Dive into the narrow boats while exploring the interesting exhibits and activities offered by the London Canal Museum.
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London Canal Museum : article summary
A brief history of the London Canal Museum
The history of the Canal Museum dates back to its opening in 1992. The aim of this establishment is to preserving London's canal heritage.
Housed in a former ice warehouse built between 1862 and 1863, the Museum building has its own history.
Today, the museum is the only one of its kind in London. to the city's inland waterways.
A Victorian ice warehouse
The London Canal Museum is housed in a building of great historical significance. Originally built for the famous ice-cream manufacturer Carlo Gatti, it was used to store ice imported from Norway. It still boasts two well-preserved ice shafts beneath its foundations.
One of the shafts is open to the public, offering a unique opportunity to see the vast underground storage facilities that were vital to the ice trade in the 19th century.
London Canal Museum: exhibitions and attractions
The museum's centerpiece is the Butty Coronis. With its authentic reconstructed barge cabin, visitors can marvel at the cramped conditions in which a family of six might have lived.
What are the opening hours?
You can visit us on site:
- Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The London Canal Museum
There are exhibitions of canal art and Measham pottery, renowned for their beauty and strong association with canals and their workers.
The story of London's canals, the people who worked and lived on the boats and the horses that pulled their boats is told. There is an archive film on a 1924 journey through London on the Regent's Canal.
The tug "Pusher Bantam IV from 1949 is moored outside. There is also space for short-term moorings for visitors arriving by boat.
Carlo Gatti and the ice business
One of the London Canal Museum's main exhibitions highlights the story of Carlo Gatti, an ice cream maker and the flourishing ice cream trade in the 19th century.
Visitors can explore transportation methods, the difficulties faced by the ice industry and innovative solutions used to preserve and store ice.
London Canal Museum: museum facilities
The museum extends over two floors, and there's a dock outside where you can see the tug Bantam IV.
Most visitors take between one and two hours to visit. The museum doesn't have a café, although there are plenty nearby. Drinks and ice cream are available in the museum store.
The Museum offers a program of evening lectures on waterway topics and other special events throughout the year.
There is a museum store selling a range of canal-related souvenirs and a good selection of books. on waterway-related themes.
The Regent's Canal: a vital waterway
The Regent's Canal was an important transport route in London's history, enabling the movement of goods and people across the city.
The London Canal Museum presents the canal's rich history, its technical prowess and its influence on the city's growth.
What's more, the charming Battlebridge Basin, accessible from the rear of the museum, offers an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the canal landscape and surrounding environment.
London Canal museum: attractions all along the canal
The canal towpaths are ideal for strolling. Heading west, you'll reach the bustling market town of Camden with its wide range of original stalls.
Even further afield are Little Venice and Regents Park, home to London Zoo. Heading east, you'll reach Canary Wharfhome to the London Docklands Museum.
You can also discover the canal from the water itself. You can hire a boat for the day without a driver, or take a skippered boat trip.
The London Canal museum is the perfect place to discover life around London's canal. A a compulsory detour during your stay in the English capital.
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