Lost London
The peace and tranquillity of the Regents Canal
One of my favourite ways of travelling across town, or would be, if I had one, would be by canal barge. It is a bit like a wet version of the North Circular road. It is a relatively straightish line that starts from the Shadwell basin and ends up way past London Zoo. Building work began in 1812 and it opened eight years later. After that it joined up with the Grand Union Canal (inaugurated in 1814 to provide a link between the Grand Union Canal and the waterways of mid-England. The canal system grew rapidly encompassing walkways, long tunnels and plenty of curious stuff along the way. If you don’t know quite where you just stick your head up at street level. Make sure you stop and take stock of your surroundings or before long you will be in Birmingham.
Canal life was not without drama, and the Macclesfield bridge, near London Zoo, had to be completely rebuilt after a massive explosion occurred when a barge carrying gunpowder went up.
Today it provides visitors ‘in-the-know’ with a fascinating walk – a veritable parallel universe that takes the explorer back in time providing a wonderful insight into London from canal level. There is much to see from an ancient system of at least a dozen locks and forty bridges. Once I arrived at Little Venice I discovered some quite glorious houseboats and a completely unexpected view of London Zoo. Originally the barges would have been 'walked' through the tunnels with the crew, lying on their backs, literally propelling the boat by ‘walking’ it through with their feet on the cylindrical walls. In 1826 a steam tug was used to pull the craft through nearly a thousand yards of the Islington tunnel. Outside the tunnels, the working horses did their draft work hauling the boats inexorably along to their destination.
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