Regent's Canal in Islington

LOCATION: Graham Street Park, City Road Basin, N1 8JX

A special evening introducing material and memories recently gathered for a new book, exhibition and performance. Part of the Regent's Canal History Project. 

The Regent’s Canal in Islington has been a source of livelihoods, recreation and relaxation for two hundred years. Much has changed over that time on the canal’s banks, but the waterway is a constant, influencing the places it runs through and providing a familiar landmark.

The Young Actors Theatre Islington, with support from the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund and London Canal Museum, has traced the canal’s heritage. With the help of community historian, Carolyn Clark, and a group of volunteers, we have gathered stories, photos and information about the Islington reach.

The exhibition will be on display on Barge Fiodra during thee Angel Canal Festival on September the 1st

Many locals such as Fred Rooke still call it the Cut:

‘I keep saying canal but it’s not a word we used when we was kids, we only knew it as the Cut. Nobody ever said shall we go down the canal, it was shall we go down the Cut.’

Ernie Philips explained: ‘they cut the ground, that’s why they call it the Cut.’

Photo Credits: Cover Front: City Road Lock, c1905 ©London Metropolitan Archives