The Regent's Canal, Photos - Features and to Walk and Cycle.

The Regent's Canal leaves the Paddington Arm near Little Venice and goes east across London passing Regent's Park, London Zoo and Victoria Park to whee it ends at Limehouse Basin.

About The Regent's Canal. Named after the Prince Regent the 8.5 mile long Regents Canal was planned by Thomas Homer to provide a commercial link between the Grand Junction Canal via the Paddington Arm and London's docks beside the River Thames in London's East End. Opened in 1820 the canal was built by The Regent's Canal Company and designed by architect John Nash (who was also responsible for Regent's Park). As well as having access to the River Thames narrowboat owners can use the Regent's Canal as a connection with the River Lee Navigation (and therefore also the Stort Navigation) via Limehouse Basin.

The Regent's Canal Walks and Cycling. The towpath is generally quite wide and nearly always well surfaced for the entire stretch of the canal so the Regents Canal is great for a walk or to cycle along - apart from two diversions you have to make firstly at Maida Hill Tunnel and secondly at Islington Tunnel neither of which were built with internal towpaths. From where the canal starts at the Paddington Arm junction you can only stay on the towpath for a short distance - the last several hundred metres up to Maida Hill Tunnel have permanent stay narrowboats moored and for some reason towpath access is deemed "private" so you have to use the pavement instead. Obviously money talks here - seems to us that our coastlines, river banks and canals in England should be open access to everyone.

Getting past the 270 yards long Maida Hill Tunnel is just a question of walking up to the road junction and simply keeping straight ahead over the lights and after a while back down onto the towpath. Islington Tunnel is another matter - there are signs taking you off the canal towpath but that is it - no further signs or information to show the route through various roads to the far side - see below where the Islington Tunnel pictures are located for directions.

The following are photos from The Regents Canal usually taken as the canal goes towards the east. While some bridges are shown from both directions because of poor light at times several of the pictures had to be photographed only looking back to the west.

Paddington end - Regents Canal Bridge 1	Canal Bridge 1	Regents Canal private moorings and towpath	West Portal - Maida Hill Tunnel	Maida Hill Tunnel's eastern Portal	Eyres Tunnel (2) - just 53 yards long
The short Eyres Tunnel (Lisson Grove Bridge)	Footbridge 3	Three railway bridges - 4, 5 and 6	Under Railway Bridge 6 and Bridge 7 ahead	Three tightly packed railway bridges - 6, 5 and 4	Bridge 7
Canal Bridge 7	Several large Regency houses along the Canal	Bridge 8	Bridge 8	Regents Canal - Blow Up Bridge	Blow Up Bridge's supporting pillars
Tow rope marks - Blow Up Bridge	Blow Up Bridge 9	Bridge 10	Bridge 11	Bridge 11	Bridge 12

Commercial barges carried all types of cargo along the canal systems some of which was quite hazardous. Blow Up Bridge was destroyed in October 1874 when a boat called "Tilbury" which was carrying gunpowder exploded - the bridge was rebuilt however it's pillars were turned around to provide a smooth surface for the boat's towing ropes - the original rope-grooves can still be clearly seen. Just after Blow Up Bridge the canal passes through the grounds of Regent's Zoo which was opened 8 years after the canal was finished.

Bridge 13	Regents Canal - Cumberland Basin	Prince Albert Roadbridge	Prince Albert Roadbridge	Regents Park Roadbridge	Gloucester Avenue Bridge
Regents Canal - Railwaybridge 17	Railway bridge 18	Oval Road Bridge 20a	Oval Road Bridge	Bridge at Dingwalls Wharf	Dingwalls Wharf

Hampstead Road Locks are the first Regents Canal locks you encounter when heading east - the locks comprise of one double and one single - the single lock being used when it's quiet so water can be preserved. On weekends the area is packed with people visiting the markets, restaurants and pubs which are situated all around Camden Town. At Camden Lock Market there are also plenty of fast food stalls offering spicy Indian foods - the whole area is very colourful. Cycling is permitted on most of the Regent's Canal and is hugely popular - there are notices telling cyclists that cycling is permitted but they should be both careful of people walking and so on - however quite a few cyclists go far too fast and weave carelessly between pedestrians and fishermen. Also there were instances of cyclists going quickly through the narrow pathed and low headroom bridges - ignoring the fact that people and other cyclists might be going through.

Dingwalls Wharf area

Hampstead Road Locks 1

Lock Gates - Hampstead Road

Chalk Farm Road Bridge 21

Hawley Lock area

Hawley Lock 2

Kentish Town Lock 3	Kentish Town Roadbridge 25	Camden Street Bridge	Camden Street Bridge	Camden Road Bridge	Camden Road Bridge
Royal College Street Bridge 28	Royal College Street Bridge	St Pancras Way Bridge	Camley Street Bridge	Railway Bridge 32	St Pancras Railway Bridge 32
Pump House near St Pancras	St Pancras Lock 4	St Pancras lock gates	Regent's Canal Sidebridge	General canal views	Site of demolished bridge 35

The 976 yard long Islington Tunnel was designed and built by James Morgan between 1815 and 1818 - the tunnel does not have a towpath so barges were "legged" through. Walkers and cyclists therefore have to leave the Regents Canal at this point and divert through Angel via several roads. This could really benefit from a map showing the way but sadly all that exists is a sign saying leave the canal and then just a little way up the road at Colebrook Row one more sign - that is it.
Directions: Walk up to Colebrooke Row - turn right and shortly left into Duncan Street. At the end of the road turn left now along Upper Street (it's the A1) then right into White Lion Street - this changes into Donegal Street after a while. At the end of Donegal Street turn right into Rodney Street to then reach Wynford Road. Go left and then almost immediately right along Muriel Street - the canal is a short distance along on the left.

Maiden Lane Bridge

Old warehouse

Battlebridge Basin

Warehouses

Caledonian Road Bridge

Islington Tunnel west

Islington Tunnel east side	Banbury Street Bridge 38	Brick Chimney and Lock 5	City Road Lock 5	Wharf Road Bridge	Wenlock Basin
Pipe bridge and Bridge 40	Regents Canal Bridge 40	Sturts Lock 6	New North Roadbridge 41	Pipe + Southgate Road bridge 42	Witmore Road Bridge 43
Bridge 44 at entrance to Kingsland Basin	Kingsland Basin	Kingsland Road Bridge 45	Bridge 46	Haggerston Bridge 47	Pipe + Queensbridge Roadbridge
Acton's Lock no7	Acton Lock Gates	Pritchard's Road Bridge	Canal views	Railway Bridge 50	Mare Street Bridge

Particularly between the 1830s right up to the end of the First World War, The Regents Canal carried quite a volume of tonnage - with canal barges moving a variety of cargo including bricks, coal, glass as well as grain, chemicals and beer. Famous old English companies such as Pickfords and Fellowes Morton and Clayton Ltd used the canal quite heavily.

Bonner Hall Bridge	Bonner Hall Bridge 52	Old Ford Lock - 8	Lock gates at Old Ford Lock	Old Ford Road Bridge	Hertford Union Canal junction
The Hertford Union Canal	Bridge 54a	Roman Road Bridge 55	Railway-bridge 56	Mile End Lock	Lock gates at Mile End Lock

At only 1.5km long the Hertford Union Canal - which is also known as Duckett's Canal - was opened in 1830 and was designed to provide another commercial link between the River Thames (via the Regent's Canal) and the River Lee Navigation. Gun Maker's Bridge (photo below) is named after the nearby Gunmakers Arms and Gunmakers Wharf - the London Small Arms Factory was situated by the Wharf and produced components for several famous military rifles including the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield which was used during the 1914-1918 war. The factory used the Regents Canal to transport the components to Enfield.

Mile End Roadbridge	Pipe + Gunmakers Arms Bridge	Gunmakers Arms Bridge and Pipe	Jonsons Lock - 10	Jonsons Lock gates	Ben Jonsons Roadbridge
Railway bridge no 60	Salmon Lane Lock	Bridge 61	Bridge 61	Bridge 62 and pipe bridge	Commercial Roadbridge
Commercial Road Lock 12	Lock 12 + Pipe + bridge 64	Docklands Light Railway Bridge	Limehouse Basin	Limehouse Cut leaves the Basin	Limehouse Basin flats
The Thames and Limehouse Basin	Swing Bridge at Limehouse	Limehouse Lock	Limehouse Marina	Limehouse Marina Bridge	River Thames near Limehouse

Limehouse Basin is a really nicely laid out area - even the blocks of (probably very expensive) flats and so on have been designed to appear sort of "ship-like" and fit in well - also some of the original old brick buildings have been preserved. Limehouse Cut leaves from the Basin and provides a link up to the River Lee Navigation and also the Stort Navigation for boat owners (as well as for cyclists and towpath walkers). The River Thames is just a few hundred yards from Limehouse Basin - there is an excellent swing bridge on the way and once you reach the Thames the river and views are really impressive - just here there are also several Thames side public houses. The nicely preserved brick chimney and tower shown in the photo above left is an accumulator tower which was used to regulate pressure in the hydraulic systems that powered the lock gates, capstans, cranes and swing bridges within the dock area - it was used between 1869 and into the 1920s.

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 Regents Canal is BOOK 1.)