@@whitewittock lol no, it's my home! There are fuel boats that ply the waterways that will supply diesel, gas, wood, coal and possibly other stuff. But I don't do that! I was just out for a cruise
Hi Jago, a little bit of information that you might find useful!. In the late 1950's my father presented a paper to the Central Electricity Generating Board ( CEGB) for whom he worked. Peyton Watson, my father, was tasked with finger a way to transport electricity from outside London to the newly proposed substation in Hackney, the old site of the Clapton Greyhound Stadium, incidentally where my Auntie Elsie had worked. The old lad, knew London well and spotted the route along the Regents Canal where the towpaths were in dreadful condition. He managed convince the powers to purchase the towpaths, whereupon, they were refurbished into good condition with high voltage lines under the paths using the flow of the water providing the necessary cooling. Walking along these towpath, you might have spotted that there are concrete cover on the with the Logo "CEGB" on them! That's why! Julian
Hence Agar Grove, another mystery solved. Chaining the Islington steam tug to the roof of the tunnel is completely understandable if you've ever parked your bicycle in the borough.
I read of something similar actually happening. I was part of a group that volunteered at a railway museum and I found the locomotive's throttle chained closed. Apparently, one weekend while sitting with the fire banked overnight, some teenagers drove the engine down the line until it ran out of steam, then abandoned it there.
The description of labour shortages of boatmen because it was viewed as undesirable hard work where you might end up anywhere and difficult to have a family with, seems to have a bit of a parallel today with the issue of HGV lorry driver shortages in the UK.
It makes me miss London, this. I'm in Edinburgh now; we have a Union Canal and a very pleasant walk that is. Well, beside it, it would be a bit damp trying to walk on it.
Yet another captivating piece from the ever-informative Mr H. So absolutely packed with information that I shall have to enjoy it several times to ensure that I absorb it all. What a delightful prospect. Thank you, Mr H Simon T
In New Orleans, some tour guides and cab drivers would claim that N.O. has more canals than Venice or Amsterdam. Unfortunately they're all drainage as far as I know: probably a necessity when your city sits below sea level. Wasn't always the case however; Basin St. sits on the site of a former turning basin, and on the former site of another there's a huge Celtic Cross monument set up in the memory of all the Irishmen who died digging it (Yellow fever, I think). Ironically though, New Orleans' Canal St., the closest thing they have to a main street, was never an actual canal. I'm all in on a canal expansion to a railway channel!
In Syracuse, New York is Erie Boulevard that cuts through the middle of town. It is where the Erie canal used to be and I've seen pictures of the canal, taken in around 1900 that shows two buildings on either side of the canal right downtown. Those buildings are still there only the boulevard is in between them now. The canal was replaced by the New York State Barge Canal that was supposed to be for freight but was never used as such (to my knowledge) and is now for leisure boating, not there's much of that. I've never seen many boats in the canal but you can go from Albany to Buffalo by boat if you want.
In vague connectedness.... the Basin Reserve in Wellington (NZ)-- site of a much hallowed cricket ground-- has such an odd name it seems until you know that in the early days of settlement, the harbour did actually stretch that far south and presumably boats moored there. Now, hundreds of metres from sea water.
Birmingham, England, has more canals than Venice because it "has" canals outside the area it actually occupies. I'm sure a city which spreads out as American cities do might well have more canals than Venice. A canal being built for drainage is not necessarily an obstacle to its inclusion. There are 2 large networks of such navigable drainage canals in Britain: the Middle Level Navigations and the Witham Navigable Drains. They're both in the east, in the very flat country near the Wash.
Lived on the canal for over eight years now. This was a fascinating, concise yet in-depth look at the Regents canal. Whenever I see the rope marks/groves as shown at about 29 seconds in I can’t help but wonder how many tow horses must have walked past. Thanks for making it. Instant share.
That is a fascinating story. I'm surprised that the canals were economic right through the railway boom as well. There are certain parallels to the aging HGV driver population and the current drama happening at petrol stations, except then there were alternatives.
I don't think there are parallels with the HGV driver crisis: it is the same story. The only difference is that lorry drivers have never been able to take their families with them.
For using lorry drivers crisis using the canals for the crisis wouldn't work sadly there's no oscillot for the canal the goods do you remember in the Olympics 2012 when conservative mayor Boris Johnson was saying they were used barges for building at the Olympics end of the village and they didn't use The Barge or canal tool hardly at all cos even now Stratford City is quite ugly with all those tower blocks it hasn't have a community spirit to it but it's still sort of nice to go shopping in eat and meet people
@@markhylton7278 The reference to oscillot I found was a cat proof fence, not sure what you mean. Presume the main issue with barges is that goods were transported in barrels and sacks and not on pallets like they are now.
L.T.C. Rolt was an interesting person. Among many other things he wrote Red for Danger. Which even today is the standard text on why & how rail accidents happen.
As always, "I'm doing something a little bit different today" is Jago-speak for "This is not the usual good video I put out. This is even better". BTW, nice to see Disco Volante parked along the canal. I wonder if it's still owned by SPECTRE.
But...but... Sir... I thought that *'Disco Volante'* was (or rather the front half of it...) was destroyed when it hit the reef, killing Emillio Largo in the process?
Take it from me. DO NOT WALK THE CANAL AT NIGHT. I work as a specialist investigator for the Met. Many muggings happen at night, as the canal gives easy pickings and an easy escape route for muggers on bikes.
Says a lot about London, pity that areas can’t be better protected and possibly closed off at night to prevent through rotes and safe areas for boaters. Perhaps follow the Liverpool 1 area and employ private security as an option. More CCTV also along the route gates / posts to prevent cycles from easily using the route at night.
@@simonwinter8839 it appears that there are two Colin Gs on here ,I am the original but I get the results of the crap he puts on here,I did reply to this post but suggested they put police patrols there to catch the offenders .
@@coling7819 although the uk government has said it intends to recruit 20,000 new officers that would increase police number to level still below the 21,000 that the government austerity cuts removed from the strength during Osborne’s tenure as conservative chancellor.
Nice to hear the shout-out to Tom Rolt. Without him much less interesting stuff would have been preserved. Something like the IWA would have come into being and we'd have heritage railways, but he was only just in time with both; another five years in each case and an awful lot of canals and railways would have gone for good.
Ain’t this the truth. A vital case of cometh the hour, cometh the man, and also the right man (and his equally interesting wives Angela and Sonia) in the right place at the right time. That’s enough pithy epithets for now.
Another tale of when I worked in London all those years ago. One lunchtime I walked up to Old Street tube and just walked northwards up City Road towards Islington, and 10 - 15 mins later found a canal ! City Road basin in actual fact, bearing in mind that was early to mid 1970's and there was no google, but luckily, there was Bert who worked in there post room and a local of the area, he clued me up about the canal and where it went to. That's the thing about working in and around the City of London, the history, the infrastructure, seen and out of sight. There was much there, sometimes in sight and sometimes hidden and sometimes 5 mins up the road and around that next corner
What a fantastic little video! As someone who lived on a boat in London for years, i was so happy to hear all the history stated accurately and succinctly. For anyone interested in the working lives of the Idle Women, I recommend two books on that subject by the Idle Women themselves. "Idle Women" by Susan Woolfit, and "Maidens' Trip" by Emma Smith are accounts of the wartime adventures of two women recruited to work these boats. I would also recommend anyone interested in London canals to attend the Cavalcade event, on the May Bank Holiday at Little Venice. It has been cancelled this past two years because of the pandemic, but we are working to get it up and running again in 2022. And of course the Canal Museum at Battlebridge Basin, behind Kings Cross Station is a must! Its sad to see all that green algae on the water. It doesn't happen when the waterways are busy. The years leading up to the 2012 Olympics were the cleanest the water has been, and I am sure that was due to the fact that so many boats were moving heavy building materials to the site. Since all that traffic went away, its lost its sparkle, and now its just plain dirty.
Before I visit London next time, I plan to review your videos for so that I can make list of places to see. I like your sense of humor and the amazing information you present.
You've just reminded me what a beautiful country we have here, that I live in a village and that it's a sunny, Autumn afternoon. For all these reasons, and more, I'm off to the pub for a pint & a toasty! Ta Ra!
@@simonwinter8839 I think cargy's was the best. I didnt realy have much to say about canals in london alas. Been watching John Rodgers walk the Roding which has now gained some mooring spots after many years.
@@highpath4776 That must be the River Roding you're referring to. I remember as a kid riding on a (then) new Victoria line train that was being tested on the Woodford - Hainault branch of the Central line.In those days this section ran independently from the main part of the Central line. I remember the train slowing right down as we crossed the Roding and there were people wading in the river apparently fishing. Happy days !!
For my 7th birthday, in the long hot summer of 1976, we went to London Zoo. We travelled to London on the train, getting off at Paddington. From there we took a boat ride along Regents Canal to the Zoo, getting off just before the canal takes a sharp turn northwards. That was one of the most memorable days of my life. However on that day, just where the canal turns north, there was a large Mississippi-style paddle steamer moored in the corner. I found it really very spooky. It appeared to have been abandoned quite some time before, it was completely deserted and the deck was very low indeed to the water. It looked like it would either sink or collapse from rot or both at any second so I couldn't wait to get to dry land. Does anyone know anything about it?
I’m absolutely astonished as to how much information you imparted in a fairly short time, and how much research you must have carried out to prepare for it.
Thank you, Mr. Hazzard! Having lived aboard a narrowboat for eight years - part of which was spent at moorings along the Paddington Arm of the G.U. - I really enjoyed this and look forward to Part 2!
Mr Agar may have had other motives to his actions. There’s an infilled spur at Primrose hill Regents Park basin (a floating Chinese restaurant junk is moored there), that went south easterly parallel to Prince Albert Rd (now a car park) under a bridge and down Albany St (park village E) to serve Regents Park military barracks. This could also be part of a lost London river?
Nicely Navigated, Master Jago. What a hideous sight at 3:15. Looks like a human Battery Farm or a prison! Otherwise a picturesque meander, quite beautifully shot. More please!
Regrettably, some people "wont 2 show thy kan rite", usually on someone else's property. Kilroy has a *lot* to answer for. That said, what price a "Banksy"?
@@Davey-Boyd I sort of concur, but at least the advertisers have to pay and the council, or whoever, have to permit, yet these talentless grifters with their 'tags' do nothing for the environment or the coffers of the establishment.
Imagine if they'd funded it in 1815 by writing Frankenstein and betting on the battle of Waterloo. All that work and they still haven't extended it to Battersea.
Interesting. I live in Connecticut, a stone's throw from what was the Farmington Canal. Built in the early 19th century from New Haven to Farmington, and points inland. The Canal was bought by the railroad and was filled in and covered with track. It is now a beautiful walkway. You are lucky to have your history.
How wonderful Jago 'Tales From The Cut' ive always love Canal life spent 45 years near the Grand Union in Northamptonshire so would often walk the tow paths in summer and winter!. Marc In Bletchley Bungalow(yes im away from my Tower Block)
I would love to see your video on the Regent's Canal, sir! Perhaps with a guest spot from the fellow who runs the Cruising the Cut channel on youtube. You two have almost identical droll delivery and it would be very entertaining!
FYI, shipping goods by barge has slightly lower CO2 emissions per ton transported compared to railway. Obviously a canal of this size can't fit modern barges. So building canals could help against climate change, if you ignore other environmental factors like Land-use, water-pollution and such. Factoring in those factors will likely shift the balance back to trains.
A walk along the Regent's Canal is unfortunately spoilt by the incessant cyclists passing you on the narrow path. The overwhelming majority are considerate but I can't enjoy a walk when I'm glancing over my shoulder every thirty seconds.
Exactly! Just wrote the same thing. A canal walk should be enjoyed by strollers young and old and not by arogant cyclists using it as some sort of shortcut or speeding express highway. They are never willing to dismount and it's gotten to a point where they are sucking the enjoyment out from what is meant to be a nice walk and viewside.
This has come as a nice surprise, as I'm planning to do a walk from Harlesden to Regents Park Zoo, along the Grand Union and Regents canals. Also a nice surprise that Charles Tyson (you know who) did not have his snotty little nose in any of the aforementioned commercial ventures in this canal.
How funny, I’ve just this week started reading this half true /half novel book, by Emma Smith, one of the WW2 women on the cut, and a brilliant read it is too - just as this vid by our Mr H is brilliant, as of course it would be. Waiting impatiently for the second half now!
When I was younger, I read an old National Geographic article from the 70s about England’s canals. I’ve always been a bit fascinated by them since so These canal videos Jago drops now and then are always a pleasant surprise. Any chance you’ll ever do a collaboration with one of the TH-cam canal channels?
Another fascinating and informative piece, but again I find my enjoyed of our urban environment spoilt somewhat by the state of the walls. Indeed, I wonder if there is an accessible wall anywhere in London that hasn't yet been defaced by some witless graffiti 'artist' who considers himself the next Banksy but without the talent? Have the Police given up any attempt to catch these criminals, have the local authorities abandoned any effort to remove it? It would seem so.
In all the cities of the world attempting to deal with such issues, by far the most reliable solution to the problem is... don't leave blank walls. Strangely enough, Murals and such get a lot less graffiti on them than walls painted in a single colour, and walls that have been painted in a single colour someone obviously put some effort into choosing still get less than unpainted or white walls.
Me too and I used to live in the borough. We always pronounced it the French way. I grew up in Leicestershire near Belvoir Castle, which is only pronounced "beaver castle".
Having grown up a stone's throw from the Camden Town section of the canal and spent many a happy hour walking the towpath or fishing more in hope than expectation, I thoroughly enjoyed this history. I'm looking forward to Part 2. Will you be covering the partially filled-in branch in Camden Town which served Cumberland Market and replaced the 'Haymarket' as London's principal source of hay for its horses. When it was filled in following the 2nd World War the section used as allotments was supplied with topsoil from Windsor Castle which is yet another connection with Royalty as if the name wasn't enough.
I spent lot of time sitting right next to Word on the Water boat in the evenings. It is such a nice place to wind down after work. Just wondering from where do you get so much information? It incredible. Thanks for making this video.
You must mention the olde double decker horse stable at Paddington. Visit mint wing at st Mary’s hospital and you can see the double ramps the horses walked up after working on the canal, it’s only about 100 meters from where royal babies are born at the lido wing!
One of my all time favourite UK holidays was spent on a narrow boat. Canals give you such a different perspective from any other form of travel and the pace is truly relaxing. I had never herd of this one before though. It may not be Venice, but does look interesting.
Mr. Rolt certainly had his fingers in a few pies, as far as his interests go. It's nice to think he had a key role both in the preservation of the UK's historic railways and historic canals. Lovely.
Fantastic stuff, Jago. In all my times visiting London, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen any of the canals! Some “interesting” architecture along the route: 3:15 - what in the name of everything that is holy is that? 6:50 - who knew converting multi-storey car parks into flats was a thing?
A propos of nothing in particular, the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal was acquired by the GSWR in 1881 and converted to a railway, opening in 1885. It closed to passengers in 1983 along with the Kilmacolm branch, but was retained for freight along most of its length and re-opened to passangers in 1990.
It was known as "the Canal Road" and the final station now is Paisley Canal. David L. Smith referred to it having about as much curvature as the Darjeeling-Himalaya. The GSWR tried running an express along it but this came to an end after a party of directors travelled in a coach attached at the rear. Getting "all the tail wag", they were thrown regularly from side to side and the murder of the driver was being strongly contemplated by Paisley. But then they found he had actually lost a minute on schedule!
@@iankemp1131 I was only ever on it once -- to Kilmacolm and back in the last week, but there were some nicely kept stations before the closure and it had a very sylvan feel for a suburban line, which seemed nicely in keeping with its origins. I have a feeling that it was used fairly frequently as a diversionary route for heavier trains (though presumably quite slowly), including the Starlight Specials.
Get them videos done....I'm off for three weeks and need, nay....demand to be entertained! 😉😆😂 There's some rather nice canal boats out there....👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
What an entertaining and informative video! Thank you for posting this. I've always found transportation systems fascinating, especially canals. Coming from a landlocked, high elevation dry part of the United States, canal systems like the beautiful, scenic canals of England always seemed like an elegant solution to moving cargo, especially foodstuffs and farm goods. Hopefully I'll be able to go take a ride on those lovely canals one day.
little bits of local knowledge I can pass on the Regent's Canal used to have an additional spur (similar to Paddington Basin) which ran behind Albany street, close to the York & Albany restaurant the bridge (Gloucester Gate Bridge) of the filled in section (with 1940's blitz rubble) is still visible and rejoined the canal at the double decker Chinese restaurant, West of Regent's Park and the Mosque where the Rail line from Marylebone & the metropolitan tube (close to the defunct Lord's Tube station, now a Overfinch Car dealership) ran over there is a Blue Plaque stating the Original location of Lord's Cricket ground; furthermore close to the Crocker's Folly (another story behind that one) on Aberdeen Place you will find a blue Plaque dedicated to the home of Guy Gibson of the Dambusters fame. In addition underneath Gilbey's yard Camden, what's left of the old Camden Morrison's car park and partially under the Euston railway line to Gloucester avenue are the Old Camden catacombs used for storage as was the storage pit under the Ice Wharf pub (take a guess what was stored there) Also opposite the ex-MTV studio's is newly opened redevelopment on the site of what was markets underneath which is another cavernous underground space approximately 6 stories deep that was originally intended to operate as a cinema, other oddities in Camden is the Rotunda complex which was the shaft for linking the Euston railway line to the current Northern line (but I'm sure that for another of your video's.
I have walked most of The Regent's Canal and your account of it's construction and history was delightful and informative. I still wonder which route they walked the horses while passing through the Islington Tunnel.
Haha, yeah take that Agar and stick it in yer petri dish! 😜 I must admit that part of me was hoping for you to reveal Agar was in fact Yerkes’ great grandfather or something 😅 Fantastic story and great to see a true hero of mine in Tom Rolt get a mention. I knew a little of him outside of his Talyllyn involvement i.e the he was of a transport background, so it was a bit of a Rolt Jolt (best I can manage I’m afraid) when I saw his name pop up 😃 I have a some time off for my birthday from Friday and was looking for somewhere to take a good walk. I think you may have just come up with a splendid idea, a timely present! 🤔 Looks like a nice mild day, perfect for it. I shall take my camera too in case the bearded wannabe docu star should turn up on the way 😜 I do so enjoy your videos. They are like periodic interventions that punctuate my week with colourful epithets and metaphors in such a way as to lightens even my darkest moods of desolation, those usually brought on by having to endure the dull, prosaic drivel that everyday folk seem to verbally excrete these days 🙄 Saluté mon brave! 👍🍻🍀
I did the same walk a couple of years ago (though I went in the opposite direction) to raise funds for a charity I support. It's a mostly very pleasant trip with many interesting things to see- I'm looking forward to Part 2 to find out more about them.
In your next video on the Regents Canal, you might like to tell us about the 400kV power cable that runs under the towpath - bringing much power to the London area. Here, they use the canal water to keep the cable cool. I know much things like this fascinate you!
Excellent 'heads-up'! That's fascinating, I'm reading up on it now, however: [The Project National Grid will start a two-year phased programme of essential works to remove old cables laid beneath the towpath of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and the Regent's Canal. As part of the works, waterways and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust has agreed with National Grid that the towpath surface will be upgraded and, where possible, widened to a minimum width of two metres. The oil filled cables, which have reached the end of their useful life, are no longer needed to supply London and have been replaced by the now operational London Power Tunnels (LPT) a new network of electricity cable tunnels in the capital. The project was commissioned in 2018 and opened by HRH the Prince of Wales. Removal of the cables will help to safeguard the local environment and waterways from any potential damage in the future.] [...] canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/london-and-south-east/national-grid-cable-decommissioning-project Los Angeles immediately comes to mind with a similar 'failing' of very high voltage buried cables that leaked dielectric oil, and had to be removed/replaced. hackaday.com/2015/07/27/find-and-repair-a-230kv-800amp-oil-filled-power-cable-feels-like-mission-impossible/ One wonders if similar happened in London, and this is part of the story?
Excellent video. Sorry - one small error. Tom Rolts book "Narrow Boat" was an account of life living on narrow boat "Cressy" with his first wife Angela. Sonia Smith was his second wife whom Tom married in the early 1950's. Otherwise, keep up the excellent work !
@@Themclachlans That was deliberate as he was trying to describe the canals and their surroundings at that point in time (and they changed greatly after the war). A more personal angle is found in "Landscape with Canals".
I remember a walk with a friend along Regent's Canal between Hackney and Limehouse a few years ago: I was amazed at how clear the water was, and along with lots of rubbish, I was able to see perch and Chinese mitten crabs in the water below.
It would be interesting to find out if those Regency investors got their money back. Just like the Victorians who lost their shirts putting money into railways.
We need to use the canals for freight, also same said for railways, this would decongest our Roads, and provide more work. I have sailed down Conal Du Midi In south of France, that is still a commercial waterway, and used for leisure.
One problem, size. Boats have to be too small and canals, locks and tunnels are too small and too shallow (= lower speed) to be viable. The French canals and locks are much larger. And even then can only handle the smallest viable barges (péniche or spits) which are mostly used on these routes only.
To my understanding, many of your railways are also highly congested. The main point in HR2, for example, is to get main line express trains out of the way of the local/stopping trains, as a single fast mainline train takes up multiple 'slots' due to safety margins and such that could otherwise be used by more local trains... and as things are, no more trains can actually Fit on some of those lines without something like that being done. And the goods trains seem to frequently use the same track as those slower passenger trains, as I understand things. Still, it would almost certainly be better to reestablish freight rail infrastructure for the longer trips and only use trucks for 'last mile' delivery... and limited to that role they can generally also be smaller, and thus being Electric is actually viable in most cases (an issue rather similar to the rocket equation applying to attempts to make larger trucks run on batteries at the moment).
@@eattherich9215 London to Birmingham for example will take about 80 hours. With a crew of 2 only the personnel costs will be a problem, salary, hotel costs, mandatory rest times, etc. It might be an option in a niche market, for instance from outskirts to city centre when destination is along the canal.
@@eattherich9215 How do you get the groceries from the canal to the local shop? Canals are limited to 4MPH so, by the time the delivery arrives, some of the goods will be well past their sell-by date.
"Nice of him to write!" You kill me, Jago. Thanks for this one.. with even more info than usual. PS. Your shot of Kingsland Basin shows the site of Golderstat photographic studios on Downham Road, where I worked in the 60s. They have gone now, like so much of the canalside... replaced by the swanky flats. But it is nice to see the basin full of narrowboats, instead of the rotting carcases of old prams.
Thank you another great video Jago. I think that Regent's Canal is a great way to enjoy London and many people find it by accident. The canal has inspired a short film script that John Higgins and myself have written. I hope to be filming a short film based on a real life event that happen to me on the canal by London Zoo which inspired the short film script for the Rode Reel 2021 competition but time is short we will see.
A further video on this would be very interesting. Born on London, know the Grand Union fairly well (just geography, not boating) but am totally unaware of the Regents Canal East of Regents Park
Nice to hear the story of the Regents canal. I use to work near Gunmakers Bridge which is near the chimney so it was nice seeing the area since I was made redundant at the start of Covid so now work in Basildon so don't see much of East London
Who, other than myself, remembers cruising this canal on the Jenny Wren. surely a worthy mention for this canal, and for many of us born in that area, our first taste of water travel. Jago. Great history with what you do, well done and presented, however, the Jenny Wren would of hit a cord with many of us Cambden folks.
13:59 That's me on my boat just coming under the bridge! Which means I may have seen the elusive Mr. Hazzard... Can't remember though!
Oh, lovely! One can even recognise you from your profile picture. You look very relaxed and in control. 👍
can you deliver petrol?
@@whitewittock lol no, it's my home! There are fuel boats that ply the waterways that will supply diesel, gas, wood, coal and possibly other stuff. But I don't do that! I was just out for a cruise
Hi Jago, a little bit of information that you might find useful!. In the late 1950's my father presented a paper to the Central Electricity Generating Board ( CEGB) for whom he worked. Peyton Watson, my father, was tasked with finger a way to transport electricity from outside London to the newly proposed substation in Hackney, the old site of the Clapton Greyhound Stadium, incidentally where my Auntie Elsie had worked. The old lad, knew London well and spotted the route along the Regents Canal where the towpaths were in dreadful condition. He managed convince the powers to purchase the towpaths, whereupon, they were refurbished into good condition with high voltage lines under the paths using the flow of the water providing the necessary cooling. Walking along these towpath, you might have spotted that there are concrete cover on the with the Logo "CEGB" on them! That's why! Julian
Hence Agar Grove, another mystery solved.
Chaining the Islington steam tug to the roof of the tunnel is completely understandable if you've ever parked your bicycle in the borough.
Yeah. It's quite something to come back and find your narrowboat jacked up on bricks.
@@KravKernow That's north London for you.
I read of something similar actually happening. I was part of a group that volunteered at a railway museum and I found the locomotive's throttle chained closed. Apparently, one weekend while sitting with the fire banked overnight, some teenagers drove the engine down the line until it ran out of steam, then abandoned it there.
Thus a new series is born: tales from the canals!
Depending what route the canal takes........... ( not only The Rt Hon Hazzard who can bash words into submission...)
Annals of the canals perhaps?
From the canals of history
@@matthewcodd2939 This should be the title haha
canal chronicles? fits with the alliteration
The description of labour shortages of boatmen because it was viewed as undesirable hard work where you might end up anywhere and difficult to have a family with, seems to have a bit of a parallel today with the issue of HGV lorry driver shortages in the UK.
The story of the Regent's Canal certainly rocked my boat 😃
It floated mine
You're being draft if you think you can pole that one.
It makes me miss London, this. I'm in Edinburgh now; we have a Union Canal and a very pleasant walk that is. Well, beside it, it would be a bit damp trying to walk on it.
Having walked quite a bit of the Regent's Canal I found the history of it very interesting. Many thanks for the video. Can't wait for part 2.
Yet another captivating piece from the ever-informative Mr H. So absolutely packed with information that I shall have to enjoy it several times to ensure that I absorb it all. What a delightful prospect. Thank you, Mr H Simon T
Absolutely stunning its a water way of great importance. Even though much of it is covered in pond scum its still nice
Algae.
In New Orleans, some tour guides and cab drivers would claim that N.O. has more canals than Venice or Amsterdam. Unfortunately they're all drainage as far as I know: probably a necessity when your city sits below sea level.
Wasn't always the case however; Basin St. sits on the site of a former turning basin, and on the former site of another there's a huge Celtic Cross monument set up in the memory of all the Irishmen who died digging it (Yellow fever, I think).
Ironically though, New Orleans' Canal St., the closest thing they have to a main street, was never an actual canal.
I'm all in on a canal expansion to a railway channel!
In Syracuse, New York is Erie Boulevard that cuts through the middle of town. It is where the Erie canal used to be and I've seen pictures of the canal, taken in around 1900 that shows two buildings on either side of the canal right downtown. Those buildings are still there only the boulevard is in between them now. The canal was replaced by the New York State Barge Canal that was supposed to be for freight but was never used as such (to my knowledge) and is now for leisure boating, not there's much of that. I've never seen many boats in the canal but you can go from Albany to Buffalo by boat if you want.
In vague connectedness.... the Basin Reserve in Wellington (NZ)-- site of a much hallowed cricket ground-- has such an odd name it seems until you know that in the early days of settlement, the harbour did actually stretch that far south and presumably boats moored there. Now, hundreds of metres from sea water.
Birmingham, England, has more canals than Venice because it "has" canals outside the area it actually occupies. I'm sure a city which spreads out as American cities do might well have more canals than Venice. A canal being built for drainage is not necessarily an obstacle to its inclusion. There are 2 large networks of such navigable drainage canals in Britain: the Middle Level Navigations and the Witham Navigable Drains. They're both in the east, in the very flat country near the Wash.
Lived on the canal for over eight years now. This was a fascinating, concise yet in-depth look at the Regents canal. Whenever I see the rope marks/groves as shown at about 29 seconds in I can’t help but wonder how many tow horses must have walked past. Thanks for making it. Instant share.
If you use a colon, TH-cam will make any reference to time, a clickable link.
Like this 0:30
That is a fascinating story. I'm surprised that the canals were economic right through the railway boom as well. There are certain parallels to the aging HGV driver population and the current drama happening at petrol stations, except then there were alternatives.
Great comment, I was just about to comment on the parallels with the HGV situation but you have done far better than me.
I don't think there are parallels with the HGV driver crisis: it is the same story. The only difference is that lorry drivers have never been able to take their families with them.
For using lorry drivers crisis using the canals for the crisis wouldn't work sadly there's no oscillot for the canal the goods do you remember in the Olympics 2012 when conservative mayor Boris Johnson was saying they were used barges for building at the Olympics end of the village and they didn't use The Barge or canal tool hardly at all cos even now Stratford City is quite ugly with all those tower blocks it hasn't have a community spirit to it but it's still sort of nice to go shopping in eat and meet people
@@markhylton7278 The reference to oscillot I found was a cat proof fence, not sure what you mean. Presume the main issue with barges is that goods were transported in barrels and sacks and not on pallets like they are now.
@@markhylton7278 Care to put this in English?
Definitely one of the more scenic relics of the Industrial Age.
L.T.C. Rolt was an interesting person. Among many other things he wrote Red for Danger. Which even today is the standard text on why & how rail accidents happen.
I've read his biography of Brunel, and he also wrote a few others including Telford.
@@caw25sha yes, I was trying to remember why his name was familiar - took a moment to remember the Brunel biography!
I’ve read and enjoyed Rolt’s railway publications but I never knew he was such a big wheel in the canal world.
A great read!
@@jslonisch More of a big Draught Horse or Big Legger, surely? Not much call for Big Wheels on boats.
Very interesting.
I wish people would stop all the bloody graffiti ☹️
Yes litter and graffiti make everything look squalid.
As always, "I'm doing something a little bit different today" is Jago-speak for "This is not the usual good video I put out. This is even better".
BTW, nice to see Disco Volante parked along the canal. I wonder if it's still owned by SPECTRE.
Disco Volante is the name given to a 1952 Alfa Romeo concept car. It just means flying saucer. (for a canal boat?)
But...but... Sir... I thought that *'Disco Volante'* was (or rather the front half of it...) was destroyed when it hit the reef, killing Emillio Largo in the process?
With tunnels at Islington and Maida Hill, surely this is another "tale from the tube", just a bit wet!
A video for all the gongoozlers out there.
I’ve navigated this stretch many times. It’s one of, and perhaps the most attractive canal in the land. More of this please, TGW!
Take it from me. DO NOT WALK THE CANAL AT NIGHT. I work as a specialist investigator for the Met. Many muggings happen at night, as the canal gives easy pickings and an easy escape route for muggers on bikes.
Says a lot about London, pity that areas can’t be better protected and possibly closed off at night to prevent through rotes and safe areas for boaters. Perhaps follow the Liverpool 1 area and employ private security as an option. More CCTV also along the route gates / posts to prevent cycles from easily using the route at night.
In that case why not have police patrols and be proactive and put away some of the scummy low life
@@coling7819
Just give them a concrete necklace and......
splash!!
@@simonwinter8839 it appears that there are two Colin Gs on here ,I am the original but I get the results of the crap he puts on here,I did reply to this post but suggested they put police patrols there to catch the offenders .
@@coling7819 although the uk government has said it intends to recruit 20,000 new officers that would increase police number to level still below the 21,000 that the government austerity cuts removed from the strength during Osborne’s tenure as conservative chancellor.
Nice to hear the shout-out to Tom Rolt. Without him much less interesting stuff would have been preserved. Something like the IWA would have come into being and we'd have heritage railways, but he was only just in time with both; another five years in each case and an awful lot of canals and railways would have gone for good.
Ain’t this the truth. A vital case of cometh the hour, cometh the man, and also the right man (and his equally interesting wives Angela and Sonia) in the right place at the right time. That’s enough pithy epithets for now.
Another tale of when I worked in London all those years ago. One lunchtime I walked up to Old Street tube and just walked northwards up City Road towards Islington, and 10 - 15 mins later found a canal ! City Road basin in actual fact, bearing in mind that was early to mid 1970's and there was no google, but luckily, there was Bert who worked in there post room and a local of the area, he clued me up about the canal and where it went to. That's the thing about working in and around the City of London, the history, the infrastructure, seen and out of sight. There was much there, sometimes in sight and sometimes hidden and sometimes 5 mins up the road and around that next corner
What a fantastic little video!
As someone who lived on a boat in London for years, i was so happy to hear all the history stated accurately and succinctly.
For anyone interested in the working lives of the Idle Women, I recommend two books on that subject by the Idle Women themselves.
"Idle Women" by Susan Woolfit, and "Maidens' Trip" by Emma Smith are accounts of the wartime adventures of two women recruited to work these boats.
I would also recommend anyone interested in London canals to attend the Cavalcade event, on the May Bank Holiday at Little Venice. It has been cancelled this past two years because of the pandemic, but we are working to get it up and running again in 2022.
And of course the Canal Museum at Battlebridge Basin, behind Kings Cross Station is a must!
Its sad to see all that green algae on the water. It doesn't happen when the waterways are busy. The years leading up to the 2012 Olympics were the cleanest the water has been, and I am sure that was due to the fact that so many boats were moving heavy building materials to the site. Since all that traffic went away, its lost its sparkle, and now its just plain dirty.
Seems to be that there where many problems building the canal.. well they should have had Yerkes on the job
Well, his plan to electrify the canals had many problems. And his idea of skimming off the top, had nothing to do with removing plant growth.
@@delurkor
I like it !!!
Before I visit London next time, I plan to review your videos for so that I can make list of places to see. I like your sense of humor and the amazing information you present.
Thought this would be Mt Jago swims The Regents Canal, the brief history of his trip to the hospital
You've just reminded me what a beautiful country we have here, that I live in a village and that it's a sunny, Autumn afternoon.
For all these reasons, and more, I'm off to the pub for a pint & a toasty!
Ta Ra!
Awesome! you learn something new every day! thanks 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Top video, Wrighty!
Not so much Tales from the Tube, more a sort of Descriptions from the Ditch.
Calls From The Canal, Bylines From The Basin , Comments From The Cut, Reports From The Regent.
@@highpath4776
Ah ha !!
High Path.You again.
Always good to hear your comments.
@@simonwinter8839 I think cargy's was the best. I didnt realy have much to say about canals in london alas. Been watching John Rodgers walk the Roding which has now gained some mooring spots after many years.
@@highpath4776
That must be the River Roding you're referring to.
I remember as a kid riding on a
(then) new Victoria line train that was being tested on the Woodford - Hainault branch of the Central line.In those days this section ran independently from the main part of the Central line.
I remember the train slowing right down as we crossed the Roding and there were people wading in the river apparently fishing.
Happy days !!
For my 7th birthday, in the long hot summer of 1976, we went to London Zoo. We travelled to London on the train, getting off at Paddington. From there we took a boat ride along Regents Canal to the Zoo, getting off just before the canal takes a sharp turn northwards. That was one of the most memorable days of my life.
However on that day, just where the canal turns north, there was a large Mississippi-style paddle steamer moored in the corner. I found it really very spooky. It appeared to have been abandoned quite some time before, it was completely deserted and the deck was very low indeed to the water. It looked like it would either sink or collapse from rot or both at any second so I couldn't wait to get to dry land. Does anyone know anything about it?
Not really sure, but since the early 1980s that place has been the berth of the Feng Shang Princess floating Chinese restaurant.
I’m absolutely astonished as to how much information you imparted in a fairly short time, and how much research you must have carried out to prepare for it.
Thank you, Mr. Hazzard! Having lived aboard a narrowboat for eight years - part of which was spent at moorings along the Paddington Arm of the G.U. - I really enjoyed this and look forward to Part 2!
The decline of the boatman is echoed by the decline of the lorry driver, for very similar reasons.
Fascinating. The imagery here is beautiful. Amazingly filmed. Love this!
Mr Agar may have had other motives to his actions. There’s an infilled spur at Primrose hill Regents Park basin (a floating Chinese restaurant junk is moored there), that went south easterly parallel to Prince Albert Rd (now a car park) under a bridge and down Albany St (park village E) to serve Regents Park military barracks. This could also be part of a lost London river?
Love your channel, quality stuff! 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Nicely Navigated, Master Jago.
What a hideous sight at 3:15. Looks like a human Battery Farm or a prison!
Otherwise a picturesque meander, quite beautifully shot.
More please!
Fascinating and charming, though it does reinforce my repugnance for graffiti
Regrettably, some people "wont 2 show thy kan rite", usually on someone else's property. Kilroy has a *lot* to answer for. That said, what price a "Banksy"?
@@stephenphillip5656 Wit and talent I can appreciate, but 99% of graffiti is just moronic scribble.
@@peterjones3557 I think advertising is just licensed graffiti. And I prefer graffiti.
@@Davey-Boyd I sort of concur, but at least the advertisers have to pay and the council, or whoever, have to permit, yet these talentless grifters with their 'tags' do nothing for the environment or the coffers of the establishment.
Imagine if they'd funded it in 1815 by writing Frankenstein and betting on the battle of Waterloo. All that work and they still haven't extended it to Battersea.
I'd love to learn more about Tom Rolt. How about a video on him, if you have a minute or three?
And not one mention of a certain Electric Railway Chairman, applause all round.
Thomas Homer sounds a bit like he might have been the Yerkes of the Waterways.
You beat me to it....
Interesting. I live in Connecticut, a stone's throw from what was the Farmington Canal. Built in the early 19th century from New Haven to Farmington, and points inland. The Canal was bought by the railroad and was filled in and covered with track. It is now a beautiful walkway. You are lucky to have your history.
How wonderful Jago 'Tales From The Cut' ive always love Canal life spent 45 years near the Grand Union in Northamptonshire so would often walk the tow paths in summer and winter!.
Marc In Bletchley Bungalow(yes im away from my Tower Block)
I would love to see your video on the Regent's Canal, sir! Perhaps with a guest spot from the fellow who runs the Cruising the Cut channel on youtube. You two have almost identical droll delivery and it would be very entertaining!
High point of our visits to the zoo was a trip to Little Venice and back on pleasure boats. Is that still a thing?
Ta Jago. Nice one.
It is
Yes ran by London zoo, they have their own mooring area
FYI, shipping goods by barge has slightly lower CO2 emissions per ton transported compared to railway. Obviously a canal of this size can't fit modern barges.
So building canals could help against climate change, if you ignore other environmental factors like Land-use, water-pollution and such. Factoring in those factors will likely shift the balance back to trains.
History repeats itself, the current shortage of HGV drivers
3:18 I've always wondered about those flats. They look like part of the Soviet space programme. Are they aluminium or something?
Designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw
I flippin love canals
I have walked the canal many times. It is a nice walk and it's history is fascinating
A walk along the Regent's Canal is unfortunately spoilt by the incessant cyclists passing you on the narrow path. The overwhelming majority are considerate but I can't enjoy a walk when I'm glancing over my shoulder every thirty seconds.
Exactly! Just wrote the same thing. A canal walk should be enjoyed by strollers young and old and not by arogant cyclists using it as some sort of shortcut or speeding express highway. They are never willing to dismount and it's gotten to a point where they are sucking the enjoyment out from what is meant to be a nice walk and viewside.
Is it not possible to kick these inconsiderate cyclists in the canal?
@@simonwinter8839 😅
Keep up the good work fella and stay safe.
3rd comment 🥉bronze medal
@@Keithbarber cheers, I’ll leave it with you though, give it to your pet for being ace!
@@AcornElectron 😅
This has come as a nice surprise, as I'm planning to do a walk from Harlesden to Regents Park Zoo, along the Grand Union and Regents canals. Also a nice surprise that Charles Tyson (you know who) did not have his snotty little nose in any of the aforementioned commercial ventures in this canal.
Emma Smith's novel 'Maiden's Trip' is a fascinating account of three young women learning to run a barge in WW2
Yes, I read "Maidens Trip" many years ago. Then, years later, I read it again.
How funny, I’ve just this week started reading this half true /half novel book, by Emma Smith, one of the WW2 women on the cut, and a brilliant read it is too - just as this vid by our Mr H is brilliant, as of course it would be. Waiting impatiently for the second half now!
When I was younger, I read an old National Geographic article from the 70s about England’s canals. I’ve always been a bit fascinated by them since so These canal videos Jago drops now and then are always a pleasant surprise. Any chance you’ll ever do a collaboration with one of the TH-cam canal channels?
It’s an idea...
I remember that article. Except it wasn't an old National Geographic at the time! :D
Another fascinating and informative piece, but again I find my enjoyed of our urban environment spoilt somewhat by the state of the walls. Indeed, I wonder if there is an accessible wall anywhere in London that hasn't yet been defaced by some witless graffiti 'artist' who considers himself the next Banksy but without the talent? Have the Police given up any attempt to catch these criminals, have the local authorities abandoned any effort to remove it?
It would seem so.
In all the cities of the world attempting to deal with such issues, by far the most reliable solution to the problem is... don't leave blank walls. Strangely enough, Murals and such get a lot less graffiti on them than walls painted in a single colour, and walls that have been painted in a single colour someone obviously put some effort into choosing still get less than unpainted or white walls.
Narrow boats not barges
Thank you Jago. Eagerly waiting part 2!:-) 😀🖖
First time I've ever heard of De Beauvoir Town - or Beavertown, as it was apparently sometimes called - subject of a future video perhaps?
Me too and I used to live in the borough. We always pronounced it the French way. I grew up in Leicestershire near Belvoir Castle, which is only pronounced "beaver castle".
Having grown up a stone's throw from the Camden Town section of the canal and spent many a happy hour walking the towpath or fishing more in hope than expectation, I thoroughly enjoyed this history. I'm looking forward to Part 2. Will you be covering the partially filled-in branch in Camden Town which served Cumberland Market and replaced the 'Haymarket' as London's principal source of hay for its horses. When it was filled in following the 2nd World War the section used as allotments was supplied with topsoil from Windsor Castle which is yet another connection with Royalty as if the name wasn't enough.
Ah yes, "Butcher" Cumberland.
@@1258-Eckhart Only if you were a "Tory".
I spent lot of time sitting right next to Word on the Water boat in the evenings. It is such a nice place to wind down after work. Just wondering from where do you get so much information? It incredible. Thanks for making this video.
You must mention the olde double decker horse stable at Paddington. Visit mint wing at st Mary’s hospital and you can see the double ramps the horses walked up after working on the canal, it’s only about 100 meters from where royal babies are born at the lido wing!
Introduction Jago Hazzard Walks On Water ?
One of my all time favourite UK holidays was spent on a narrow boat. Canals give you such a different perspective from any other form of travel and the pace is truly relaxing. I had never herd of this one before though. It may not be Venice, but does look interesting.
Mr. Rolt certainly had his fingers in a few pies, as far as his interests go. It's nice to think he had a key role both in the preservation of the UK's historic railways and historic canals. Lovely.
God i hate those houses at 3:19, they are in my opinion one of London's ugliest houses
Fantastic stuff, Jago. In all my times visiting London, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen any of the canals!
Some “interesting” architecture along the route:
3:15 - what in the name of everything that is holy is that?
6:50 - who knew converting multi-storey car parks into flats was a thing?
The walk from Paddington to Camden Lock along the canal is one of my favourites when I visit London
@3:15 It was probably by mistake that the winner of an architecture competition had his design built. 😁
MrGreatplum
You'd better visit them quickly before they're cancelled !!!
@@simonwinter8839 - oh dear - I hadn’t spotted that!🤦♂️
Best go and change that!
@@MrGreatplum
Any money you like your spellchecker changed it.
Sometimes mine changes what I've written with halitosis results.
Great episode.
I suppose the idea of a canal at the bottom of his garden just didn't gel for Agar.
Bravo!
Ha ha!! Very punny.
Enjoyed this story very much, regard’s from Perth WA
Please go to that tower that studio and that pub! :)))
A propos of nothing in particular, the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal was acquired by the GSWR in 1881 and converted to a railway, opening in 1885. It closed to passengers in 1983 along with the Kilmacolm branch, but was retained for freight along most of its length and re-opened to passangers in 1990.
It was known as "the Canal Road" and the final station now is Paisley Canal. David L. Smith referred to it having about as much curvature as the Darjeeling-Himalaya. The GSWR tried running an express along it but this came to an end after a party of directors travelled in a coach attached at the rear. Getting "all the tail wag", they were thrown regularly from side to side and the murder of the driver was being strongly contemplated by Paisley. But then they found he had actually lost a minute on schedule!
@@iankemp1131 I was only ever on it once -- to Kilmacolm and back in the last week, but there were some nicely kept stations before the closure and it had a very sylvan feel for a suburban line, which seemed nicely in keeping with its origins. I have a feeling that it was used fairly frequently as a diversionary route for heavier trains (though presumably quite slowly), including the Starlight Specials.
Get them videos done....I'm off for three weeks and need, nay....demand to be entertained! 😉😆😂
There's some rather nice canal boats out there....👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
What an entertaining and informative video! Thank you for posting this. I've always found transportation systems fascinating, especially canals.
Coming from a landlocked, high elevation dry part of the United States, canal systems like the beautiful, scenic canals of England always seemed like an elegant solution to moving cargo, especially foodstuffs and farm goods.
Hopefully I'll be able to go take a ride on those lovely canals one day.
Doh, the homer scenes were funny. 😂
I thought you were going to explain the unusual abundance of Williams!
It's a fact of life that there's always far too many bills!
little bits of local knowledge I can pass on the Regent's Canal used to have an additional spur (similar to Paddington Basin) which ran behind Albany street, close to the York & Albany restaurant the bridge (Gloucester Gate Bridge) of the filled in section (with 1940's blitz rubble) is still visible and rejoined the canal at the double decker Chinese restaurant, West of Regent's Park and the Mosque where the Rail line from Marylebone & the metropolitan tube (close to the defunct Lord's Tube station, now a Overfinch Car dealership) ran over there is a Blue Plaque stating the Original location of Lord's Cricket ground; furthermore close to the Crocker's Folly (another story behind that one) on Aberdeen Place you will find a blue Plaque dedicated to the home of Guy Gibson of the Dambusters fame. In addition underneath Gilbey's yard Camden, what's left of the old Camden Morrison's car park and partially under the Euston railway line to Gloucester avenue are the Old Camden catacombs used for storage as was the storage pit under the Ice Wharf pub (take a guess what was stored there) Also opposite the ex-MTV studio's is newly opened redevelopment on the site of what was markets underneath which is another cavernous underground space approximately 6 stories deep that was originally intended to operate as a cinema, other oddities in Camden is the Rotunda complex which was the shaft for linking the Euston railway line to the current Northern line (but I'm sure that for another of your video's.
really good video Jago! absolutely can't get enough of all those views! you are so lucky to be able to walk all that, i am envious!
Funny, I have just completed a survey about canals and waterways when I spotted your video. Now settling down to watch it.
I have walked most of The Regent's Canal and your account of it's construction and history was delightful and informative. I still wonder which route they walked the horses while passing through the Islington Tunnel.
Haha, yeah take that Agar and stick it in yer petri dish! 😜
I must admit that part of me was hoping for you to reveal Agar was in fact Yerkes’ great grandfather or something 😅 Fantastic story and great to see a true hero of mine in Tom Rolt get a mention. I knew a little of him outside of his Talyllyn involvement i.e the he was of a transport background, so it was a bit of a Rolt Jolt (best I can manage I’m afraid) when I saw his name pop up 😃
I have a some time off for my birthday from Friday and was looking for somewhere to take a good walk. I think you may have just come up with a splendid idea, a timely present! 🤔 Looks like a nice mild day, perfect for it. I shall take my camera too in case the bearded wannabe docu star should turn up on the way 😜
I do so enjoy your videos. They are like periodic interventions that punctuate my week with colourful epithets and metaphors in such a way as to lightens even my darkest moods of desolation, those usually brought on by having to endure the dull, prosaic drivel that everyday folk seem to verbally excrete these days 🙄
Saluté mon brave! 👍🍻🍀
I did the same walk a couple of years ago (though I went in the opposite direction) to raise funds for a charity I support. It's a mostly very pleasant trip with many interesting things to see- I'm looking forward to Part 2 to find out more about them.
In your next video on the Regents Canal, you might like to tell us about the 400kV power cable that runs under the towpath - bringing much power to the London area. Here, they use the canal water to keep the cable cool. I know much things like this fascinate you!
Excellent 'heads-up'! That's fascinating, I'm reading up on it now, however:
[The Project
National Grid will start a two-year phased programme of essential works to remove old cables laid beneath the towpath of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and the Regent's Canal. As part of the works, waterways and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust has agreed with National Grid that the towpath surface will be upgraded and, where possible, widened to a minimum width of two metres.
The oil filled cables, which have reached the end of their useful life, are no longer needed to supply London and have been replaced by the now operational London Power Tunnels (LPT) a new network of electricity cable tunnels in the capital. The project was commissioned in 2018 and opened by HRH the Prince of Wales. Removal of the cables will help to safeguard the local environment and waterways from any potential damage in the future.]
[...]
canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/london-and-south-east/national-grid-cable-decommissioning-project
Los Angeles immediately comes to mind with a similar 'failing' of very high voltage buried cables that leaked dielectric oil, and had to be removed/replaced.
hackaday.com/2015/07/27/find-and-repair-a-230kv-800amp-oil-filled-power-cable-feels-like-mission-impossible/
One wonders if similar happened in London, and this is part of the story?
Using the water to cool the cable ?
Shocking, or it could be !!
I thought this was done quite often? - as it doesn’t really interrupt anything during construction.
You'd think they'd just run the cable up the canal!
Excellent video. Sorry - one small error. Tom Rolts book "Narrow Boat" was an account of life living on narrow boat "Cressy" with his first wife Angela. Sonia Smith was his second wife whom Tom married in the early 1950's. Otherwise, keep up the excellent work !
And when he wrote it he barely mentioned Angela, despite the voyage being their honeymoon. The war didn't get a look in either...
@@Themclachlans That was deliberate as he was trying to describe the canals and their surroundings at that point in time (and they changed greatly after the war). A more personal angle is found in "Landscape with Canals".
I remember a walk with a friend along Regent's Canal between Hackney and Limehouse a few years ago: I was amazed at how clear the water was, and along with lots of rubbish, I was able to see perch and Chinese mitten crabs in the water below.
Yes there are lots of William's that is because canal construction is expensive and there are many Bills.
It would be interesting to find out if those Regency investors got their money back. Just like the Victorians who lost their shirts putting money into railways.
Just for the record, "unbelievably long" is about a eighteen hours in my book.
More like this please Jago
We need to use the canals for freight, also same said for railways, this would decongest our Roads, and provide more work. I have sailed down Conal Du Midi In south of France, that is still a commercial waterway, and used for leisure.
One problem, size. Boats have to be too small and canals, locks and tunnels are too small and too shallow (= lower speed) to be viable. The French canals and locks are much larger. And even then can only handle the smallest viable barges (péniche or spits) which are mostly used on these routes only.
To my understanding, many of your railways are also highly congested. The main point in HR2, for example, is to get main line express trains out of the way of the local/stopping trains, as a single fast mainline train takes up multiple 'slots' due to safety margins and such that could otherwise be used by more local trains... and as things are, no more trains can actually Fit on some of those lines without something like that being done. And the goods trains seem to frequently use the same track as those slower passenger trains, as I understand things.
Still, it would almost certainly be better to reestablish freight rail infrastructure for the longer trips and only use trucks for 'last mile' delivery... and limited to that role they can generally also be smaller, and thus being Electric is actually viable in most cases (an issue rather similar to the rocket equation applying to attempts to make larger trucks run on batteries at the moment).
@@janfluitsma8274: even so, I reckon one of those little boats could carry the average Sainsbury's delivery lorry load.
@@eattherich9215 London to Birmingham for example will take about 80 hours. With a crew of 2 only the personnel costs will be a problem, salary, hotel costs, mandatory rest times, etc. It might be an option in a niche market, for instance from outskirts to city centre when destination is along the canal.
@@eattherich9215 How do you get the groceries from the canal to the local shop? Canals are limited to 4MPH so, by the time the delivery arrives, some of the goods will be well past their sell-by date.
"Nice of him to write!"
You kill me, Jago.
Thanks for this one.. with even more info than usual.
PS. Your shot of Kingsland Basin shows the site of Golderstat photographic studios on Downham Road, where I worked in the 60s. They have gone now, like so much of the canalside... replaced by the swanky flats.
But it is nice to see the basin full of narrowboats, instead of the rotting carcases of old prams.
Thank you another great video Jago. I think that Regent's Canal is a great way to enjoy London and many people find it by accident. The canal has inspired a short film script that John Higgins and myself have written. I hope to be filming a short film based on a real life event that happen to me on the canal by London Zoo which inspired the short film script for the Rode Reel 2021 competition but time is short we will see.
You find little bits of it - Limehouse Basin, Maida Vale and Paddington - were all discoveries on my journeys across the rail network.
A further video on this would be very interesting. Born on London, know the Grand Union fairly well (just geography, not boating) but am totally unaware of the Regents Canal East of Regents Park
Really interesting, I'll have to see this video again, and visit the canal
More canal content please!
Thanks Jago !
Many fond memories of the Islington & Regent sectors.
I got my copy of Narrow boat from my Uncle last Christmas
Once took a barge trip from Chalk Farm Lock to Little Venice and back
Nice to hear the story of the Regents canal. I use to work near Gunmakers Bridge which is near the chimney so it was nice seeing the area since I was made redundant at the start of Covid so now work in Basildon so don't see much of East London
look forward to the next video, nothing wrong with a few Pubs on route, love Pubs, love Beer..
Who, other than myself, remembers cruising this canal on the Jenny Wren. surely a worthy mention for this canal, and for many of us born in that area, our first taste of water travel.
Jago. Great history with what you do, well done and presented, however, the Jenny Wren would of hit a cord with many of us Cambden folks.