London Canal Museum

There is a lot more to discover about canals than you might think. They were once the highways of England and an army of families lived in tiny cabins in primitive conditions carrying goods of all sorts. They had their own way of life, and their decorative art known as “roses and castles” is an enduring tradition. You can enter a typical cabin and marvel at how it could have been a family home. Boats were pulled by horses until engines were introduced and in London miniature tractors like the one on display took the place of the horse. You can learn all about the boats, cargoes, horses, and the lives of those people at the museum. Discover too how canals climb hills and get water and watch archive film of the working days.

The building was once and ice warehouse and you can look down into a huge commercial ice well below ground – the only one in the UK that you can see. Ice was brought from the mountains of Norway by sea and canal boat for storage here and distribution by horse and cart – making London was a cool city even then! Ice was used for all the things we use fridges and freezers for today including making ice cream. You can find out about the forgotten trade in natural ice and the extraordinary life of Carlo Gatti, ice entrepreneur, who built our building.

The museum is next to Battlebridge Basin, a tranquil urban beauty spot where our colourful London-built canal tug is moored. You might not believe that you’re so close to King’s Cross station.