London Canal Museum

Transport museum in London, England

51°32′02″N 0°07′13″W / 51.5339°N 0.1204°W / 51.5339; -0.1204TypeTransport museumVisitors20,000ChairpersonMartin SachPublic transit access

King's Cross St Pancras

King's Cross

St PancrasWebsitecanalmuseum.org.uk

London Canal Museum in the King's Cross area of London, England, is a regional museum devoted to the history of London's canals.

History

The museum was opened in 1992.^[1] It is housed in a Victorian ice warehouse that was used by Carlo Gatti.^[2] The building was constructed between 1862 and 1863 to house ice imported from Norway by ship and canal barge.^[2] There are two preserved ice wells under the building, one of which may be viewed from the public area of the museum.^[3]

Exhibitions and activities

The museum covers all aspects of the UK's waterways. The main exhibitions in the museum cover the following topics:

Carlo Gatti and the ice trade
Social history of canal workers
Lifting and handling
The decorative arts of the canals known as "roses and castles"
Water and Locks - canal engineering
Boats and Cargoes
Methods of traction by horses, internal combustion engines, and miniature tractors
History of the London canals

The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions on canal related subjects

The museum runs guided trips on its 12 seater trip boat Long Tom on Thursdays Fridays and Sundays , plus selected Wednesdays Easter To October. These trips include 50 minute return trips through the Islington Tunnel and longer return trips to Little Venice and Victoria Park.^[4]

In addition the museum sponsors two boats at the National Waterways Museum, Ferret and Ilkeston, that are part of the national collection.^[5]

Location

The museum is situated in the King's Cross area of London, on the Regent's Canal. Battlebridge Basin is accessible from the rear of the museum. It is a five-minute walk to King's Cross St Pancras tube station.^[6]

References

^ "The Regent's Canal". London Canal Museum. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
^ ^a ^b "The Canal Museum". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
^ "The Ice Wells: Underground ice storage wells". London Canal Museum. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^ "What's on". London Canal Museum. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
^ "Sponsorship of historic boats". London Canal Museum. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
^ "Find us". London Canal Museum. Retrieved 9 February 2014.