Two Museums for the Price of One
The London Canal Museum is in New Wharf Road, N1, a 10 minute walk from King’s Cross Station. The Victorian building was for many years the premises of immigrant entrepreneur Carlo Gatti, who ran the largest ice supply company in London. Many tons of ice blocks were stored in subterranean “ice wells” and distributed all around the capital by Gatti’s fleet of carts, and later, trucks. Much of the ground floor of the museum is devoted to the history of the London ice business and Gatti’s operation in particular.
The remainder of the two storey building is given over to the history of England’s canals, with particular attention to the systems around London. There is a fabulous large scale map as you enter the first floor space that details all of the capital’s waterways. Various displays tell you about every aspect of the history and workings of the canal systems with very close attention to those who worked on it – bargees and their wives and children; lock-keepers; the horses. In particular the horses. There is a fine display devoted to these beasts and all the attendant paraphernalia and support systems – stables, farriers, vet services and so on.
Of particular interest – to me at any rate – is the story of the Macclesfield Bridge explosion of 2 October 1874, when the barge Tilbury, carrying a mixed load of gunpowder and petrol, ignited just as it passed under a rather fetching bridge on the Regent’s Canal near London Zoo. The bridge was utterly destroyed and needless to report, the crew perished.
A most enjoyable diversion is the audio visual display which features a number of newsreel and features about the Regent’s Canal from 1924 to the late 1940s. Wonderful to see the canal-side sights of north London during these decades. The commentary on the most recent of these clips has that wonderful mildly patronising Harry Enfield-Paul Whitehouse quality about it, where the bargee’s horse is naturally called Dobbin.
The museum backs on to the Battlebridge Basin, in former times surrounded by industrial warehouses and wharfs, but now – as with most of London’s waterways – populated by modern flats and offices. But the basin itself is populated by many barges and of special interest the museum’s own “bantam” tug from 1949-50.
I have mentioned elsewhere how one gets a satisfying sense of history and nostalgia from museums which celebrate industrial heritage and transportation, Kew Bridge Steam Museum and the London Transport Museum’s Acton depot being good examples. The London Canal Museum is very much one of these. It is very family-friendly with plenty to amuse the young, and I warmly recommend it. Entry is £4 adult and £2 children.
Evidence of the ‘Tilbury’ incident can still be seen near the Zoo on the iron pillars of the rebuilt Macclesfield Bridge. These have deep grooves worn in them by the tow-ropes – a not uncommon feature on old canalside bridges – although curiously these appear to be on the wrong side of the pillars. The reason for this is that following the explosion the decision was taken to erect the pillars the other way round in order to even up the wear. Interestingly, if erhaps unsurprisingly given what little use is made of the canal these days, most Londoners, even those living in the area, seem never to have heard of Macclesfield Bridge – when I wrote about it in my book TUNNELS, TOWERS AND TEMPLES I had numerous emails asking me where it was, and whether I had the name right – nor indeed of the nickname given it by boaters: Blow-Up Bridge.
Thanks for fleshing that out. The display has an excellent front page from Illustrated London News, 5 October 1874, with one of those dramatic artist’s recreations of the incident.
I agree that museums are one of our treasures, providing entertainment as well as education in a sugared pill, so to speak. The Canal Museum, which we visited a while back, is a good example and we should be duly grateful for them and the usually low entrance fee (quite often £0!) that is charged.
I am one of those to whom the bridge explosion is news. It’s good that these events are so often brought up in books and on blogs so that we can “discover” them and reduce our ignorance a little!
I have often observed the above mentioned grooves along the canal tow paths. They are a moving reminder of times past when people led lives rather different from ours. Looking at the grooves, you feel as if the bargee and his horse have only just turned the corner and passed out of sight. We went for a ride on a horse-drawn barge a while back and that gave me some small insight into that form of transport.
I also look out for hoists like the one in your post. Many are still in place on the fronts of old buildings where they were once in daily use but today serve as mementos of London’s past.
Children must be taken to places such as this, how dont know, I took my children to ever one I could, glad to say my grandchildren are being take now by their parents.
I have added this to my List of Places to Visit on my next trip to the UK. Thanks!