Category: Barging Through Islington
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London’s Hidden Waterway: Regent’s Canal
Once described as ‘London’s Hidden Waterway’, 2020 celebrates the bicentenary of the Regent’s Canal’s full opening on 1 August 1820. The canal played an integral role in Islington, and north London, serving the local industries and businesses for nearly 150 years. Although passing through a well-populated area, much of the…
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More Changes Over Time: Regent’s Canal
Much of the Regent’s Canal has changed over 200 years. The following images compare scenes from around the canal at different points in history. Wenlock Basin was at the cutting edge of telecommunications in 1846, when the Gutta Percha (a tree gum like rubber) Company made thetwenty nine miles of…
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Regent’s Canal Photo Quiz
Test your knowledge of the Regent’s Canal with this photo quiz! Want to know the answers? Take a peak below: This quiz is from Barging Through Islington: 200 Years of the Regent’s Canal, an exhibition exploring the two century history of the Regent’s Canal.
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A Timeline of the Regent’s Canal
Since opening on 1 August 1820, the Regent’s Canal has been a waterway for industry, sport and leisure. Take a look below at how the canal has developed over its two-century history. This timeline is from Barging Through Islington: 200 Years of the Regent’s Canal, an exhibition exploring the two…
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Hollywood by the Canal: A brief history of Islington and Gainsborough Studios
One hundred years ago, in November 1920, Islington film studios trade-screened its first movie, The Great Day. While the film was not a critical success, it marked the beginning of a distinguished 30-year production run. For those three decades Islington Studios, and then as Gainsborough Studios, produced some of Britain’s…
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Engineering Islington Tunnel
The Islington Tunnel, arguably the main architectural and engineering feature of the Regent’s Canal, was designed and engineered by James Morgan. Morgan was born on 9 March 1774 in Wales and was employed in his early 20’s as an assistant to the famous Regency architect John Nash. In 1806 Nash…
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The Icy Past of Regent’s Canal
Prior to refrigeration, ice from the Regent’s Canal was integral to Islington’s businesses for food preservation, particularly to meat, fish and dairy merchants. Ice also played and important role in hospitals where it was in use to relieve inflammation. It was a difficult product to gather and store in the…
Friends of Islington Museum 