What's On
There is plenty going on at London Canal Museum. We have regular monthly illustrated talks in the evening, aimed at adults with an interest in industrial heritage and canals. We have a programme of towpath walks in spring summer and autumn, and summer boat trips through the long Islington Tunnel on certain dates. Each summer we welcome the Mikron Theatre Company for theatrical performances and we have occasional special days of activities for families or adults. In August we have a series of Childrens Activity Days. We also occasionally offer roses and castles painting courses, and other events.
Illustrated talks are held at 7.30 pm, on the first Thursday of each month except August. Most speakers illustrate their presentations with photographs. The museum is open 1000 to 1930 on the first Thursday of each month. Admission to talks and museum is charged at the usual museum admission charges. The programme is given below. In the event of any last minute changes to lectures or other events the site will be updated if sufficient notice is available.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
May 2012 |
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| 19th May | Museums at Night. Art by Candle-light with Magic Lantern Shows. London Canal Museum will be open until 2300. The museum will be candle-lit and there will be an exhibition of works of art from around a dozen different artists, all seen by candle-light. There will be a cash bar and at 1930 and 2100 there will be an atmospheric magic lantern show! Museum open 1800 to 2300. This is a repeat, with different artworks, of last year's highly successful Art-by-Candlelight event. £5 adult, £4 concessions. See pictures from last year's event on Flickr. See also Event on Facebook |
| 22nd- 31st May | The steam narrowboat President will be on display at the museum with butty Kildare. A historic boat, being a preserved former Fellows Moreton and Clayton steam narrowboat. |
| 26th-27th May | Steam Narrowboat President in steam with crew available to talk to you about the boat and its history, and show you the engine. |
| 26th May | 1430 Guided towpath walk to Camden Town. £5 or £8 if combined with museum admission. £1 reduction for concessions. |
| 27th May | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
June 2012 |
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| 7th June 2012 | Talk: Olympic and East End Waterways by Jeremy Batch. . 'Olympic and East End Waterways'. Jeremy has been researching the history of the East End waterways since he took up the role of Lock Keeper at Limehouse. This year the' world' will come to Stratford and the new Olympic Park. Jeremy will enlighten us about the waterway network they will find in and around the Olympic Games venues. |
| 10th June | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
| 20th June | Evening performance by the Mikron Theatre Company "Losing the Plot". Starts at 1945 £9/£7 in advance. Book Now. |
| 21st June | Evening performance by the Mikron Theatre Company "Can you Keep a Secret". Starts at 1945. £9/£7 in advance. Book Now. |
| 24th June | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
July 2012 |
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| 5th July | Talk: 14 Locks on the Crumlin Arm, Monmouth and Brecon Canal by Tom Maloney. The Crumlin Arm of the Monmouth and Brecon Canal rises through fourteen locks in an area called by the locals 'little Switzerland'. The canal is currently undergoing restoration and Tom looks after the Country Park that embraces the 14 Locks. He will tell us all about 'his' canal. |
| 8th July | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
| 8th July | 1430 Guided towpath walk to Camden Town. £5 or £8 if combined with museum admission. £1 reduction for concessions. |
| 13th July | 1430 Guided towpath walk to Camden Town. £5 or £8 if combined with museum admission. £1 reduction for concessions. This date is the 200th anniversary of the Regent's Canal Act receiving the Royal Assent. |
| 13th July | 1930 Performance of Regent's Canal - A Folk Opera by Musical Flying Squad and London Irish Theatre to mark 200 years to this day since the signing of the Royal Assent by The Prince Regent for the Regent's Canal Act of 1812. In dialogue and song, a team of professional actors and musicians will enliven the familiar story of how the Regent's Canal came to be. Tickets £6 (£5 concessions). There will be a cash bar before the show and in the interval. book online |
| 22nd July | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
August 2012 |
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| 2nd August | Guided towpath walk to Camden Town. Departs from museum at 1930. |
| 7th August | Boat Trip Fun. A day of boat trips and children's activities. Sessions 1030 and 1330. Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. Enjoy a boat trip, craft activities and a fun trail this summer holiday. Price: £4 per child. Groups welcome by advance booking only. More details |
| 12th August | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
| 14th August | Boat Trip Fun. A day of boat trips and children's activities. Sessions 1030 and 1330. Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. Enjoy a boat trip, craft activities and a fun trail this summer holiday. Price: £4 per child. Groups welcome by advance booking only. More details |
| 21st August | Boat Trip Fun. A day of boat trips and children's activities. Sessions 1030 and 1330. Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. Enjoy a boat trip, craft activities and a fun trail this summer holiday. Price: £4 per child. Groups welcome by advance booking only. More details |
| 26th August | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
| 28th August | Boat Trip Fun. A day of boat trips and children's activities. Sessions 1030 and 1330. Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. Enjoy a boat trip, craft activities and a fun trail this summer holiday. Price: £4 per child. Groups welcome by advance booking only. More details |
September 2012 |
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| 6th September 2012 | Illustrated talk: Passage to Astrakhan by Dr. Roger Squires. Roger Squires tells us about a 4702 km cruise he made along the Russian inland waterways from the Baltic to the Caspian Sea and then on to the Black Sea. This epic 3 week voyage via the Baltic Volga Canal, the River Volga and the Volga Black Sea Canal took him through the heart of European Russia, stopping at some formerly 'closed' towns en route. |
| 6th September 2012 | |
| 7th September | Performance of Regent's Canal - The Musical. Details to be announced. |
| 9th September | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
| 22nd September | London Open House. One day of free entry and additional guided tours focussing on the historic building that is now London Canal Museum |
| 23rd September | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
October 2012 |
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| 4th October | Illustrated Talk: The Grantham Canal, by Mike Stone. The Grantham Canal linked Grantham and the surrounding area to the River Trent. With the demise of trade it fell derelict. Road builders built over part of it in the outskirts of Nottingham at grade level. Mike tells us of the efforts to reopen the canal and the quest to find a new route to join the Trent. |
| 7th October | The Big Drawing at London Canal Museum. Come and draw on a 30 foot long drawing to be created by all our visitors on the day! This is part of the month-long Big Draw festival. |
| 7th October | 1430 Guided towpath walk to Camden Town. £5 or £8 if combined with museum admission. £1 reduction for concessions. |
| 14th October | Guided tunnel boat trips through Islington Tunnel with commentary from a museum guide on board the boat. Learn about the history of the 3/4 mile long tunnel as you cruise through it and see a different London! Departures 1100, 1200, 1400, 1500 and 1600. Please book in advance. |
| 21st October | Roses and Castles Painting Course With Tricia Parrott. £30. Learn the tradition of canal boat decoration. No experience necessary. |
| 23rd October | Boat Trip Fun. A day of boat trips and children's activities. Sessions 1030 and 1330. Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. Enjoy a boat trip, craft activities and a fun trail this summer holiday. Price: £4 per child. Groups welcome by advance booking only. More details |
| 27th and 28th October | The Amazing Halloween Experience, with spooky boat trips through Islington Tunnel, story telling in the museum, and scary decorations in the museum and on the boats. Booking not yet open. |
November 2012 |
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| 1st November 2012 | Illustrated Talk: Lost Canals of the East Midlands by Dr. Wendy Freer. Wendy is a well known historian who has led courses and written various books on the waterways. Tonight she tells us of the history of some of her local canals, such as the Charwood Forest Canal, which have got lost with the passage of time. |
| 25th November | Roses and Castles Painting Course With Tricia Parrott. £30. Learn the tradition of canal boat decoration. No experience necessary. |
December 2012 |
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| 6th December 2012 | Illustrated Talk The Chesterfield Canal, past present and future, by Geraint Coles. This is perhaps one of the most exciting current canal restoration projects in the country. Part of the Chesterfield Canal was reopened from Shireoaks to the summit level at Norwood Tunnel in 2003, the Staveley to Chesterfield length having been reopened the year before. Currently the Chesterfield Canal Partnership are raising funds to reopen the missing link between Staveley and the Tunnel. Geraint will tell us about the story to date and future plans. |
| 9th December | Family day with Father Christmas dispensing gifts on board a boat. Details to be announced. |
January 2013 |
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| 3rd January | Illustrated Talk: The Erewash Canal and Lanley Mill Basin by John Baylis. The Erewash Canal became part of the Grand Union network in the 1930s. At its northern limit there was a junction, at Langley Mill, with both the Nottingham and the Cromford Canals. The ECP&DA was formed by local canal enthusiasts and fishermen with the aim of restoring the Basin and bring new life back to the canal. We will hear the story of how this was achieved. |
February 2013 |
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| 7th February | Illustrated talk: Our Historic Narrowboat Fleet by Alison Smedley, Historic Narrowboat Owners' Club. The stories behind some of the old working boats that continue to be seen on our inland waterways. |
March 2013 |
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| 7th March | Illustrated talk: The Old Union Canals, by Mike Beech, Curator, Foxton Canal Museum. The Old Union Canals. Mike has for many years been involved with the Foxton Canal Museum and the Incline Plane Trust. He comes this evening to talk about that section of the Grand Union network , from Buckby Junction and the Watford Locks to the River Soar. This is very much a rural canal which has seen both innovation and decline. |
April 2013 |
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| 4th April 2013 | Illustrated Talk: Boating in the 1950s and 1960s. Colin tells us of those early years when canals offered a challenge to those who ventured forth. The rewards however were in keeping with the times. This was the era when working boats could still be seen plying their trade. |
May 2013 |
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| 2nd May 2013 | Illustrated Talk The Work of the Waterway Recovery Group, by Martin Ludgate and Tim Lewis. Two of the London Group leaders offer an overview of the work it has undertaken restoring our canals. |
June 2013 |
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| 6th June | Illustrated talk: The Somerset Coal Canal by Patrick Moss. This waterway always has excited interest in that it had a 'caisson' lift that got lost. Patrick will tell us about the search for the remains of that lift and about the local Society's work uncovering the remainder of this unique canal. |
July 2013 |
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| 4th July | Illustrated Talk. The Work of the Port of London Authority Harbourmaster, by Mark Towens, Deputy Harbour Master [Upper] PLA. Mark will explain PLA's role in promoting the Tidal Thames and keeping it safe for all who use it. Recently the PLA have introduced various Codes of Practice for Recreational River Users. Mark will update us on how these are working out in practice |
August 2013 |
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| 1st August | Guided Towpath Walk departing from the museum at 1930, to Camden Town. |
September 2013 |
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| 5th September 2013 | Illustrated Talk: The Stort Story, by Richard Thomas. Richard Thomas tells us about the history of the river and shows us its charming scenery . |
October 2013 |
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| 3rd October 2013. | Illustrated Talk: Archive photos of the early 1960s. Roger Butler returns to offer part two of the amazing archive of canal photos kept in his family albums. Rare photos of the working canals, combined with comments on them, provide an overview of the past journeys of a talented waterways photographer. |
November 2013 |
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| 7th November 2013 | Illustrated Talk: The Canal Pioneers: Brindley's School of Engineers. by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognised as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of canal layout and building. Chris Lewis explains how he made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early "civil engineers". |
December 2013 |
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| 5th December 2013 | Illustrated Talk: Ice for the Metropolis by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the advent of freezers there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering. Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London's ice trade thus grew. |
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