Back in time: 150 years of history inside the museum

TAKE a stroll down the Regent’s Canal on a sunny spring day and you will see people walking, cycling and running through one of north London’s most treasured leisure spots.

But historically this canal held a different type of significance for the city. For more than 150 years Regent’s Canal was a vital industrial artery in London’s sprawling canal network, helping to transfer essential building materials to the ever-expanding city. At its peak, the city’s canal network stretched for 4,000 miles.

Since 1992 the London Canal Museum has helped to unearth the stories of the Regent’s Canal and the wider canal network, celebrating the marvellous history of the capital’s waterway infrastructure.

The museum relies on its passionate and knowledgeable volunteers who tell the stories of the engineers, navvies and everyday Londoners who built the network.

As a self-funded, independent charity, the museum is kept alive by kind donations from its visitors. But tomorrow (Saturday), the Victorian site near King’s Cross will be running a “Community Open Day”, where everybody and anybody can visit the museum for free.

Donations on the day are welcome, but not obligatory. The museum believes that learning about our city’s waterways should be accessible to everyone.

The London Canal Museum is in Wharf Road, N1 9R, and will be open on March 28 from 10pm-4.30pm. Entry free.