The Islington Tunnel takes the
Regent's Canal under
Angel,
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
, as the longest such tunnel in
London. The way for short boats and barges only opened in 1818; the pavements above are waymarked so the otherwise discontinued towpaths are connected. The canal's
Eyre's and
Maida Hill Tunnel
Maida Hill Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Regent's Canal in London, England. The two other tunnels on the Regent's Canal are Islington Tunnel and Eyre's Tunnel.
History
The Regent's Canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament in July 1812. The ...
s, to the west, are much shorter.
History
Islington Tunnel opened in 1818 and was built by the engineer
James Morgan.
The Regent's Canal was authorised by
Act of Parliament on 13 July 1812, and a month later James Morgan, who had previously produced plans and sections to support the application, was appointed as Engineer, Architect and Land Surveyor for the scheme. At the time, Morgan had little civil engineering experience, and the company decided to hold a competition for the design of the locks and tunnels, with the entries to be assessed by
William Jessop and two other engineers. Although entries hoping to win the 50-
guinea
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(£52.50) were submitted, none were accepted, and in December Morgan became responsible for the whole project.
The company was persistently short of money, as it had only succeeded in raising £254,100 of the estimated cost of £400,000, and as work progressed, it became obvious that more would be needed. The first section from
Paddington Basin to
Camden
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* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
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* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
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* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
was opened on 12 August 1816, and some work had been done on the tunnel, but work stopped, as there was no more money. Another Act of Parliament increased the capital to £600,000, but the company had no success in raising any more. However, a chance meeting between the former chairman, Charles Munro, and the committee for the Society for the Relieving of the Manufacturing Poor resulted in discussions about government loans funding the project and providing employment for the poor. The
Exchequer Bill Loan Commission
The Exchequer Bill Loan Commission of the United Kingdom was set up under the Poor Employment Act, Poor Employment Act 1817, to help finance public work projects that would generate employment. Commissioners included Thomas Telford and Francis Ludl ...
was set up under the powers of the
Poor Employment Act
The Poor Employment Act 1817 (officially the Public Works Loans Act 1817), 57 Geo III was an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The act was passed in order ''"to authorise the issue of Exchequer Bills and the Advance of Money out ...
of 1817, with commissioners given powers to award loans to public projects which would provide employment for those without work. The engineer
Thomas Telford surveyed the unfinished canal and tunnel on behalf of the Commissioners, and an initial loan of £200,000 was promised, providing that the canal company could raise £100,000 in match funding. This they succeeded in doing, and work resumed in December 1817. The canal opened in its entirety on 1 August 1820.
The tunnelling contract was given to Daniel Pritchard, who had previous experience building tunnels for the
Grand Union Canal at Husbands Bosworth and Crick. The first was built between 1811 and 1813, and was long, while the second was built between 1812 and 1814, and was long. They had been completed despite encountering difficult geology along their routes. With the completion of the Islington Tunnel and the nearby Maida Hill Tunnel, he went on to be a specialist tunnelling contractor, completing the Strood Tunnel on the
Thames and Medway Canal
The Thames and Medway Canal is a disused canal in Kent, south east England, also known as the Gravesend and Rochester Canal. It was originally some long and cut across the neck of the Hoo peninsula, linking the River Thames at Gravesend with th ...
and the second
Harecastle Tunnel on the
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middle ...
.
Lacking
towpath, barges originally had to be
legged through the tunnel. In 1826 it was upgraded with a steam tug pulling a guiding chain above the centre of the bed which would propel the barges; which remained until the 1930s,
when it was replaced with a diesel engine, now defunct due to boats' motor propulsion.
Route
There is no towpath. Walkers or cyclists wishing to follow the tunnel are helped by a trail of waymarkers which have been set into the pavements above. From the eastern portal heading towards the west, the trail runs up Duncan Street, then left down
Islington High Street
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's Islington#Islington High Street, High Street to Hig ...
to the crossing near
Angel Underground Station, across High Street and up Liverpool Road, turning left into Chapel Market. At the end of Chapel Market it turns right into Penton Street, and finally left into Maygood Street. At the end of Maygood Street it passes through a small residential zone, before ultimately ending in Muriel Street, from where the towpath may be accessed.
Gallery
File:Canal boat and tunnel under Muriel Street, London.jpg, Western Portal
Image:Islington_Tunnel_waymarker_type_1.jpg, Older style waymarker
Image:Islington_Tunnel_waymarker_type_2.jpg, Modern style waymarker
Image:Islington_Tunnel_waymarker_small_type.jpg, Smaller waymarker
See also
*
Canals of the United Kingdom
*
History of the British canal system
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
Bibliography
*
*
References
{{Reflist
Canal tunnels in London
Buildings and structures in Islington
1818 establishments in England
Tunnels completed in 1818
Regent's Canal