The Paddington Canal Arm, London, England.

Guide to walking, cycling and using the Paddington Arm on it's trip from Paddington to Bulls Bridge - photos of Paddington Arm Bridges and other canal features.

The 13.5 mile long Paddington Canal Arm starts it's journey just a short distance from Paddington Railway Station in West London. Finding the canal is quite simple - from the station's main entrance turn left and very shortly turn left down London Road and walk alongside the station's main building. After a few 100 metres turn right into South Wharf Road and almost immediately go left via a road barrier to walk straight on down to the Paddington Arm towpath. Turn right along the towpath to get to Paddington Basin which again is only a few 100 metres along - or go left along the towpath to reach the Regents Canal Junction and Little Venice and then on to the canal's eventual end at Bull's Bridge some 13 miles away. [ The Paddington Arm and then The Regents Canal provides an eventual connection with two river navigations - The River Lee Navigation and some way along The Lee a link to the River Stort Navigation ].
Walking and cycling the Paddington Arm's towpath is an extremely popular activity and quite straightforward - just after Paddington Basin the towpath is always on the left hand side of the canal, is generally quite wide and is well surfaced - only as you get nearer to the far end of the canal arm approaching Bull's Bridge does the towpath surface revert to a grassy path and the towpath narrows considerably.

There are quite a few seats provided for use as a "sit and watch the world go by" or perhaps for a lunch break located for several miles along the route however the last few miles to it's end where it meets the Grand Union Canal has nothing at all as high hedging lines the towpath. At Ballot Box Bridge if you cross over there is a children's play area and several picnic tables and seats around plus a public toilet can be found by walking on up to the visitor's centre.

Paddington Basin	Helix Bridge	Helix Bridge	Basin footbridge	Basin footbridge
Paddington Arm views	Footbridge between office buildings	Bishops Bridge 1	Westway Bridges (2a)	Nice little BW work boats
Paddington Arm Bridge 2	Bridge 2	Junction with the Regent Canal	Regents Canal Bridge no.1	Bridge 3c leading to Little Venice
Bridge 3c	Probably location of a gauging stop	Little Venice views	Ha'fpenny Bridge	Ha'fpenny Bridge - 3b

The photo just above shows the probable location of an old gauging stop location where commercial barges were weighed for size and cargo and paid tolls accordingly. Some of the Paddington Canal Arm's bridges have really interesting names - for instance Ha'fpenny Bridge (was this because once there was a halfpenny toll levied here for either crossing it or possible it was where another gauging stop was located?), Ballot Box Bridge and Scrubs Lane but sadly most of the original old brick bridges have long gone and have been replaced by ugly and out of character concrete messes. Still at least Manor Farm Bridge has so far survived the local authority's destructive attention.

Pipebridge 3a	Pipe Bridge 3a	Harrow Road Bridge - 3	Harrow Road Bridge	Westway Road overhangs the Arm
Bridge 4c	Bridge 4c	Bridge 4b	Bridge 4ab	Bridge 4ab
Kensal Green Bridge 4	Kensal Green Bridge	Side Bridge	Gasworks at Kensal Green	Scrubs Lane Bridge 6
Girder Railway Bridge	Scrubs Lane Bridge	Railway Bridge no: 7d (BR36)	Railway Bridge no: 7d	Workshops alongside the canal

Particularly on this part of the Paddington Arm the canal is crossed by quite a few railway bridges many of which are really beautiful girder bridges. These carry railway lines into Old Oak Common railway yards - always as you wander along you can hear trains rushing by and even get a glimpse of them over the old nicely bricked wall. It all must have been a fantastic sight in the old Great Western Region days of steam engines - it's easy to imagine GWR Halls, Castles and Kings pulling their passenger and freight trains through the area whilst tank steam engines huffed and puffed around busily shunting various wagons and carriages here and there.

Footbridge no: 7ba	Railway Bridge no: 7b	Railway Bridge no: 7b	Railway Bridge no: 7a	Railway Bridge no: 7a
Old Oak Lane Bridge 7	Old Oak Lane Bridge	Railway Bridge no: 8c	Railway Bridge no: 8c	Railway Bridge no: 8
Railway Bridge no:8	Site if a demolished Railway Bridge	Pipe Bridge 1	Pipe Bridge 2	Pipe Bridge 3
Pipe Bridge 4	Acton Lane Bridge 9	Acton Lane Bridge	Pipe Bridge	Pipe and Abbey Road Bridge

Abbey Road Bridge 10	North Circular Aqueduct	Bridge no:11c	Bridge no:11b	Bridge no:11b
Canal-side workshops	Railway Bridge no:11a	Railway Bridge no: 11a	Ealing Road Bridge 11	Ealing Road Bridge
Manor Farm Road Bridge	Manor Farm Road Bridge 12	Ballot Box Footbridge	Ballot Box Bridge 13	Ballot Box Bridge
Footbridge 13a	Footbridge 13a	Greenford Road Bridge 14	Greenford Road Bridge	Black Horse Bridge 15

Black Horse Bridge 15	Lyon's Bridge 15a	Lyon's Bridge 15a	Entrance to Lyon's Dock	Girder Railway Bridge 16
Girder Railway Bridge 16	Bridge no: 16a	Bridge no: 16a	A40t Bridge 16b	A40t Bridge 16b
Bridge no: 17a	Bridge no: 17a	Unknown - not on our map	Bridge no: 17	Pipe and Bridge no:17
Bridge no: 18	Bridge no: 18	Bridge no: 18ad	Narrowboat moorings	Paddington Arm footbridge
Foot bridge	Willowtree Marina Bridge 19aa	Bridge no:19	Canal Bridge 19a	Uxbridge Roadbridge 20
Pipe Bridge	Railway Bridge 21a	Railway Bridge 21a	Bulls Bridge 21	Bulls Bridge Junction Bridge 21

The Paddington Arm finishes it's journey from West London at Bull's Bridge Junction where it connects up with the Grand Union Canal. To make a circular walk or cycle ride you can turn left along the Grand Union's towpath to head on back into London where the canal meets up with the River Thames opposite Kew Gardens or if you turn right along the towpath then you will be heading towards Denham, Northampton and eventually Birmingham.

We have picked out a few Books about England - Churches, Canals and Rivers as well as walks in England and English Nature. The Nicholsons Waterways Guides are a "must take" for anyone going on a Canal Barge or Narrowboat holiday (as well as anyone visiting the canals) as they are packed with really useful information. If the development and history of our Canals is of particular interest consider the Anatomy of Canals series - really good reading!. (The relevant Nicholoson Guide covering The Paddington Arm is BOOK 1.)