@@whitewittock lol no, it's my home! There are fuel boats that ply the waterways that will supply diesel, gas, wood, coal and possibly other stuff. But I don't do that! I was just out for a cruise
Hi Jago, a little bit of information that you might find useful!. In the late 1950's my father presented a paper to the Central Electricity Generating Board ( CEGB) for whom he worked. Peyton Watson, my father, was tasked with finger a way to transport electricity from outside London to the newly proposed substation in Hackney, the old site of the Clapton Greyhound Stadium, incidentally where my Auntie Elsie had worked. The old lad, knew London well and spotted the route along the Regents Canal where the towpaths were in dreadful condition. He managed convince the powers to purchase the towpaths, whereupon, they were refurbished into good condition with high voltage lines under the paths using the flow of the water providing the necessary cooling. Walking along these towpath, you might have spotted that there are concrete cover on the with the Logo "CEGB" on them! That's why! Julian
Hence Agar Grove, another mystery solved. Chaining the Islington steam tug to the roof of the tunnel is completely understandable if you've ever parked your bicycle in the borough.
I read of something similar actually happening. I was part of a group that volunteered at a railway museum and I found the locomotive's throttle chained closed. Apparently, one weekend while sitting with the fire banked overnight, some teenagers drove the engine down the line until it ran out of steam, then abandoned it there.
The description of labour shortages of boatmen because it was viewed as undesirable hard work where you might end up anywhere and difficult to have a family with, seems to have a bit of a parallel today with the issue of HGV lorry driver shortages in the UK.
It makes me miss London, this. I'm in Edinburgh now; we have a Union Canal and a very pleasant walk that is. Well, beside it, it would be a bit damp trying to walk on it.
That is a fascinating story. I'm surprised that the canals were economic right through the railway boom as well. There are certain parallels to the aging HGV driver population and the current drama happening at petrol stations, except then there were alternatives.
I don't think there are parallels with the HGV driver crisis: it is the same story. The only difference is that lorry drivers have never been able to take their families with them.
For using lorry drivers crisis using the canals for the crisis wouldn't work sadly there's no oscillot for the canal the goods do you remember in the Olympics 2012 when conservative mayor Boris Johnson was saying they were used barges for building at the Olympics end of the village and they didn't use The Barge or canal tool hardly at all cos even now Stratford City is quite ugly with all those tower blocks it hasn't have a community spirit to it but it's still sort of nice to go shopping in eat and meet people
@@markhylton7278 The reference to oscillot I found was a cat proof fence, not sure what you mean. Presume the main issue with barges is that goods were transported in barrels and sacks and not on pallets like they are now.
Take it from me. DO NOT WALK THE CANAL AT NIGHT. I work as a specialist investigator for the Met. Many muggings happen at night, as the canal gives easy pickings and an easy escape route for muggers on bikes.
Says a lot about London, pity that areas can’t be better protected and possibly closed off at night to prevent through rotes and safe areas for boaters. Perhaps follow the Liverpool 1 area and employ private security as an option. More CCTV also along the route gates / posts to prevent cycles from easily using the route at night.
@@simonwinter8839 it appears that there are two Colin Gs on here ,I am the original but I get the results of the crap he puts on here,I did reply to this post but suggested they put police patrols there to catch the offenders .
@@coling7819 although the uk government has said it intends to recruit 20,000 new officers that would increase police number to level still below the 21,000 that the government austerity cuts removed from the strength during Osborne’s tenure as conservative chancellor.
L.T.C. Rolt was an interesting person. Among many other things he wrote Red for Danger. Which even today is the standard text on why & how rail accidents happen.
Another tale of when I worked in London all those years ago. One lunchtime I walked up to Old Street tube and just walked northwards up City Road towards Islington, and 10 - 15 mins later found a canal ! City Road basin in actual fact, bearing in mind that was early to mid 1970's and there was no google, but luckily, there was Bert who worked in there post room and a local of the area, he clued me up about the canal and where it went to. That's the thing about working in and around the City of London, the history, the infrastructure, seen and out of sight. There was much there, sometimes in sight and sometimes hidden and sometimes 5 mins up the road and around that next corner
As always, "I'm doing something a little bit different today" is Jago-speak for "This is not the usual good video I put out. This is even better". BTW, nice to see Disco Volante parked along the canal. I wonder if it's still owned by SPECTRE.
But...but... Sir... I thought that *'Disco Volante'* was (or rather the front half of it...) was destroyed when it hit the reef, killing Emillio Largo in the process?
Lived on the canal for over eight years now. This was a fascinating, concise yet in-depth look at the Regents canal. Whenever I see the rope marks/groves as shown at about 29 seconds in I can’t help but wonder how many tow horses must have walked past. Thanks for making it. Instant share.
In New Orleans, some tour guides and cab drivers would claim that N.O. has more canals than Venice or Amsterdam. Unfortunately they're all drainage as far as I know: probably a necessity when your city sits below sea level. Wasn't always the case however; Basin St. sits on the site of a former turning basin, and on the former site of another there's a huge Celtic Cross monument set up in the memory of all the Irishmen who died digging it (Yellow fever, I think). Ironically though, New Orleans' Canal St., the closest thing they have to a main street, was never an actual canal. I'm all in on a canal expansion to a railway channel!
In Syracuse, New York is Erie Boulevard that cuts through the middle of town. It is where the Erie canal used to be and I've seen pictures of the canal, taken in around 1900 that shows two buildings on either side of the canal right downtown. Those buildings are still there only the boulevard is in between them now. The canal was replaced by the New York State Barge Canal that was supposed to be for freight but was never used as such (to my knowledge) and is now for leisure boating, not there's much of that. I've never seen many boats in the canal but you can go from Albany to Buffalo by boat if you want.
In vague connectedness.... the Basin Reserve in Wellington (NZ)-- site of a much hallowed cricket ground-- has such an odd name it seems until you know that in the early days of settlement, the harbour did actually stretch that far south and presumably boats moored there. Now, hundreds of metres from sea water.
Birmingham, England, has more canals than Venice because it "has" canals outside the area it actually occupies. I'm sure a city which spreads out as American cities do might well have more canals than Venice. A canal being built for drainage is not necessarily an obstacle to its inclusion. There are 2 large networks of such navigable drainage canals in Britain: the Middle Level Navigations and the Witham Navigable Drains. They're both in the east, in the very flat country near the Wash.
You've just reminded me what a beautiful country we have here, that I live in a village and that it's a sunny, Autumn afternoon. For all these reasons, and more, I'm off to the pub for a pint & a toasty! Ta Ra!
What a fantastic little video! As someone who lived on a boat in London for years, i was so happy to hear all the history stated accurately and succinctly. For anyone interested in the working lives of the Idle Women, I recommend two books on that subject by the Idle Women themselves. "Idle Women" by Susan Woolfit, and "Maidens' Trip" by Emma Smith are accounts of the wartime adventures of two women recruited to work these boats. I would also recommend anyone interested in London canals to attend the Cavalcade event, on the May Bank Holiday at Little Venice. It has been cancelled this past two years because of the pandemic, but we are working to get it up and running again in 2022. And of course the Canal Museum at Battlebridge Basin, behind Kings Cross Station is a must! Its sad to see all that green algae on the water. It doesn't happen when the waterways are busy. The years leading up to the 2012 Olympics were the cleanest the water has been, and I am sure that was due to the fact that so many boats were moving heavy building materials to the site. Since all that traffic went away, its lost its sparkle, and now its just plain dirty.
Before I visit London next time, I plan to review your videos for so that I can make list of places to see. I like your sense of humor and the amazing information you present.
Interesting. I live in Connecticut, a stone's throw from what was the Farmington Canal. Built in the early 19th century from New Haven to Farmington, and points inland. The Canal was bought by the railroad and was filled in and covered with track. It is now a beautiful walkway. You are lucky to have your history.
I’m absolutely astonished as to how much information you imparted in a fairly short time, and how much research you must have carried out to prepare for it.
Yet another captivating piece from the ever-informative Mr H. So absolutely packed with information that I shall have to enjoy it several times to ensure that I absorb it all. What a delightful prospect. Thank you, Mr H Simon T
Mr. Rolt certainly had his fingers in a few pies, as far as his interests go. It's nice to think he had a key role both in the preservation of the UK's historic railways and historic canals. Lovely.
I remember a walk with a friend along Regent's Canal between Hackney and Limehouse a few years ago: I was amazed at how clear the water was, and along with lots of rubbish, I was able to see perch and Chinese mitten crabs in the water below.
For my 7th birthday, in the long hot summer of 1976, we went to London Zoo. We travelled to London on the train, getting off at Paddington. From there we took a boat ride along Regents Canal to the Zoo, getting off just before the canal takes a sharp turn northwards. That was one of the most memorable days of my life. However on that day, just where the canal turns north, there was a large Mississippi-style paddle steamer moored in the corner. I found it really very spooky. It appeared to have been abandoned quite some time before, it was completely deserted and the deck was very low indeed to the water. It looked like it would either sink or collapse from rot or both at any second so I couldn't wait to get to dry land. Does anyone know anything about it?
How wonderful Jago 'Tales From The Cut' ive always love Canal life spent 45 years near the Grand Union in Northamptonshire so would often walk the tow paths in summer and winter!. Marc In Bletchley Bungalow(yes im away from my Tower Block)
This has come as a nice surprise, as I'm planning to do a walk from Harlesden to Regents Park Zoo, along the Grand Union and Regents canals. Also a nice surprise that Charles Tyson (you know who) did not have his snotty little nose in any of the aforementioned commercial ventures in this canal.
Thank you, Mr. Hazzard! Having lived aboard a narrowboat for eight years - part of which was spent at moorings along the Paddington Arm of the G.U. - I really enjoyed this and look forward to Part 2!
Nicely Navigated, Master Jago. What a hideous sight at 3:15. Looks like a human Battery Farm or a prison! Otherwise a picturesque meander, quite beautifully shot. More please!
How funny, I’ve just this week started reading this half true /half novel book, by Emma Smith, one of the WW2 women on the cut, and a brilliant read it is too - just as this vid by our Mr H is brilliant, as of course it would be. Waiting impatiently for the second half now!
One of my all time favourite UK holidays was spent on a narrow boat. Canals give you such a different perspective from any other form of travel and the pace is truly relaxing. I had never herd of this one before though. It may not be Venice, but does look interesting.
"Nice of him to write!" You kill me, Jago. Thanks for this one.. with even more info than usual. PS. Your shot of Kingsland Basin shows the site of Golderstat photographic studios on Downham Road, where I worked in the 60s. They have gone now, like so much of the canalside... replaced by the swanky flats. But it is nice to see the basin full of narrowboats, instead of the rotting carcases of old prams.
Mr Agar may have had other motives to his actions. There’s an infilled spur at Primrose hill Regents Park basin (a floating Chinese restaurant junk is moored there), that went south easterly parallel to Prince Albert Rd (now a car park) under a bridge and down Albany St (park village E) to serve Regents Park military barracks. This could also be part of a lost London river?
A propos of nothing in particular, the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal was acquired by the GSWR in 1881 and converted to a railway, opening in 1885. It closed to passengers in 1983 along with the Kilmacolm branch, but was retained for freight along most of its length and re-opened to passangers in 1990.
It was known as "the Canal Road" and the final station now is Paisley Canal. David L. Smith referred to it having about as much curvature as the Darjeeling-Himalaya. The GSWR tried running an express along it but this came to an end after a party of directors travelled in a coach attached at the rear. Getting "all the tail wag", they were thrown regularly from side to side and the murder of the driver was being strongly contemplated by Paisley. But then they found he had actually lost a minute on schedule!
@@iankemp1131 I was only ever on it once -- to Kilmacolm and back in the last week, but there were some nicely kept stations before the closure and it had a very sylvan feel for a suburban line, which seemed nicely in keeping with its origins. I have a feeling that it was used fairly frequently as a diversionary route for heavier trains (though presumably quite slowly), including the Starlight Specials.
Nice to hear the shout-out to Tom Rolt. Without him much less interesting stuff would have been preserved. Something like the IWA would have come into being and we'd have heritage railways, but he was only just in time with both; another five years in each case and an awful lot of canals and railways would have gone for good.
Ain’t this the truth. A vital case of cometh the hour, cometh the man, and also the right man (and his equally interesting wives Angela and Sonia) in the right place at the right time. That’s enough pithy epithets for now.
This is very fascinating. I've always had an interest in canals as well as railways. In 1984 I took a trip to London with some friends from work. While they were more interested in getting drunk at the pubs, I went off looking for the railway stations and the canals. I purchased a series of guides to the various canals throughout the United Kingdom. This informative guide not only gives a nice history on each of the many canals, it also shows snippets of ordinance maps showing the routes, and points of interest. Over here in the US, we had a number of canals in addition to the famous Delaware and Eries canals. Like the UK, they were built prior to the railroads and opened up in the early part of the 19th century. Up here in New England especially, we had the Middlesex Canal which ran from Lowell, Massachusetts where the canal emptied into the Merrimack River and connected to the Pawtucket Canal which circumnavigated the city and connected to the Concord River to allow boats to navigate around the falls. Lowell also has power canals which were used to power the textile mills much as they do in Lawrence as well. This dual use of the river led to some vicious battles between the mill owners and the canal operators during the dry season when the water runs low. The Middlesex Canal terminated in Medford, MA where the canal joined the Mystic River which empties into Boston Harbor. Today, the canal is abandoned but there are traces still found here and there. In a few locations, the canal has been preserved in places with some restored canal boats similar to the ones shown in your video. In one particular location in Billerica near Tewkesbury, there's a stretch of the Middlesex where the towropes had dug into the rocks and stonewalls along the canal tow path, and in another the old there's still an aqueduct located in Billerica where the canal crosses over wetlands and the Shawsheen River. Like the UK, the railroads did a number on the canals and in some places, the canal was replaced by the railroad such as in Woburn, MA along the Middlesex Canal.
@@simonwinter8839 I think cargy's was the best. I didnt realy have much to say about canals in london alas. Been watching John Rodgers walk the Roding which has now gained some mooring spots after many years.
@@highpath4776 That must be the River Roding you're referring to. I remember as a kid riding on a (then) new Victoria line train that was being tested on the Woodford - Hainault branch of the Central line.In those days this section ran independently from the main part of the Central line. I remember the train slowing right down as we crossed the Roding and there were people wading in the river apparently fishing. Happy days !!
What an entertaining and informative video! Thank you for posting this. I've always found transportation systems fascinating, especially canals. Coming from a landlocked, high elevation dry part of the United States, canal systems like the beautiful, scenic canals of England always seemed like an elegant solution to moving cargo, especially foodstuffs and farm goods. Hopefully I'll be able to go take a ride on those lovely canals one day.
You must mention the olde double decker horse stable at Paddington. Visit mint wing at st Mary’s hospital and you can see the double ramps the horses walked up after working on the canal, it’s only about 100 meters from where royal babies are born at the lido wing!
Nice to hear the story of the Regents canal. I use to work near Gunmakers Bridge which is near the chimney so it was nice seeing the area since I was made redundant at the start of Covid so now work in Basildon so don't see much of East London
Thank you another great video Jago. I think that Regent's Canal is a great way to enjoy London and many people find it by accident. The canal has inspired a short film script that John Higgins and myself have written. I hope to be filming a short film based on a real life event that happen to me on the canal by London Zoo which inspired the short film script for the Rode Reel 2021 competition but time is short we will see.
I did the same walk a couple of years ago (though I went in the opposite direction) to raise funds for a charity I support. It's a mostly very pleasant trip with many interesting things to see- I'm looking forward to Part 2 to find out more about them.
I would love to see your video on the Regent's Canal, sir! Perhaps with a guest spot from the fellow who runs the Cruising the Cut channel on youtube. You two have almost identical droll delivery and it would be very entertaining!
Having grown up a stone's throw from the Camden Town section of the canal and spent many a happy hour walking the towpath or fishing more in hope than expectation, I thoroughly enjoyed this history. I'm looking forward to Part 2. Will you be covering the partially filled-in branch in Camden Town which served Cumberland Market and replaced the 'Haymarket' as London's principal source of hay for its horses. When it was filled in following the 2nd World War the section used as allotments was supplied with topsoil from Windsor Castle which is yet another connection with Royalty as if the name wasn't enough.
little bits of local knowledge I can pass on the Regent's Canal used to have an additional spur (similar to Paddington Basin) which ran behind Albany street, close to the York & Albany restaurant the bridge (Gloucester Gate Bridge) of the filled in section (with 1940's blitz rubble) is still visible and rejoined the canal at the double decker Chinese restaurant, West of Regent's Park and the Mosque where the Rail line from Marylebone & the metropolitan tube (close to the defunct Lord's Tube station, now a Overfinch Car dealership) ran over there is a Blue Plaque stating the Original location of Lord's Cricket ground; furthermore close to the Crocker's Folly (another story behind that one) on Aberdeen Place you will find a blue Plaque dedicated to the home of Guy Gibson of the Dambusters fame. In addition underneath Gilbey's yard Camden, what's left of the old Camden Morrison's car park and partially under the Euston railway line to Gloucester avenue are the Old Camden catacombs used for storage as was the storage pit under the Ice Wharf pub (take a guess what was stored there) Also opposite the ex-MTV studio's is newly opened redevelopment on the site of what was markets underneath which is another cavernous underground space approximately 6 stories deep that was originally intended to operate as a cinema, other oddities in Camden is the Rotunda complex which was the shaft for linking the Euston railway line to the current Northern line (but I'm sure that for another of your video's.
Superthanks; having actively requested an episode about Regents Canal learning that not only did you make it but have a second one in the pipeline - I'm as pleased as Punch.
The towpath along this stretch of canal is an excellent cycle route from Paddington, KIngs Cross towards Limehouse and if you carry on further you can pick up the the river Lee and carry on to North Herforshire.. The only bugbear is the Islington tunnel but if you plan your route beforhand it's no big deal. My advice to anyone wishing to cycle this route try avoid rush hour lots of pedistrians and other communiting cyclist. Cycle at a leisurly pace as there are many pedistrians and use your bell. Thanks Jago for a very informative video.
In your next video on the Regents Canal, you might like to tell us about the 400kV power cable that runs under the towpath - bringing much power to the London area. Here, they use the canal water to keep the cable cool. I know much things like this fascinate you!
Excellent 'heads-up'! That's fascinating, I'm reading up on it now, however: [The Project National Grid will start a two-year phased programme of essential works to remove old cables laid beneath the towpath of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and the Regent's Canal. As part of the works, waterways and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust has agreed with National Grid that the towpath surface will be upgraded and, where possible, widened to a minimum width of two metres. The oil filled cables, which have reached the end of their useful life, are no longer needed to supply London and have been replaced by the now operational London Power Tunnels (LPT) a new network of electricity cable tunnels in the capital. The project was commissioned in 2018 and opened by HRH the Prince of Wales. Removal of the cables will help to safeguard the local environment and waterways from any potential damage in the future.] [...] canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/london-and-south-east/national-grid-cable-decommissioning-project Los Angeles immediately comes to mind with a similar 'failing' of very high voltage buried cables that leaked dielectric oil, and had to be removed/replaced. hackaday.com/2015/07/27/find-and-repair-a-230kv-800amp-oil-filled-power-cable-feels-like-mission-impossible/ One wonders if similar happened in London, and this is part of the story?
My father as boy in the 1930s lived near the junction at Regent's Park. He told me that one day he was watching a horse-drawn barge approach the junction. The horse stopped, waited for the barge to draw abreast, and stepped sideways onto the gunwale of the barge, which carried it across the side branch that they were not taking. On reaching the other side, the horse stepped off the barge and continued pulling, all without the bargee's intervention. A very experienced and intelligent horse, I've always felt.
I’m so glad that on my visit to London in August I took some time to visit both Regents Park (so beautiful) and the Regents Canal think there most be some significance to this semi-orbital canal - ‘you have made this the significance of my visit’!
Great video Jago, about a subject dear to my heart. A day spent cycling along the towpaths of the Regent’s Canal, Hertford Union and Lee Navigation is a truly wonderful way to see London!
Who, other than myself, remembers cruising this canal on the Jenny Wren. surely a worthy mention for this canal, and for many of us born in that area, our first taste of water travel. Jago. Great history with what you do, well done and presented, however, the Jenny Wren would of hit a cord with many of us Cambden folks.
I worked for almost 6 years in the M&S head office at Paddington Basin before returning back to NZ in 2018, and 2-3 times a week during my lunch break, I'd either walk or run along the canal to Regents Park before heading back to Paddington. Used to be a sailing canal boat at Little Venice, which from memory was twice the size of normal canal boats? My step-sister researched her family tree and most of her English patriarchs were named either Thomas or William - they were very popular names back then 😄
When I was younger, I read an old National Geographic article from the 70s about England’s canals. I’ve always been a bit fascinated by them since so These canal videos Jago drops now and then are always a pleasant surprise. Any chance you’ll ever do a collaboration with one of the UA-cam canal channels?
When touring Granary Square, the guide told us that beer was transported on the canal until the winter of 1962, when it froze over. Trucks replaced the barges and that was an end to it.
I have walked most of The Regent's Canal and your account of it's construction and history was delightful and informative. I still wonder which route they walked the horses while passing through the Islington Tunnel.
One more from me - canals being turned into railways was quite a thing back in the day. One particular one near me might make an interesting video. The Thames and Medway canal (between Strood and Gravesend - Kent) was built to cut the time taken to get from London to the Medway by avoiding the long journey round the Hoo peninsula. For most of its route it cuts through the Thames floodplain, so no locks and such. But for the final 3.5 km they had to tunnel under Strood hill - the second longest canal tunnel in the UK (and also the widest and highest, as it was designed to accommodate 60 tonne sailing barges - masts lowered!). Rather surprisingly, given the distance saved (70+ km), this canal never really prospered, as the designers forgot that both ends needed tidal locks, and these caused significant delays if you were unlucky with the tides. So the canal often didn't offer enough of an advantage to be worth the tolls. So when the railway came to North Kent, they saved themselves a few quid (the north Kent line is a nightmare of cuttings, embankments and bridges!) by negotiating the right to run trains through the tunnel. But they did this whilst the canal was still in use! Imagine you're half way through a 3.5 km tunnel in the pitch dark, when a steam hauled train goes screaming past just metres away! It must have felt like a scene from hell. After a while, the railway company purchased the whole canal, so the tunnel became entirely a railway tunnel, and the rest of the canal was left to rot (you can still see a great deal of it on the Higham to Gravesend section of the line). No doubt you know all this - and quite probably have already made a video of it!! But, just in case you didn't/haven't, it might be worth a look. It also explains that odd sharp right-hand turn as the railway comes out of the tunnel - followed by the equally sharp left-hand turn to get over the Rochester bridge!
Sigh. As a Photographer I'm so sad that I'm stuck in Copenhagen, which I've pretty much emptied of great ideas 2 years ago, when I would probably never run out great shots in London. Oh well, it taught me to really dig in obscure corners and historical sources to the point, where other Photographers come to me when they can't find a place or are looking for something to fit a theme. Who knows - Perhaps that bit of "suffering" will turn out to have been a great Mentor when I finally DO get to London :) In the meantime, many thanks for sharing your wonderful city and its history with us Jago.
YET ANOTHER fabulous one. I used to live on this canal as a cc'er. Felt pride at the fact that I could tell you where every single shot was. Beautiful canal, beautiful video. You might like the channel Foxes Afloat - I adore them, they're in my top three alongside you.
Good to see Tom Rolt acknowledged for his revival of the canals. I suspect he's far better known for starting the first of the rail preservation societies - I was a member of the TRPS for years before I knew he had previously been interested in canals. As you say, probably the most important person in the history of the industrial preservation movement. I assume you've read Railway Adventure, but if anyone reading this hasn't, it's well worth a read. Apart from its obvious interest, it's very well written and a superb (accidental) history of post-war, post- industrial Britain.
Me too and I used to live in the borough. We always pronounced it the French way. I grew up in Leicestershire near Belvoir Castle, which is only pronounced "beaver castle".
Don't know if this has been spotted already, but one slight error: Narrow Boat is about Rolt's travels with his first wife, Angela, on board Cressy. Sonia was his second wife, who had previously been married to a working boatman, George Smith whom she met while working as a wartime volunteer. She was a remarkable woman in her own right, being involved in all sorts of transport and building preservation. Otherwise great stuff and full of interesting details.
In 2006--07, our son and his new ex-Chesterfield wife were living in Macclesfield. Over from "the colonies" (NZ) as one slightly? drunk business man on the to-Yeovil train put it... we stayed 2 weeks in "silk town" and walked one day along the canal to Bollington and slightly further..we were even invited on board one of the narrow boats by the owner to see how it all worked. At the largest mill site in Macclesfield, not far along from the "Puss in Boots" pub ( is it still in operation?) there is a lovely little collection of moored boats, from the tiny "Fly" to others quite more majestic.
A further video on this would be very interesting. Born on London, know the Grand Union fairly well (just geography, not boating) but am totally unaware of the Regents Canal East of Regents Park
I skipped over this one at the time but I'm certainly glad I gave it another chance - this is an exceptionally good example of your already very impressive collection. I enjoyed watching immensely and I'm looking forward to hearing about the studio and pub and, I hope, much else. Thank you so much for all the effort you invest in your videos.
Get them videos done....I'm off for three weeks and need, nay....demand to be entertained! 😉😆😂 There's some rather nice canal boats out there....👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
Fantastic stuff, Jago. In all my times visiting London, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen any of the canals! Some “interesting” architecture along the route: 3:15 - what in the name of everything that is holy is that? 6:50 - who knew converting multi-storey car parks into flats was a thing?
Visited London yesterday and had a nice trundle along the Regent's Canal (going in the opposite direction). Looking forward to seeing the loose part two...
Thus a new series is born: tales from the canals!
Depending what route the canal takes........... ( not only The Rt Hon Hazzard who can bash words into submission...)
Annals of the canals perhaps?
From the canals of history
@@matthewcodd2939 This should be the title haha
canal chronicles? fits with the alliteration
13:59 That's me on my boat just coming under the bridge! Which means I may have seen the elusive Mr. Hazzard... Can't remember though!
Oh, lovely! One can even recognise you from your profile picture. You look very relaxed and in control. 👍
can you deliver petrol?
@@whitewittock lol no, it's my home! There are fuel boats that ply the waterways that will supply diesel, gas, wood, coal and possibly other stuff. But I don't do that! I was just out for a cruise
Hi Jago, a little bit of information that you might find useful!. In the late 1950's my father presented a paper to the Central Electricity Generating Board ( CEGB) for whom he worked. Peyton Watson, my father, was tasked with finger a way to transport electricity from outside London to the newly proposed substation in Hackney, the old site of the Clapton Greyhound Stadium, incidentally where my Auntie Elsie had worked. The old lad, knew London well and spotted the route along the Regents Canal where the towpaths were in dreadful condition. He managed convince the powers to purchase the towpaths, whereupon, they were refurbished into good condition with high voltage lines under the paths using the flow of the water providing the necessary cooling. Walking along these towpath, you might have spotted that there are concrete cover on the with the Logo "CEGB" on them! That's why! Julian
Hence Agar Grove, another mystery solved.
Chaining the Islington steam tug to the roof of the tunnel is completely understandable if you've ever parked your bicycle in the borough.
Yeah. It's quite something to come back and find your narrowboat jacked up on bricks.
@@KravKernow That's north London for you.
I read of something similar actually happening. I was part of a group that volunteered at a railway museum and I found the locomotive's throttle chained closed. Apparently, one weekend while sitting with the fire banked overnight, some teenagers drove the engine down the line until it ran out of steam, then abandoned it there.
The description of labour shortages of boatmen because it was viewed as undesirable hard work where you might end up anywhere and difficult to have a family with, seems to have a bit of a parallel today with the issue of HGV lorry driver shortages in the UK.
The story of the Regent's Canal certainly rocked my boat 😃
It floated mine
You're being draft if you think you can pole that one.
It makes me miss London, this. I'm in Edinburgh now; we have a Union Canal and a very pleasant walk that is. Well, beside it, it would be a bit damp trying to walk on it.
With tunnels at Islington and Maida Hill, surely this is another "tale from the tube", just a bit wet!
That is a fascinating story. I'm surprised that the canals were economic right through the railway boom as well. There are certain parallels to the aging HGV driver population and the current drama happening at petrol stations, except then there were alternatives.
Great comment, I was just about to comment on the parallels with the HGV situation but you have done far better than me.
I don't think there are parallels with the HGV driver crisis: it is the same story. The only difference is that lorry drivers have never been able to take their families with them.
For using lorry drivers crisis using the canals for the crisis wouldn't work sadly there's no oscillot for the canal the goods do you remember in the Olympics 2012 when conservative mayor Boris Johnson was saying they were used barges for building at the Olympics end of the village and they didn't use The Barge or canal tool hardly at all cos even now Stratford City is quite ugly with all those tower blocks it hasn't have a community spirit to it but it's still sort of nice to go shopping in eat and meet people
@@markhylton7278 The reference to oscillot I found was a cat proof fence, not sure what you mean. Presume the main issue with barges is that goods were transported in barrels and sacks and not on pallets like they are now.
@@markhylton7278 Care to put this in English?
Definitely one of the more scenic relics of the Industrial Age.
Take it from me. DO NOT WALK THE CANAL AT NIGHT. I work as a specialist investigator for the Met. Many muggings happen at night, as the canal gives easy pickings and an easy escape route for muggers on bikes.
Says a lot about London, pity that areas can’t be better protected and possibly closed off at night to prevent through rotes and safe areas for boaters. Perhaps follow the Liverpool 1 area and employ private security as an option. More CCTV also along the route gates / posts to prevent cycles from easily using the route at night.
In that case why not have police patrols and be proactive and put away some of the scummy low life
@@coling7819
Just give them a concrete necklace and......
splash!!
@@simonwinter8839 it appears that there are two Colin Gs on here ,I am the original but I get the results of the crap he puts on here,I did reply to this post but suggested they put police patrols there to catch the offenders .
@@coling7819 although the uk government has said it intends to recruit 20,000 new officers that would increase police number to level still below the 21,000 that the government austerity cuts removed from the strength during Osborne’s tenure as conservative chancellor.
L.T.C. Rolt was an interesting person. Among many other things he wrote Red for Danger. Which even today is the standard text on why & how rail accidents happen.
I've read his biography of Brunel, and he also wrote a few others including Telford.
@@caw25sha yes, I was trying to remember why his name was familiar - took a moment to remember the Brunel biography!
I’ve read and enjoyed Rolt’s railway publications but I never knew he was such a big wheel in the canal world.
A great read!
@@jslonisch More of a big Draught Horse or Big Legger, surely? Not much call for Big Wheels on boats.
Having walked quite a bit of the Regent's Canal I found the history of it very interesting. Many thanks for the video. Can't wait for part 2.
Another tale of when I worked in London all those years ago. One lunchtime I walked up to Old Street tube and just walked northwards up City Road towards Islington, and 10 - 15 mins later found a canal ! City Road basin in actual fact, bearing in mind that was early to mid 1970's and there was no google, but luckily, there was Bert who worked in there post room and a local of the area, he clued me up about the canal and where it went to. That's the thing about working in and around the City of London, the history, the infrastructure, seen and out of sight. There was much there, sometimes in sight and sometimes hidden and sometimes 5 mins up the road and around that next corner
As always, "I'm doing something a little bit different today" is Jago-speak for "This is not the usual good video I put out. This is even better".
BTW, nice to see Disco Volante parked along the canal. I wonder if it's still owned by SPECTRE.
Disco Volante is the name given to a 1952 Alfa Romeo concept car. It just means flying saucer. (for a canal boat?)
But...but... Sir... I thought that *'Disco Volante'* was (or rather the front half of it...) was destroyed when it hit the reef, killing Emillio Largo in the process?
Lived on the canal for over eight years now. This was a fascinating, concise yet in-depth look at the Regents canal. Whenever I see the rope marks/groves as shown at about 29 seconds in I can’t help but wonder how many tow horses must have walked past. Thanks for making it. Instant share.
If you use a colon, UA-cam will make any reference to time, a clickable link.
Like this 0:30
In New Orleans, some tour guides and cab drivers would claim that N.O. has more canals than Venice or Amsterdam. Unfortunately they're all drainage as far as I know: probably a necessity when your city sits below sea level.
Wasn't always the case however; Basin St. sits on the site of a former turning basin, and on the former site of another there's a huge Celtic Cross monument set up in the memory of all the Irishmen who died digging it (Yellow fever, I think).
Ironically though, New Orleans' Canal St., the closest thing they have to a main street, was never an actual canal.
I'm all in on a canal expansion to a railway channel!
In Syracuse, New York is Erie Boulevard that cuts through the middle of town. It is where the Erie canal used to be and I've seen pictures of the canal, taken in around 1900 that shows two buildings on either side of the canal right downtown. Those buildings are still there only the boulevard is in between them now. The canal was replaced by the New York State Barge Canal that was supposed to be for freight but was never used as such (to my knowledge) and is now for leisure boating, not there's much of that. I've never seen many boats in the canal but you can go from Albany to Buffalo by boat if you want.
In vague connectedness.... the Basin Reserve in Wellington (NZ)-- site of a much hallowed cricket ground-- has such an odd name it seems until you know that in the early days of settlement, the harbour did actually stretch that far south and presumably boats moored there. Now, hundreds of metres from sea water.
Birmingham, England, has more canals than Venice because it "has" canals outside the area it actually occupies. I'm sure a city which spreads out as American cities do might well have more canals than Venice. A canal being built for drainage is not necessarily an obstacle to its inclusion. There are 2 large networks of such navigable drainage canals in Britain: the Middle Level Navigations and the Witham Navigable Drains. They're both in the east, in the very flat country near the Wash.
You've just reminded me what a beautiful country we have here, that I live in a village and that it's a sunny, Autumn afternoon.
For all these reasons, and more, I'm off to the pub for a pint & a toasty!
Ta Ra!
What a fantastic little video!
As someone who lived on a boat in London for years, i was so happy to hear all the history stated accurately and succinctly.
For anyone interested in the working lives of the Idle Women, I recommend two books on that subject by the Idle Women themselves.
"Idle Women" by Susan Woolfit, and "Maidens' Trip" by Emma Smith are accounts of the wartime adventures of two women recruited to work these boats.
I would also recommend anyone interested in London canals to attend the Cavalcade event, on the May Bank Holiday at Little Venice. It has been cancelled this past two years because of the pandemic, but we are working to get it up and running again in 2022.
And of course the Canal Museum at Battlebridge Basin, behind Kings Cross Station is a must!
Its sad to see all that green algae on the water. It doesn't happen when the waterways are busy. The years leading up to the 2012 Olympics were the cleanest the water has been, and I am sure that was due to the fact that so many boats were moving heavy building materials to the site. Since all that traffic went away, its lost its sparkle, and now its just plain dirty.
Before I visit London next time, I plan to review your videos for so that I can make list of places to see. I like your sense of humor and the amazing information you present.
I’ve navigated this stretch many times. It’s one of, and perhaps the most attractive canal in the land. More of this please, TGW!
Thought this would be Mt Jago swims The Regents Canal, the brief history of his trip to the hospital
Interesting. I live in Connecticut, a stone's throw from what was the Farmington Canal. Built in the early 19th century from New Haven to Farmington, and points inland. The Canal was bought by the railroad and was filled in and covered with track. It is now a beautiful walkway. You are lucky to have your history.
I’m absolutely astonished as to how much information you imparted in a fairly short time, and how much research you must have carried out to prepare for it.
Yet another captivating piece from the ever-informative Mr H. So absolutely packed with information that I shall have to enjoy it several times to ensure that I absorb it all. What a delightful prospect. Thank you, Mr H Simon T
Absolutely stunning its a water way of great importance. Even though much of it is covered in pond scum its still nice
Algae.
A video for all the gongoozlers out there.
Mr. Rolt certainly had his fingers in a few pies, as far as his interests go. It's nice to think he had a key role both in the preservation of the UK's historic railways and historic canals. Lovely.
I have walked the canal many times. It is a nice walk and it's history is fascinating
Keep up the good work fella and stay safe.
3rd comment 🥉bronze medal
@@Keithbarber cheers, I’ll leave it with you though, give it to your pet for being ace!
@@AcornElectron 😅
I remember a walk with a friend along Regent's Canal between Hackney and Limehouse a few years ago: I was amazed at how clear the water was, and along with lots of rubbish, I was able to see perch and Chinese mitten crabs in the water below.
For my 7th birthday, in the long hot summer of 1976, we went to London Zoo. We travelled to London on the train, getting off at Paddington. From there we took a boat ride along Regents Canal to the Zoo, getting off just before the canal takes a sharp turn northwards. That was one of the most memorable days of my life.
However on that day, just where the canal turns north, there was a large Mississippi-style paddle steamer moored in the corner. I found it really very spooky. It appeared to have been abandoned quite some time before, it was completely deserted and the deck was very low indeed to the water. It looked like it would either sink or collapse from rot or both at any second so I couldn't wait to get to dry land. Does anyone know anything about it?
Not really sure, but since the early 1980s that place has been the berth of the Feng Shang Princess floating Chinese restaurant.
How wonderful Jago 'Tales From The Cut' ive always love Canal life spent 45 years near the Grand Union in Northamptonshire so would often walk the tow paths in summer and winter!.
Marc In Bletchley Bungalow(yes im away from my Tower Block)
This has come as a nice surprise, as I'm planning to do a walk from Harlesden to Regents Park Zoo, along the Grand Union and Regents canals. Also a nice surprise that Charles Tyson (you know who) did not have his snotty little nose in any of the aforementioned commercial ventures in this canal.
I flippin love canals
Thank you, Mr. Hazzard! Having lived aboard a narrowboat for eight years - part of which was spent at moorings along the Paddington Arm of the G.U. - I really enjoyed this and look forward to Part 2!
Nicely Navigated, Master Jago.
What a hideous sight at 3:15. Looks like a human Battery Farm or a prison!
Otherwise a picturesque meander, quite beautifully shot.
More please!
Emma Smith's novel 'Maiden's Trip' is a fascinating account of three young women learning to run a barge in WW2
Yes, I read "Maidens Trip" many years ago. Then, years later, I read it again.
How funny, I’ve just this week started reading this half true /half novel book, by Emma Smith, one of the WW2 women on the cut, and a brilliant read it is too - just as this vid by our Mr H is brilliant, as of course it would be. Waiting impatiently for the second half now!
One of my all time favourite UK holidays was spent on a narrow boat. Canals give you such a different perspective from any other form of travel and the pace is truly relaxing. I had never herd of this one before though. It may not be Venice, but does look interesting.
Fascinating. The imagery here is beautiful. Amazingly filmed. Love this!
"Nice of him to write!"
You kill me, Jago.
Thanks for this one.. with even more info than usual.
PS. Your shot of Kingsland Basin shows the site of Golderstat photographic studios on Downham Road, where I worked in the 60s. They have gone now, like so much of the canalside... replaced by the swanky flats.
But it is nice to see the basin full of narrowboats, instead of the rotting carcases of old prams.
The decline of the boatman is echoed by the decline of the lorry driver, for very similar reasons.
Awesome! you learn something new every day! thanks 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Mr Agar may have had other motives to his actions. There’s an infilled spur at Primrose hill Regents Park basin (a floating Chinese restaurant junk is moored there), that went south easterly parallel to Prince Albert Rd (now a car park) under a bridge and down Albany St (park village E) to serve Regents Park military barracks. This could also be part of a lost London river?
And not one mention of a certain Electric Railway Chairman, applause all round.
Thomas Homer sounds a bit like he might have been the Yerkes of the Waterways.
You beat me to it....
Funny, I have just completed a survey about canals and waterways when I spotted your video. Now settling down to watch it.
Love your channel, quality stuff! 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Thanks Jago !
Many fond memories of the Islington & Regent sectors.
A propos of nothing in particular, the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal was acquired by the GSWR in 1881 and converted to a railway, opening in 1885. It closed to passengers in 1983 along with the Kilmacolm branch, but was retained for freight along most of its length and re-opened to passangers in 1990.
It was known as "the Canal Road" and the final station now is Paisley Canal. David L. Smith referred to it having about as much curvature as the Darjeeling-Himalaya. The GSWR tried running an express along it but this came to an end after a party of directors travelled in a coach attached at the rear. Getting "all the tail wag", they were thrown regularly from side to side and the murder of the driver was being strongly contemplated by Paisley. But then they found he had actually lost a minute on schedule!
@@iankemp1131 I was only ever on it once -- to Kilmacolm and back in the last week, but there were some nicely kept stations before the closure and it had a very sylvan feel for a suburban line, which seemed nicely in keeping with its origins. I have a feeling that it was used fairly frequently as a diversionary route for heavier trains (though presumably quite slowly), including the Starlight Specials.
Nice to hear the shout-out to Tom Rolt. Without him much less interesting stuff would have been preserved. Something like the IWA would have come into being and we'd have heritage railways, but he was only just in time with both; another five years in each case and an awful lot of canals and railways would have gone for good.
Ain’t this the truth. A vital case of cometh the hour, cometh the man, and also the right man (and his equally interesting wives Angela and Sonia) in the right place at the right time. That’s enough pithy epithets for now.
Enjoyed this story very much, regard’s from Perth WA
I just love the narration. It flies along with hardly a pause for breath yet sounds relaxed and full of humour.
More like this please Jago
This is very fascinating. I've always had an interest in canals as well as railways. In 1984 I took a trip to London with some friends from work. While they were more interested in getting drunk at the pubs, I went off looking for the railway stations and the canals. I purchased a series of guides to the various canals throughout the United Kingdom. This informative guide not only gives a nice history on each of the many canals, it also shows snippets of ordinance maps showing the routes, and points of interest.
Over here in the US, we had a number of canals in addition to the famous Delaware and Eries canals. Like the UK, they were built prior to the railroads and opened up in the early part of the 19th century. Up here in New England especially, we had the Middlesex Canal which ran from Lowell, Massachusetts where the canal emptied into the Merrimack River and connected to the Pawtucket Canal which circumnavigated the city and connected to the Concord River to allow boats to navigate around the falls. Lowell also has power canals which were used to power the textile mills much as they do in Lawrence as well. This dual use of the river led to some vicious battles between the mill owners and the canal operators during the dry season when the water runs low.
The Middlesex Canal terminated in Medford, MA where the canal joined the Mystic River which empties into Boston Harbor. Today, the canal is abandoned but there are traces still found here and there. In a few locations, the canal has been preserved in places with some restored canal boats similar to the ones shown in your video. In one particular location in Billerica near Tewkesbury, there's a stretch of the Middlesex where the towropes had dug into the rocks and stonewalls along the canal tow path, and in another the old there's still an aqueduct located in Billerica where the canal crosses over wetlands and the Shawsheen River. Like the UK, the railroads did a number on the canals and in some places, the canal was replaced by the railroad such as in Woburn, MA along the Middlesex Canal.
Top video, Wrighty!
Not so much Tales from the Tube, more a sort of Descriptions from the Ditch.
Calls From The Canal, Bylines From The Basin , Comments From The Cut, Reports From The Regent.
@@highpath4776
Ah ha !!
High Path.You again.
Always good to hear your comments.
@@simonwinter8839 I think cargy's was the best. I didnt realy have much to say about canals in london alas. Been watching John Rodgers walk the Roding which has now gained some mooring spots after many years.
@@highpath4776
That must be the River Roding you're referring to.
I remember as a kid riding on a
(then) new Victoria line train that was being tested on the Woodford - Hainault branch of the Central line.In those days this section ran independently from the main part of the Central line.
I remember the train slowing right down as we crossed the Roding and there were people wading in the river apparently fishing.
Happy days !!
What an entertaining and informative video! Thank you for posting this. I've always found transportation systems fascinating, especially canals.
Coming from a landlocked, high elevation dry part of the United States, canal systems like the beautiful, scenic canals of England always seemed like an elegant solution to moving cargo, especially foodstuffs and farm goods.
Hopefully I'll be able to go take a ride on those lovely canals one day.
You must mention the olde double decker horse stable at Paddington. Visit mint wing at st Mary’s hospital and you can see the double ramps the horses walked up after working on the canal, it’s only about 100 meters from where royal babies are born at the lido wing!
Thank you Jago. Eagerly waiting part 2!:-) 😀🖖
Nice to hear the story of the Regents canal. I use to work near Gunmakers Bridge which is near the chimney so it was nice seeing the area since I was made redundant at the start of Covid so now work in Basildon so don't see much of East London
Thank you another great video Jago. I think that Regent's Canal is a great way to enjoy London and many people find it by accident. The canal has inspired a short film script that John Higgins and myself have written. I hope to be filming a short film based on a real life event that happen to me on the canal by London Zoo which inspired the short film script for the Rode Reel 2021 competition but time is short we will see.
You find little bits of it - Limehouse Basin, Maida Vale and Paddington - were all discoveries on my journeys across the rail network.
I did the same walk a couple of years ago (though I went in the opposite direction) to raise funds for a charity I support. It's a mostly very pleasant trip with many interesting things to see- I'm looking forward to Part 2 to find out more about them.
I would love to see your video on the Regent's Canal, sir! Perhaps with a guest spot from the fellow who runs the Cruising the Cut channel on youtube. You two have almost identical droll delivery and it would be very entertaining!
Having grown up a stone's throw from the Camden Town section of the canal and spent many a happy hour walking the towpath or fishing more in hope than expectation, I thoroughly enjoyed this history. I'm looking forward to Part 2. Will you be covering the partially filled-in branch in Camden Town which served Cumberland Market and replaced the 'Haymarket' as London's principal source of hay for its horses. When it was filled in following the 2nd World War the section used as allotments was supplied with topsoil from Windsor Castle which is yet another connection with Royalty as if the name wasn't enough.
Ah yes, "Butcher" Cumberland.
@@1258-Eckhart Only if you were a "Tory".
little bits of local knowledge I can pass on the Regent's Canal used to have an additional spur (similar to Paddington Basin) which ran behind Albany street, close to the York & Albany restaurant the bridge (Gloucester Gate Bridge) of the filled in section (with 1940's blitz rubble) is still visible and rejoined the canal at the double decker Chinese restaurant, West of Regent's Park and the Mosque where the Rail line from Marylebone & the metropolitan tube (close to the defunct Lord's Tube station, now a Overfinch Car dealership) ran over there is a Blue Plaque stating the Original location of Lord's Cricket ground; furthermore close to the Crocker's Folly (another story behind that one) on Aberdeen Place you will find a blue Plaque dedicated to the home of Guy Gibson of the Dambusters fame. In addition underneath Gilbey's yard Camden, what's left of the old Camden Morrison's car park and partially under the Euston railway line to Gloucester avenue are the Old Camden catacombs used for storage as was the storage pit under the Ice Wharf pub (take a guess what was stored there) Also opposite the ex-MTV studio's is newly opened redevelopment on the site of what was markets underneath which is another cavernous underground space approximately 6 stories deep that was originally intended to operate as a cinema, other oddities in Camden is the Rotunda complex which was the shaft for linking the Euston railway line to the current Northern line (but I'm sure that for another of your video's.
Superthanks; having actively requested an episode about Regents Canal learning that not only did you make it but have a second one in the pipeline - I'm as pleased as Punch.
The towpath along this stretch of canal is an excellent cycle route from Paddington, KIngs Cross towards Limehouse and if you carry on further you can pick up the the river Lee and carry on to North Herforshire.. The only bugbear is the Islington tunnel but if you plan your route beforhand it's no big deal. My advice to anyone wishing to cycle this route try avoid rush hour lots of pedistrians and other communiting cyclist. Cycle at a leisurly pace as there are many pedistrians and use your bell. Thanks Jago for a very informative video.
In your next video on the Regents Canal, you might like to tell us about the 400kV power cable that runs under the towpath - bringing much power to the London area. Here, they use the canal water to keep the cable cool. I know much things like this fascinate you!
Excellent 'heads-up'! That's fascinating, I'm reading up on it now, however:
[The Project
National Grid will start a two-year phased programme of essential works to remove old cables laid beneath the towpath of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and the Regent's Canal. As part of the works, waterways and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust has agreed with National Grid that the towpath surface will be upgraded and, where possible, widened to a minimum width of two metres.
The oil filled cables, which have reached the end of their useful life, are no longer needed to supply London and have been replaced by the now operational London Power Tunnels (LPT) a new network of electricity cable tunnels in the capital. The project was commissioned in 2018 and opened by HRH the Prince of Wales. Removal of the cables will help to safeguard the local environment and waterways from any potential damage in the future.]
[...]
canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/london-and-south-east/national-grid-cable-decommissioning-project
Los Angeles immediately comes to mind with a similar 'failing' of very high voltage buried cables that leaked dielectric oil, and had to be removed/replaced.
hackaday.com/2015/07/27/find-and-repair-a-230kv-800amp-oil-filled-power-cable-feels-like-mission-impossible/
One wonders if similar happened in London, and this is part of the story?
Using the water to cool the cable ?
Shocking, or it could be !!
I thought this was done quite often? - as it doesn’t really interrupt anything during construction.
You'd think they'd just run the cable up the canal!
One interesting thing about the Regents Canal is that there's a high voltage cable in the towpath. The canal water helps to keep the cable cool
Possibly out of use now as National Grid have deep tunnels under there now, to replace the ageing towpath cables 😕
Really interesting, I'll have to see this video again, and visit the canal
My father as boy in the 1930s lived near the junction at Regent's Park. He told me that one day he was watching a horse-drawn barge approach the junction. The horse stopped, waited for the barge to draw abreast, and stepped sideways onto the gunwale of the barge, which carried it across the side branch that they were not taking. On reaching the other side, the horse stepped off the barge and continued pulling, all without the bargee's intervention. A very experienced and intelligent horse, I've always felt.
High point of our visits to the zoo was a trip to Little Venice and back on pleasure boats. Is that still a thing?
Ta Jago. Nice one.
It is
Yes ran by London zoo, they have their own mooring area
I’m so glad that on my visit to London in August I took some time to visit both Regents Park (so beautiful) and the Regents Canal think there most be some significance to this semi-orbital canal - ‘you have made this the significance of my visit’!
Great video Jago, about a subject dear to my heart. A day spent cycling along the towpaths of the Regent’s Canal, Hertford Union and Lee Navigation is a truly wonderful way to see London!
Who, other than myself, remembers cruising this canal on the Jenny Wren. surely a worthy mention for this canal, and for many of us born in that area, our first taste of water travel.
Jago. Great history with what you do, well done and presented, however, the Jenny Wren would of hit a cord with many of us Cambden folks.
I worked for almost 6 years in the M&S head office at Paddington Basin before returning back to NZ in 2018, and 2-3 times a week during my lunch break, I'd either walk or run along the canal to Regents Park before heading back to Paddington. Used to be a sailing canal boat at Little Venice, which from memory was twice the size of normal canal boats?
My step-sister researched her family tree and most of her English patriarchs were named either Thomas or William - they were very popular names back then 😄
When I was younger, I read an old National Geographic article from the 70s about England’s canals. I’ve always been a bit fascinated by them since so These canal videos Jago drops now and then are always a pleasant surprise. Any chance you’ll ever do a collaboration with one of the UA-cam canal channels?
It’s an idea...
I remember that article. Except it wasn't an old National Geographic at the time! :D
When touring Granary Square, the guide told us that beer was transported on the canal until the winter of 1962, when it froze over. Trucks replaced the barges and that was an end to it.
I have walked most of The Regent's Canal and your account of it's construction and history was delightful and informative. I still wonder which route they walked the horses while passing through the Islington Tunnel.
Thanks, my late aunt,took myself & my sister on a birthday trip along Little Venice in the 60s, time me thinks to repeat this excursion
One more from me - canals being turned into railways was quite a thing back in the day. One particular one near me might make an interesting video. The Thames and Medway canal (between Strood and Gravesend - Kent) was built to cut the time taken to get from London to the Medway by avoiding the long journey round the Hoo peninsula. For most of its route it cuts through the Thames floodplain, so no locks and such. But for the final 3.5 km they had to tunnel under Strood hill - the second longest canal tunnel in the UK (and also the widest and highest, as it was designed to accommodate 60 tonne sailing barges - masts lowered!). Rather surprisingly, given the distance saved (70+ km), this canal never really prospered, as the designers forgot that both ends needed tidal locks, and these caused significant delays if you were unlucky with the tides. So the canal often didn't offer enough of an advantage to be worth the tolls. So when the railway came to North Kent, they saved themselves a few quid (the north Kent line is a nightmare of cuttings, embankments and bridges!) by negotiating the right to run trains through the tunnel. But they did this whilst the canal was still in use! Imagine you're half way through a 3.5 km tunnel in the pitch dark, when a steam hauled train goes screaming past just metres away! It must have felt like a scene from hell. After a while, the railway company purchased the whole canal, so the tunnel became entirely a railway tunnel, and the rest of the canal was left to rot (you can still see a great deal of it on the Higham to Gravesend section of the line). No doubt you know all this - and quite probably have already made a video of it!! But, just in case you didn't/haven't, it might be worth a look.
It also explains that odd sharp right-hand turn as the railway comes out of the tunnel - followed by the equally sharp left-hand turn to get over the Rochester bridge!
I'd love to learn more about Tom Rolt. How about a video on him, if you have a minute or three?
really good video Jago! absolutely can't get enough of all those views! you are so lucky to be able to walk all that, i am envious!
Seems to be that there where many problems building the canal.. well they should have had Yerkes on the job
Well, his plan to electrify the canals had many problems. And his idea of skimming off the top, had nothing to do with removing plant growth.
@@delurkor
I like it !!!
Sigh. As a Photographer I'm so sad that I'm stuck in Copenhagen, which I've pretty much emptied of great ideas 2 years ago,
when I would probably never run out great shots in London.
Oh well, it taught me to really dig in obscure corners and historical sources to the point, where other Photographers
come to me when they can't find a place or are looking for something to fit a theme.
Who knows - Perhaps that bit of "suffering" will turn out to have been a great Mentor when I finally DO get to London :)
In the meantime, many thanks for sharing your wonderful city and its history with us Jago.
look forward to the next video, nothing wrong with a few Pubs on route, love Pubs, love Beer..
YET ANOTHER fabulous one. I used to live on this canal as a cc'er. Felt pride at the fact that I could tell you where every single shot was. Beautiful canal, beautiful video. You might like the channel Foxes Afloat - I adore them, they're in my top three alongside you.
Good to see Tom Rolt acknowledged for his revival of the canals. I suspect he's far better known for starting the first of the rail preservation societies - I was a member of the TRPS for years before I knew he had previously been interested in canals. As you say, probably the most important person in the history of the industrial preservation movement. I assume you've read Railway Adventure, but if anyone reading this hasn't, it's well worth a read. Apart from its obvious interest, it's very well written and a superb (accidental) history of post-war, post- industrial Britain.
First time I've ever heard of De Beauvoir Town - or Beavertown, as it was apparently sometimes called - subject of a future video perhaps?
Me too and I used to live in the borough. We always pronounced it the French way. I grew up in Leicestershire near Belvoir Castle, which is only pronounced "beaver castle".
Don't know if this has been spotted already, but one slight error: Narrow Boat is about Rolt's travels with his first wife, Angela, on board Cressy. Sonia was his second wife, who had previously been married to a working boatman, George Smith whom she met while working as a wartime volunteer. She was a remarkable woman in her own right, being involved in all sorts of transport and building preservation. Otherwise great stuff and full of interesting details.
Thanks, was about to point this out but you got there first :)
A fascinating "alternative" video to your usual railway/Tube "fare" Jago - most welcome 😎 👍👍
In 2006--07, our son and his new ex-Chesterfield wife were living in Macclesfield. Over from "the colonies" (NZ) as one slightly? drunk business man on the to-Yeovil train put it... we stayed 2 weeks in "silk town" and walked one day along the canal to Bollington and slightly further..we were even invited on board one of the narrow boats by the owner to see how it all worked. At the largest mill site in Macclesfield, not far along from the "Puss in Boots" pub ( is it still in operation?) there is a lovely little collection of moored boats, from the tiny "Fly" to others quite more majestic.
A further video on this would be very interesting. Born on London, know the Grand Union fairly well (just geography, not boating) but am totally unaware of the Regents Canal East of Regents Park
I skipped over this one at the time but I'm certainly glad I gave it another chance - this is an exceptionally good example of your already very impressive collection. I enjoyed watching immensely and I'm looking forward to hearing about the studio and pub and, I hope, much else. Thank you so much for all the effort you invest in your videos.
Get them videos done....I'm off for three weeks and need, nay....demand to be entertained! 😉😆😂
There's some rather nice canal boats out there....👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
I love when you do infrastructure and architecture topics!
Fantastic stuff, Jago. In all my times visiting London, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen any of the canals!
Some “interesting” architecture along the route:
3:15 - what in the name of everything that is holy is that?
6:50 - who knew converting multi-storey car parks into flats was a thing?
The walk from Paddington to Camden Lock along the canal is one of my favourites when I visit London
@3:15 It was probably by mistake that the winner of an architecture competition had his design built. 😁
MrGreatplum
You'd better visit them quickly before they're cancelled !!!
@@simonwinter8839 - oh dear - I hadn’t spotted that!🤦♂️
Best go and change that!
@@MrGreatplum
Any money you like your spellchecker changed it.
Sometimes mine changes what I've written with halitosis results.
Thank you , my uncomplicated Host for another interesting tale!
Visited London yesterday and had a nice trundle along the Regent's Canal (going in the opposite direction). Looking forward to seeing the loose part two...
Such familiar scenes. The role of the canal towpaths in London’s social and industrial history would make another good subject for a video.
Just for the record, "unbelievably long" is about a eighteen hours in my book.
I lived in London for 12 years and never toured the canal - thank you for making it possible 🙂