, modern insertions like Spaces Camden in the Matter Building provide IWG's standardised offering for corporates needing global network access. This architectural diversity attracts everyone from solo founders at Camden Collective (£150 per desk) to enterprise clients taking entire floors at LABS Dockray Place.

Camden Town's transport superiority stems from its position between multiple rail corridors. Camden Town station (Northern line) serves as the primary hub, with Work.Life Camden just two minutes away and the Camden High Street cluster even closer. Camden Road station adds Overground connections, sitting 1-3 minutes from Spaces Camden and 2-4 minutes from The Rochester's garden offices.

Chalk Farm station extends the catchment northwest, reaching LABS Atrium in 6-8 minutes through the Stables Market. Mornington Crescent provides the fourth option, particularly useful for Centro Buildings tenants (7-minute walk). This multi-station setup means offices here avoid the single-point-of-failure problem plaguing other London districts. During Northern line closures, the Overground keeps running. When Camden Town station closes for crowd control on weekends, Chalk Farm and Mornington Crescent provide alternatives. Smart operators like LABS leverage this by spreading facilities across the transport network rather than clustering around one station.

LABS didn't just open an office in Camden - they built an ecosystem. Starting with five separate buildings (Hawley Lock, Atrium, Triangle, Lockside, Dockray Place), they created London's largest contiguous flexible workspace campus outside of traditional business districts. Hawley Lock alone spans multiple structures with over 1,000 desks, an on-site gym, and that rarest of London office amenities: an actual auditorium for events.

The genius lies in the tiered pricing across buildings. LABS Atrium starts at £400 per desk monthly in the converted Stables with its Tom Dixon-designed triple-height atrium. Triangle bumps to £450, positioned literally inside Camden Lock Market. Premium Dockray Place hits £700 per desk for enterprise-grade facilities. Members can roam between buildings with a £299 monthly pass, creating internal flexibility usually reserved for corporate campuses. This scale enables amenities smaller operators can't match: multiple cafes, varied meeting room sizes, dedicated event spaces, even shower facilities that actually work during rush hour.

The Centro Buildings on Mandela Street represent Camden's industrial DNA transformed for modern work. Workspace kept the bones of these seven former furniture warehouses whilst inserting contemporary infrastructure. Units range from 960 square feet (around 10 desks) to massive 27,779 square foot floors accommodating 794 people. The smaller units start at £2,420 monthly, scaling to £115,769 for the largest spaces.

What sets Centro apart is the self-contained nature of each unit. Unlike typical serviced offices where you share facilities, Centro tenants get private meeting rooms, dedicated entrances, and their own kitchens. The industrial aesthetic remains authentic - exposed brick, steel beams, warehouse windows - but with Category A fit-outs ready for immediate occupation. Located between Mornington Crescent (7 minutes) and Camden Town (8 minutes) stations, it attracts creative businesses who need substantial space without Shoreditch prices. The campus includes secure cycle storage, showers, and 24/7 access across all buildings.

Work.Life Camden pioneered the boutique serviced office model on Hawley Crescent, two minutes from the tube. With private offices from 2-25 desks at £472 per workstation monthly, they target the gap between coworking and traditional serviced offices. The killer feature: £100 monthly meeting room credits per desk, meaning a 10-person team gets £1,000 to spend on meeting facilities. Their community programming includes member lunches, drinks events, and workshop sessions that actually attract attendance.

Camden Collective takes the community concept further with their social impact model. Operating from Buck Street locations including the Auction Rooms, they offer fixed desks at £150 plus VAT - probably London's cheapest legitimate office solution. Private offices for 8-10 people cost £1,785 monthly. The twist: profits fund support programmes for local startups. Members access a 16-person boardroom free of charge, plus meeting rooms and event spaces. It's workspace as social infrastructure, attracting mission-driven businesses who value purpose alongside price.

Beyond the canal-side clusters lie Camden's quieter office options. The Rochester on Rochester Mews delivers something rare: high-grade offices with direct garden access. The 2,743 square foot suites include landscaped outdoor space, EV charging, underground parking, and an on-site cafe. At 2-4 minutes from Camden Road station, it attracts established businesses wanting premium facilities without the market crowds.

Ort House on Arlington Road offers another discrete option. Behind a gated courtyard sits 3,200 square feet of newly fitted managed space with 38-50 workstations. The first-floor position provides excellent natural light and ceiling heights, while the location - two minutes from Camden Town station - beats most high street alternatives. Similarly, 61-63 Rochester Place tucks managed suites from 1,130 square feet into a quiet mews, 6-8 minutes from Camden Road. These hidden locations suit professional services firms who need accessibility without advertising their presence to every tourist heading to the market.

Camden's office pricing reflects its diverse inventory. Bootstrap startups start at Camden Collective (£150 per desk) or Oasis Serviced Offices on Bayham Street (from £660 monthly for complete offices). Growing teams graduate to Work.Life (£472 per desk) or LABS Atrium (£400 per desk). Established businesses requiring managed floors find options at Centro Buildings (from £2,420 for 10 desks) or The Rochester (around £19,346 monthly for 34 desks).

The sweet spot sits between £500-750 per desk monthly for quality serviced space. This gets you into Spaces Camden, MetSpace on Oval Road, or the managed suites along Camden High Street. Premium options like LABS Dockray Place (£700 per desk) or enterprise floors at 10 Jamestown Road (£600-850 per desk) include extensive amenities and customisation options. Virtual offices through Spaces start at £139 monthly for businesses needing a Camden address without physical space. The key is matching your growth stage to the right provider - there's no point paying for LABS' gym if you're a three-person consultancy.

Camden offices deliver surprising variety in meeting facilities. LABS Hawley Lock's auditorium handles proper events, not just all-hands meetings. Their standard meeting rooms across the campus range from 4-person pods to 12-seat boardrooms, bookable through their app. Work.Life's credit system means regular meeting users effectively get facilities included in their rent. The Centro Buildings embeds meeting rooms in individual units - no fighting for slots with other tenants.

Specialist facilities appear in unexpected places. Camden Collective's 16-person boardroom comes free to members, supporting the startup community mission. Oasis offers a traditional 12-person boardroom for smaller office tenants. The Rochester includes multiple meeting rooms in its garden-side suites. For external events, LABS' various buildings provide different atmospheres - Triangle for creative workshops, Dockray Place for corporate presentations. Even Spaces Camden includes business lounges that convert for informal meetings, though the IWG booking system frustrates regular users.

Camden's office market continues evolving as developers recognise demand beyond the traditional City-Canary Wharf axis. The Hawley Wharf masterplan extends beyond current LABS buildings, with additional commercial space planned alongside retail and residential elements. The Camden Goods Yard development promises another major mixed-use scheme, though timelines remain fluid. Meanwhile, existing stock undergoes constant upgrades - Workspace regularly refurbishes Centro Buildings units, while independent operators retrofit older buildings along Arlington Road and Kentish Town Road.

The challenge facing Camden is maintaining character whilst accommodating growth. Each new corporate arrival risks diluting the creative atmosphere that attracted businesses initially. Camden Collective's model suggests one solution: subsidised space for startups funded by commercial rates elsewhere. LABS demonstrates another approach: premium facilities that respect local context rather than imposing generic corporate aesthetics. As transport improvements like Crossrail 2 remain distant prospects, Camden's office market must grow within existing infrastructure constraints. This natural ceiling might prove beneficial, preventing the overdevelopment that transformed King's Cross from edgy to anonymous.

Choosing Camden office space requires clarity about priorities. If proximity to transport trumps everything, focus on the Camden High Street cluster - Workplace+ and SUB800 sit one minute from the tube. For teams valuing amenities and flexibility, LABS' campus model provides unmatched facilities with roaming options from £299 monthly. Businesses needing discrete, professional space should explore The Rochester or Ort House away from tourist flows.

Size matters less than growth trajectory. A 10-person team might take private space at Work.Life with expansion options, or grab a Centro Buildings unit with room to grow. The three-month minimum terms at LABS and Work.Life suit uncertain growth patterns, while Workspace's longer leases work for stable businesses. Don't overlook location within Camden - canal-side spots like Hawley Wharf feel different from the High Street cluster, while quiet mews locations suit professional services. Visit during different times - morning commute, lunch rush, Friday evening - to understand the rhythms. Camden's office market rewards those who dig deeper than headline prices and proximity claims.