London and Its Canals
London’s canal network, once an arterial link with the industrial
north, had, until recently, become a neglected backwater – overgrown, hidden from view
and virtually forgotten. Times change. Today the London canals have undergone a major
resurrection and the public have been encouraged to participate in the revival.
If when being in London you have got a spare afternoon, try a canal
appetiser. Walk from Camden Town to Little Venice, it’s a two-mile trip and should take
about an hour. Take the Northern Like tube or buses 3, 24, 27, 31 or 74 to Camden, walk
down High Street and turn into Camden Lock Market.
Camden Market is worth a visit in itself. It’s a great place for
antiques, handicrafts, jewellery, leather, pottery and people watching. In a far corner of
the paved artists quarter a doorway gives passage to the Regent’s Canal towpath, the
start of the walk.
An iron bridge spans the canal at this point overlooking Hampstead Road
Lock. If a narrow boat happens to be passing, take the time to watch the lock in
operation, moving craft from one level to another. This lock is just one of twelve that
allow the canal to drop 86 feet down to the Thames at Limehouse Basin in the East End.
Heading west, keep an eye open for deep grooves scored into stone and
ironwork. The old marks were caused by towropes stretched taut across the surface where
horses once hauled working boats. The function of Regents Canal has changed over time.
Working narrow boats and barges no longer ply their trade; the waters now belong to
pleasure boats and Sunday walkers.
The towpath passes under a number of bridges as you move towards a
sharp right-hand turn in the canal at Cumberland Basin.
Originally the architect of Regents Canal, Hohn Nash, planed to push
his commercial waterway into fashionable Regents Park from Cumberland Basin. Well-heeled
gentry in fancy houses squashed his plan and Nash was forced to turn along the edge of the
park…hence the right-angle bend.
Walk under two elegant iron bridges and notice the intricate scroll
work and inscriptions on the overhead spans. The path now skirts London Zoo, complete with
grunts and growls, and looming above all else is Lord Snowdon’s futuristic aviary. You
can not get into the zoo from the towpath, but you will get a good view of some of the
inmates.
Then I would recommend you to stop for a while at Macclesfield Bridge
with its imposing Doric columns. It is known for a fascinating history and is commonly
called “Blow Up Bridge”. In 1874 a barge carrying gun-powder exploded as it passed
under the bridge totally destroying the structure and killing three crewmen. Take a look
at the reconstructed bridge...the salvaged columns have been put up the wrong way around!
Long stretches of Regents Canal are planted with fine trees, but not
all sections of London canals are so attractive. There are no longer the backyard sewers
of yesteryear, but they still tend to accumulate the flotsam on our consumer society.
Do not try swimming in a canal, not only is it prohibited, it could
mean the stomach pump department if you swallow too much.
You will see a group of fishermen for half an hour and you realise that
the comic-strip canal jokes about old socks, boots, tin cans and plastic bags really are
true.
Dedicated souls do not seem to care. Canals are rich in fish but
fishing itself is restricted to permit holders.
As Regents Canal curves away from Regents Park the minaret of the
Islamic Mosque comes into view and further on at Lisson Grove you will come across one of
London mooring sites for houboats. It will give you a chance to study old iron-bottomed,
narrow boats that have been restored as permanent homes, which show traditional crafts and
decorations preserved in an old English form of commercial transportation.
Narrow boat dwellers are almost a cult in themselves, but a cult that
maintains miniature museums. Each museum is unique and dedicated to a way of life born of
the industrial revolution and almost killed by the road and rail revolutions of the 20th
century.
If you walk from Lisson Grove and take a detour at the 272 yard Maida
Hill Tunnel, leave the towpath there, cross the road, turn right and follow the path to
Edgware Road, crossing it later in Blomfield Road you will re-join the canal. From here
the waters run straight to Little Venice. Do not try making comparisons with its big
brother in Italy, because London’s Venice is simply a triangular stretch of water with a
tree island that marks the junction of Regents Canal and the Grand Union Canal.
If you are still energetic enough, or have a taste for canalside walks,
another couple of hours will take you to Willesden Junction along the Grand Union. If not,
then Warwick Avenue tube or bus 6, 18 or 187 will take you back to civilisation.
Camden Town to Little Venice is only one of six canal walks recommended
by the London Tourist Board, and me. The Board produces a guide giving details of routes
that cover both Regents and Grand Union canals. You can obtain the guide from numerous
London tourist offices or at the London Tourist Board, 26, Grosvenor Gardens. You can also
take a street map or a bus map with you.
I do not pretend that canals are calendar material, but they are
certainly interesting. This is not tourist London, done out in its Sunday best. This
washing line London, backgarden London, industrial London...it’s London warts and all!
I. Questions on the text.
1. Are there any canals in London?
2. What is called a canal appetiser in the text?
3. Why is Camden Market worth visiting?
4. Is it far from Regents Canal?
5. Has the function of Regents Canal changed over time and in what way?
6. Are there any bridges across it?
7. Who planned Regents Canals and what did he have to do?
8. Is London Zoo very far from there?
9. What is called “Blow Up Bridge”?
10. Are there any trees planted along Regents Canal?
11. What is prohibited in the canal?
12. What can the water bring to your feet there?
13. What can you see as Regents Canal curves away from Regents Part?
14. What has been restored into permanent homes on the canal?
15. What is called a cult in the text and why?
16. How can one get to Little Venice and what is it?
17. What does London’s Venice really mark?
18. How many canal walks are recommended by tourist guides?
19. What can you say about this area of London in short?
II. Now sum up your answers to the questions, and your summary is
ready.
III. In 150–200 words write a short essay about the Moscow River
running through Moscow or any other river or canal you have seen and liked.
IV. Prepare a short talk about London’s places of interest,
including the Regents Canal area.
By Natalya Predtechenskaya
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