 The
London Canal Museum is housed in a building which was built in
the 1860's as an ice warehouse adjoining Battlebridge basin on
the Regent's Canal.
It was built for Carlo Gatti, who imported
natural ice in bulk from the Norwegian fiords, by ship and then
along the canal. Two huge ice wells beneath the building have
been partially excavated and one of them may be seen from a
viewing gallery above. They are the only commercial ice wells in
preservation.
Centrepiece of the museum, which is on two
floors, is the butty Coronis, with its reconstructed
authentic cabin into which visitors can go, to marvel at the
cramped conditions in which a family of six might have lived.
There are displays of canal art, and of Measham pottery which is
renowned for its beauty and its strong association with the
canals and their workers. The story of London's canals, the
people who worked and lived on the boats, and the horses which
pulled their boats is told, and we take you back to 1924 with
our video of archive film of a journey through London on the
Regent's Canal. The 1949 "Pusher" tug Bantam IV is moored
outside, where there is also room for short term moorings for
visitors arriving by boat. |
Ice
is a second theme to the museum and as well as the story
of the trade in natural ice, which died out after the first
world war, the museum has an exhibition on the history of ice
cream, which was popularised by Gatti who made it using the
cheap bulk supplies of ice. Visitors can stand where horses used
to live, for after the decline of the ice trade the building
became a cart depot for ice delivery carts whose horses were
stabled on the first floor, reaching it via a horse ramp which
may still be seen. The Museum has a
programme of evening talks on waterway related topics and other
special events throughout the year. There is a museum shop
selling a range of canal related souvenirs and a good choice of
books on waterway themes. Opening hours are 10.00-16.30 Tuesday
to Sunday, plus Bank Holiday Mondays, and admission is £3.00 for
adults with half price entry for children aged 8-15 inclusive,
£2.00 for Senior Citizens, Students, and the unwaged (with
identity).
(Graphics and information courtesy of The
Canal Museum Trust) |
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The
London Canal Museum is just five minutes walk from
London's Kings Cross Station and is easily reached by
train, Underground, and bus.
From the front of Kings Cross Station, facing the
station entrance, take the road alongside the station to
your right, York Way. After a couple of minutes walk
turn right at the traffic island into Wharfdale Road.
You will soon then come to New Wharf Road on your left,
which is the road in which the museum is situated, a
little way down on the left. If arriving by boat,
Battlebridge Basin is between St. Pancras Lock and
Islington Tunnel.
For more information see their website
http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk or telephone
(020) 7713 0836. |
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