LONDON CANALS, Guest Post by Gretchen Woelfle

Canal and Towpath, Regents Park, London

My friend and fellow children's book writer, Gretchen Woelfle, has spent the last several months in England. She is also an avid and accomplished cyclist and sped around London on the network of towpaths along the canals. Here is her report of some of the sights you can see along the canals.

Ask people about London waterways, and they’ll know the River Thames that snakes its way through the city from west to east. But there are over sixty miles of canals that flow through the city, relics of the 18^th century Age of Canals, when thousands of miles of canals propelled the Industrial Revolution all over Britain. A team of horses could pull 1000 lbs. of cargo along rough roads in a day.  They could pull 50,000 lbs. by water.

By 1850, 4800 miles of canals linked mines, textile mills, factories, and agricultural centers to seaports throughout the country. Commercial canal traffic only ended after World War II.

Limehouse Basin

Today the Canal & River Trust maintain 2000 miles of canals in England and Wales for our recreational pleasure. In London they are found hiding in plain sight, often below street level in east, west, and north London. Google maps will direct you to the entrances to towpaths along the Regent’s, Grand Union, and Docklands Canals, and the River Lea Navigation route.

Operating the locks

Traditional narrow boats, wider barges, and quirky sorts of watercraft ply the waters today and crews work the locks by hand. You’ll see hundreds of houseboats moored temporarily or permanently along the canals. In late August we met a family of four who had spent five weeks cruising from Liverpool to London, and were heading to a winter mooring before returning to their earth-bound home.

Houseboats

Other people live aboard year-round – cheaper than London rents.  Piles of wood on top of some boats fuel wood-burning stoves in winter.  A few have solar panels. Many miles of London canals are in populated areas. But some boats moored in industrial west London are far from roads or shops. How do they get groceries and water home? 

Waterside Cafe

The canals are vehicle-free routes for bicycle commuters. They are also scenic routes to stroll. Guided canal walks, canal festivals, and boat rides are further ways to explore canal lore. Pubs, cafés, and parks bump up against the towpath. (We saw one cyclist knocked into the canal, bicycle and all, by a careless pubster standing on the towpath.) There is even a bookshop barge that presents live music on its roof.

Concert on the water

Regent’s Canal cuts through the zoo. The Camden Locks join Camden Market, with stalls of clothing styles unchanged for decades. A food court fills the air with delicious aromas and reflects the global society that is London. We rode along the Grand Union canal during Notting Hill Caribbean Carnival and heard the bands loud and clear. 

Camden Locks

The Canal Museum, originally a nighttime stable for horses that pulled the boats, contains a narrowboat with typical house furnishings, as well as a gallery of photos and films of the canals in their working days. Painted pottery favored by boat dwellers is on display along with tools used in the trade. 

My favorite part of museum is the oral histories told by men and women who grew up on narrowboats. The shop carries an impressive library of books on canal life as well as nostalgic memorabilia. The museum offers guided walks and boat tours.

Warehouse turned into a workshop

The canals provide a colorful slice of London life past and present, from parks and mansions to council flats, abandoned warehouses and untamed nature. They also provide a refuge for birds, aquatic life, small woodland critters, and humans who want to retreat from the buzz of urban life.

For more information see:

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk

www.canalmuseum.org.uk

http://mappinglondon.co.uk/2014/london-by-water/