Exhibition: The East End's Regent's Canal Heritage

The Regent’s and Hertford Union Canals have provided work, rest and play to East Enders for almost 200 years. While the water, locks, towpaths, and appeal to local people remain a constant, there have been big changes alongside. Few historic buildings remain and these are too often at risk. Laburnum Boat Club, supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, has been gathering stories, photos, articles and information about the Hertford Union Canal and the East End reach of The Regent’s Canal.

East London’s canals were once a centre for manufacturing, especially from timber, due to their proximity to the docks through which much of the wood was imported. The memories of local people, many of them still living, portray a lost world of industrial London in which the canals played a central part. It was also a world of comradeship, hard times, and sometimes of dishonesty and danger.

Material from the Laburnum Boat Club project has been redisplayed in this exhibition by London Canal Museum. This is the third and last exhibition arising from the Laburnum Boat Club project. Previous exhibitions covered the Hackney area and the Hertford Union Canal.