Watching the world glide by

On August 1st 1820 the Regent’s Canal opened for business at a cost of £772,000 - twice the original estimate. It linked the Grand Junction Canal with the Thames River at Limehouse, next to Canary Wharf. The opening of this 14 km canal created an uninterrupted waterway between London and Birmingham, more than 220 kms to the north.

Regent's Canal starts in a picturesque basin called Little Venice, a short walk from Paddington Station. It then passes through a 251 metre brick-lined tunnel, the Maida Hill Tunnel, before looping around Regent Park to Camden. This initial section opened in 1816. The remaining route across London’s northern suburbs opened two years later.


I learnt today that rubble from the Maida Hill Tunnel was used to build sections of Lords Cricket Ground. It’s one of three tunnels on the canal. The longest is Islington Tunnel (886 metres) situated east of Camden. The canal also contains 13 locks, the first of which can be found at Camden itself, a brisk 20-minute walk from Swiss Cottage.


Earlier today I caught Jason’s Canal Boat from Camden for a leisurely 45-minute cruise to Little Venice. Having walked sections of the canal, watching barges glide by, I thought it was time to experience the ride for myself. As our boat pulled away from an aging red brick warehouse we stepped back in time. With a little imagination one could almost see the horses lining the towpath, rather than today’s weekend pedestrians. Incredibly, the last horse-drawn cargo made its way along the canal as late as 1956.


It’s hard to imagine the heavy traffic that once plied these waters. In its first year of operation the canal carried more than 120,000 tons of cargo. In time the railways overtook the nation’s canal network as its primary cargo mover. In fact, during the 19th Century, several attempts were made to drain Regent's Canal and convert it into a railway line. Fortunately, these plans never became reality. Today the canal wanders through some of the greenest scenery in central London, passing beautiful mansions and colourful moored canal boats long since converted into floating homes.


I disembarked at Little Venice, making the most of the warm sunny weather by quietly ambling back along the towpath towards Primrose Hill and home. It’s afternoon’s like this that remind me how wonderful life is in North London.