Regent’s Canal Ramble: King’s Cross To Limehouse

Regent’s Canal opened in 1820 and for much of its history the canal was a thoroughfare for goods, connecting up London and the Thames with the canal network leading to the industrial North. Coal was the star of the show in the Victorian period and the canal played an important role in feeding the fires of London.

The canal is now a perfect spot for a leisurely walk, a haven for wildlife and, most importantly for this blog, there is loads of history to see as you toddle along the towpath. This walk will cover the King’s Cross to Limehouse section of the walk. Click the photo below to read the Little Venice to King’s Cross half!

Islington Tunnel

So this walk rather awkwardly starts with the only section that you can’t actually walk along but hey ho. The Islington tunnel is the longest such tunnel in London and runs for 878 metres underneath Angel.

Until a steam chain tug was introduced, this whole length amazingly would have to be ‘legged’. This involved the boat men lying on their backs, feet on the ceiling or walls and literally walking it through the tunnel. Not one for the claustrophobic or weak legged it sounds like. This is actually where we get the term ‘legging it’ from!

25 Noel Road

Look out for the small blue circular plaques which will lead the way to the next section of the canal! There are lots of cool historical things to see in Angel should you fancy it but there is one particularly tragic spot.

On the top level of one of the Georgian terraced houses at 25 Noel Road is a plaque to the playwright Joe Orton. An open homosexual at a time when homosexuality was illegal, Joe lived here from 1960-1967 with his lover Kenneth Halliwell.

Joe specialised in black and often scandalous comedies and from 1964-1967 his career suddenly took off. Kenneth on the other hand fell into a deeply unstable depression spurred on by jealousy and his partner’s promiscuity. He bludgeoned Joe to death with a hammer in the flat in 1967 and took his own life by overdosing on sleeping pills. Halliwell died first and in his suicide note said ‘If you read his diary, all will be explained’ referring to Orton’s sexual encounters with other men.

The Haggerston Shark

The Regent’s canal has sharks! Well, now only one shark… because of a council injunction. Let me explain. The Architecture Foundation have an annual competition for an art installation on the canal. The winner in 2020 was Jamie Shorten who’s idea was to have five fibreglass sharks coming out of the canal that sang and gave lectures on architecture and urbanism.

I’m sorry but what an absolutely hilarious and brilliant idea. Unfortunately, the council didn’t think so and on the day they were installed took out an injunction against them for violating planning laws. You can now see one shark in Jaws-esque style breaking through the bars in the side of the building just after Haggerston Bridge.

Victoria Park- The Chinese Pagoda

After a short walk the canal runs along the edge of Victoria Park or Vicky Park/the People’s Park as it is known by locals. Victoria Park is a really lovely interesting park, with a great Sunday market with street food and music. There are also lots of curiosities to seek out. One of which is the Chinese Pagoda. This is actually a replica of one that started life at the entrance to the Chinese exhibition in Hyde Park in 1842 and was then purchased for Victoria Park. The park acted as an anti-aircraft base during the Second World War and unfortunately the pagoda sustained a lot of damage. It fell into disrepair before being demolished in 1956. The current edition was built in 2010 partly in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Look out for the amazing sculptures in the lake!

The Dogs of Alcibiades

Another pup-ular (sorry) spot in the park are the two dog statues known as the Dogs of Alcibiades. These are replicas of statues installed in 1912 either side of the gate into the park, donated by a Lady Aignarth.

The reason for the dramatic name is that they were based on an ancient Greek sculpture of a dog belonging to a Athenian statesman and friend of Socrates: Alcibiades. There is a local myth that one of the statues is of a dog that saved a girl from drowning the park but this is sadly untrue.

Ragged School Museum

A ragged school was a 19th century charity that gave free education to impoverished children. The ragged school on this site was set up by a Dr Thomas Barnado, an Irish immigrant who was shocked by the high levels of poverty in London. It opened in 1867 and was the largest in London serving 10,000s students. It closed in 1908 when there were enough funds for sufficient government funded schools. Barnado’s is still going and is the largest children’s charity in terms of expenditure in the country.

The Ragged School Museum has a mock Victorian East end classroom and kitchen so that you can experience what life would have been like for the poor of this period. You can find out more here.

Mile End Park

Mile End park was created on land devastated by WW2 bombs. The East End was target A due to its industry, docks and importance in the supply chain to the rest of the country. It was one of the main hubs for imports.

Look out for the signs of this area’s industrial past, such as the lone brick chimney that was apparently a sewer vent outlet (glamorous). There are also metal sculptures of the horses and people that would have worked in this area in the industrial age.

Below is a photo of the Salmon Lane lock cottage. Built in the 1860s, it is one of the best preserved on the canal.

Limehouse Basin

And finally you come to the Limehouse Basin! It used to be known as Regent’s Canal Dock and would have been where ships would unload their cargo onto canalboats to be sent up the canal. now, as with the rest of the canal, it has been turned to leisure uses and is a lovely marina.

If you fancy a drink after all that walking, I can recommend the Grapes. It is very historic, having been there for nearly 500 years and is near the spot where Sir Walter Raleigh set off for his third trip to the New World. It is also owned now by a certain famous actor: Sir Ian McKellen!

I hope you enjoyed the ramble. Let me know what you thought in the comments.

Here’s another walk you may enjoy!

Click below for more of London’s living history!