The Towpath Tales project is a community-led initiative aiming to uncover the untold stories of the Grand Union Canal in North Kensington and Westminster. The project engaged local residents, school children and community groups. We worked with partners; London Sports Trust, Westbourne and Church Street Community Champions, Queen’s Park and Church Street English speaking groups and Grand Junction Centre. The project uncovered some fascinating stories, including those of the navvies who built the canal in the 1800s, the barge people who lived and worked on them, and the working-class communities who migrated to London.
The Paddington Arm is a branch of the Grand Union Canal, which connects London with Birmingham over a distance of 147 miles. The Paddington Arm opened on July 10th 1801 with a crowd of 20,000 people. The narrowboats that used the canal transported goods like coal, wood, steel and iron between London and Birmingham, as well as to other places along the route. The Paddington Arm is a fascinating historical landmark that played an important role in the development of London and the surrounding area.
A towpath is a path along the side of a canal or river that is used for walking or cycling, but was originally used by horses to pull boats. Horses were used to pull boats on canals because they were strong and could pull heavy loads. They were also relatively inexpensive to maintain. Horses were still used to pull boats on canals even after powered boats became common in the late 19th century. This is because horses could compete with steam or even later diesel engines on shorter journeys.
After the development of the railway system in the mid 1800s the use of the canals gradually declined over the following years. In Paddington, much of the main line station dates from 1854 and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Today, towpaths are still used for walking and cycling, and they offer a great way to enjoy the beauty of the canal and canalside environment.
Please find below some useful links we encounter during research for this project to find out more about the history of the canal, the people involved and further learning resources:
