A traverse of the Thames basin

Greenwich Observatory to Parliament Hill

The Regency Canal Pub Crawl
The inlet over which we were standing standing led to a lock and Limehouse Basin. A small cabin cruiser was descending from the Thames to the basin and the Regency canal beyond. A quick glance at the A-Z showed us that the canal loops around the north eastern edge of the city before cutting through Regents Park. In fact in its heyday this lock was the first link in network of waterways that joined the Thames with the Mersey. After a brief discussion we decided to follow it and having circumnavigated the basin and crossed Commercial Road we joined the towpath.

There was not much in the way of traffic - I think we saw three or four barges throughout the walk. The main activity seemed to be coarse fishing. We passed probably a hundred or so sullen looking fishermen on the day and you have to wonder whether they wouldn't be happier trying something else. Of more interest is the canal architecture that still lines the towpath - mainly warehouses and factories many of which clearly once used the waterway as a means of transport. Also much in evidence were crews of British Waterways workers (mostly drinking tea as far as we could see) who presumably keep the numerous locks in working order.

Anyone who drinks beer on an occasional basis will know that there is a drawback (only the one) - namely the need to periodically make use of the plumbing facilities. As we approached the Mile End Road, we passed some wooden tables and chairs by the canal side - the tell tale sign of a pub (that and the sign) and we decided a visit was necessary. Obviously it's bad form to walk straight past the barman without saying hello, so we stopped for a beer - and this set something of a pattern for the rest of the walk.

On the outskirts to Islington we passed the now disused Gainsborough Studios. Built on the site of a former generating station in 1919 the studio was bought by director/producer Michael Balcon in 1924 where a long and successful run of costume dramas and comedies were filmed. The studios were home to Will Hay and Alfred Hitchcock (Hitchcock directed The Lady Vanishes there in 1938 - a classic despite the studio being all too evident in the production!). The Gainsborough name disappeared when the studios were subsumed into the Rank Organisation. There are presently plans in place to redevelop the site as offices, apartments and TV studios but meanwhile the occasional production makes use of the facilities and as we passed some filming was taking place on the outdoor lot - the huge studio lights giving out a dazzling glare and a considerable amount of heat judging by the haze coming off of them. 

The next pub we stopped at had the very civilised arrangement of an iron staircase straight from the towpath up to a raised balcony close to the canal. We discussed whether living on a barge was an expensive undertaking although I must confess that during the debate I had half an ear for an attractive American girl sitting nearby who was explaining to a male friend just exactly why it is she prefers women. One of the strange things about the pubs that we visited that day is that if you'd stepped in from the street you wouldn't really give these places a second thought but there's something quite appealing about stepping straight in off the water, as it were.

The map showed that at some point before the Angel, Islington the canal disappears for some considerable distance. We followed the towpath as far as we could and finally reached a tunnel with no path. When we walked up to the street I looked around trying to see gaps in the houses which might indicate the path that the canal might take but it had completely disappeared and as far as we can tell, it runs right under the centre of Islington for about 5/8ths of a mile. From the relaxed waterway we emerged into Friday rush hour at the Angel and walked down Pentonville Road. The locks give the impression of  barely perceptible rises but the view of Kings Cross, St Pancras and the gothic spires of the London Midland Hotel showed just how high we had climbed since leaving Limehouse.

Using the A-Z we found exactly where the canal emerges from under the streets and rejoined it. The canal passes under a number of bridges (some with rope scars) as it curls behind the big north London railway termini. Around one particular bend we were greeted by the sight of a cluster of 8 maybe 10 empty gasometers. It seemed in keeping with the industrial heritage of the waterway so I suggested a photo. Some weeks later I was glancing through a pile of books at my Father's house when I picked up a copy of William Trevor's "Death In Summer" - the photograph on the cover looked somewhat familiar. In an arty mood, I also took a photo of a porthole in the wall of a property that backed on to the towpath which was neatly framing a steam iron - perhaps I should mention that we had stopped briefly in another pub on this stretch before pressing on to Camden.  

Intro

Greenwich

The Isle of Dogs/Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf to Limehouse Basin

The Regency Canal Pub Crawl

Next: Camden to Hampstead

Postscript

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