Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Regent's Canal from Little Venice with Browning's Island on the right
.
Now, however, the canal's primary function is as one of the most valuable amenity water-
ways in Britain as it provides a green ribbon around the heart of this built-up area of London.
The Regent's Canal leaves the Paddington Arm at Little Venice in Paddington, base for
the May Canalway Cavalcade, founded in 1983. Leading east from the basin on each side of
the canal are plane tree-lined avenues of fine Regency houses, as well as Junction Cottage, a
canalside house.
This reach continues to Maida Hill Tunnel, which is only 249m long but has no towpath.
It is difficult to leave the canal because of the continuous spiked railings.
Passing over the straight tunnel is the equally straight A5, originally built as the Roman
Watling Street from London to St Albans. Spoil from the tunnel was spread on the field of
local landowner William Lord. This field, opened in 1809, now forms the home of Maryle-
bone Cricket Club, which represents England internationally; Lord's is one of the world's
best-known cricket grounds, and features a museum containing the Ashes of a burnt bail.
The canal skirts the northern edge of Regent's Park. Formerly Marylebone Park, which
was used as a royal hunting ground by Henry VIII, who seized it from the Abbess of Barking
in 1538, until the time of Cromwell, who cleared the trees for farming. The 1.7km
2
park was
laid out in 1812-1827 by John Nash and opened in 1838, being named after the Prince Re-
gent. The lake was used in the filming of
Brief Encounter
. Overlooking the park is James
Bond's eight-storey Secret Service office block.
There are several interesting bridges along this reach. One carries the Tyburn in conduit.
Another is Macclesfield Bridge, named after the Earl of Macclesfield, the Regent's Canal
Company's first chairman. With three segmental brick arches and circular spandrel holes, it
is also known as Blow Up Bridge, after an explosion that took place in 1874. The narrow-
boat
Tilbury
, loaded with gunpowder and benzol, was one of three being towed by a steam
tug when it exploded as it passed under the bridge, reducing it to rubble, damaging nearby
