London Canal Museum
Encyclopedia
London Canal Museum in the King's Cross area of London
, England
, is a regional museum that displays information about the history of London's canals.
. The building was constructed around 1860 to house ice imported from Norway
by ship and canal barge. There are two preserved ice wells under the building, one of which may be viewed from the public area of the museum. The museum is independent, self funded and a registered charity. It is run and managed almost completely by volunteers. It is often used as a venue for private functions out of opening hours.which provides income to support it.
, on the Regent's Canal
. Battlebridge Basin is accessible from the rear of the museum. The nearest bus stop is on Wharfdale Road, where routes 17, 91, and 259 northbound, and route 390 southbound, stop. It is a five-minute walk to King's Cross London Underground station.
The museum has regular temporary exhibitions that change about twice a year. Oral history from the museum's own collection is used to complement the exhibitions with "listening posts" covering several topics being situated around the building. These are labelled in Braille as well as having conventional signage.
and Halloween events. In September 2010 the museum took part in Open House London
during which admission was free. The museum runs an educational programme with local school groups. Each summer the Mikron Theatre company performs at the museum for one or two nights during a tour by narrowboat.
The museum sponsors two boats at the National Waterways Museum
that are part of the national collection. LCM provides financial support to the Boat Museum Society, a voluntary body which works with the NWM on the restoration and maintenance of historic boats. The two boats sponsored by London Canal Museum are Ferrett and Ilkeston.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is a regional museum that displays information about the history of London's canals.
History
The museum was opened in 1992. It is housed in a Victorian ice warehouse that was used by Carlo GattiCarlo Gatti
Carlo Gatti was a Swiss entrepreneur in the Victorian era. He came to England in 1847, where he established restaurants and an ice importing business. He is credited with first making ice cream available to the general public. He moved into music halls. He returned to Switzerland in 1871, leaving...
. The building was constructed around 1860 to house ice imported from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
by ship and canal barge. There are two preserved ice wells under the building, one of which may be viewed from the public area of the museum. The museum is independent, self funded and a registered charity. It is run and managed almost completely by volunteers. It is often used as a venue for private functions out of opening hours.which provides income to support it.
Location
The museum is situated in the King's Cross area of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on the Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....
. Battlebridge Basin is accessible from the rear of the museum. The nearest bus stop is on Wharfdale Road, where routes 17, 91, and 259 northbound, and route 390 southbound, stop. It is a five-minute walk to King's Cross London Underground station.
Exhibitions
The exhibitions cover the following topics:- introduction to UK waterways
- canal life (social history)
- canal art
- lifting and handling cargo
- the ice trade
- canal craft
- working horses on the canals and the streets
- the Regent's Canal
- large scale historical map of London's canals
- water and locks
- the museum's Bantam Tug
- Water and Locks, an exhibition about canal engineering and water supply, opened by H.R.H. The Princess Royal in October 2010
The museum has regular temporary exhibitions that change about twice a year. Oral history from the museum's own collection is used to complement the exhibitions with "listening posts" covering several topics being situated around the building. These are labelled in Braille as well as having conventional signage.
Activities
The museum runs monthly evening illustrated talks, summer activities for families, guided towpath walks, guided trips through the Islington TunnelIslington Tunnel
The Islington Tunnel carries the Regent's Canal Arm of the Grand Union Canal for 976 yards underneath the Angel area of Islington, London. The two other tunnels on the Regent's Canal are Eyre's tunnel and Maida Hill Tunnel....
and Halloween events. In September 2010 the museum took part in Open House London
Open House London
Open House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public. It organises tours, lectures, educational projects for children and so on, but it is best known for Open House Weekend, a two-day event which takes place on one weekend each September throughout...
during which admission was free. The museum runs an educational programme with local school groups. Each summer the Mikron Theatre company performs at the museum for one or two nights during a tour by narrowboat.
The museum sponsors two boats at the National Waterways Museum
National Waterways Museum
The National Waterways Museum holds the inland waterways collection at three museum sites in England: Gloucester, Ellesmere Port, and Stoke Bruerne....
that are part of the national collection. LCM provides financial support to the Boat Museum Society, a voluntary body which works with the NWM on the restoration and maintenance of historic boats. The two boats sponsored by London Canal Museum are Ferrett and Ilkeston.