London Canal Museum and British Waterways are working with other organisations to celebrate the festival with events on the theme "Fresh Regent's Canal"
A talk by Bob Gilbert, Assistant Director, Greenspace, Islington Council, on the wildlife of the London canals. This is sure to be an interesting talk. Bob Gilbert enjoys a reputation as the leading expert on this topic and his talk will be fully illustrated. Time: 1930. Normal museum admission charges apply (£3 adult).
The museum will be open 1000 to 1930 on 3rd July. Those attending the wildlife talk may stay on until 2130.
Departing at 1430 there will be a guided towpath walk from the museum via the portal of Islington tunel to the top of the Water Tower at St. Pancras. From there, a panoramic view of the King's Cross area can be enjoyed and our guide will help you identify what there is to see. Charge £5 aduld, £4 concession, please pay at museum shop before departure. There is no pre-booking for this walk but only 25 people can be accommodated. Tickets can be bought from 1000 onwards.
London Festival of Architecture - Official LFA website
Fresh Regent's Canal - the website for Regent's Canal events for LFA
Camley Street Natural Park - Wildlife in the heart of London
Camley Street Projects - art projects at Camley Street
Admission to the museum will be free on Sunday 6th July
London Canal Museum trustee Malcolm Tucker is an expert on the ice wells of north London and the Victorian ice trade. He will give a gallery talk lasting approximately 40 minutes including question time at 1200 and 1400 in the museum. Some seating will be available but if there is a large audience, some visitors may have to stand. Priority will be given to elderly and disabled visitors for the available seats.
British Waterways are providing regular short boat trips throughout the day to St. Pancras Lock, where the water tower is expected to be open to visitors. This is also a convenient disembarkation point for Camley Street Natural Park, where there will also be LFA events. There is a charge of £1 for these trips payable to a representative of British Waterways who will be in attendance at the wharf. No pre-booking is possible. Accommodation is limited. Boats will depart at 1030 and at least hourly, or more often if required.
British Waterways are providing three special trips with an ecology theme led by a guide from Islington Ecology Centre, exploring the wildlife of the Regent's Canal as seen from on board a boat. Booking in advance is not possible but tickets for these three trips will be available from the Brtish Waterways representative, at the museum from 1000 onwards on the day. There will be three trips at 1100, 1300, and 1500. A charge of £1 per passenger is payable. Capacity is limited.
The London Sinfonietta has always been willing to embrace unusual performance spaces. Their challenge for this year's London Festival of Architecture has been to find locations along the Regent's Canal to perform music by three leading British composers; End of the Line, a brand new work by Tansy Davies, Mechanik by Philip Cashian and the aptly titled Dutch Courage by Philip Venables. The performances can be heard at various times between 1330 and 1700 at The Water Tower at St. Pancras Lock, the London Canal Museum, and at Thornhill Gardens. Each set lasts approximately 20 minutes during which each piece will be played twice. Approximately five musicians from the orchestra will be performing in the museum. The performances at the museum will take place between 1445 and 1630. In the event of wet weather the performance planned for Thornhill Gardens will also take place in the museum.
The London Sinfonietta is the UK's leading contemporary music ensemble. This summer they will establish new headquarters at King's Place beside the Regent's Canal near King's Cross. This will provide a base for work with the local community of King's Cross, and the boroughs of Islington and Camden, as well as an exciting new venue for concert-giving. The London Sinfonietta is also a resident orchestra at Southbank Centre."
The Musical Flying Squad performs ‘Canal,’ a community musical that tells the story of the Regent’s Canal construction. Performance time 1730 (ends by 1900). This adventurous tale follows architect John Nash, James Morgan the persevering engineer, Thomas Homer who proposed the canal and absconded with the funds, William Agar who bought land on the canal route and sued for compensation, the navvies who built the canal in dangerous conditions, and the bargemen and their families who worked and lived afloat. The cast will be from schools, choirs and community groups, led by Musical Flying Squad who produced ‘Hub Song – the World Around King’s Cross’ for the Architectural Biennale in 2006, with script, songs and direction by Rob Inglis, and musical arrangement and direction by Bob Stuckey. Admission free but donations gratefully accepted. Capacity of 100 people. To reserve a place contact artsXchange@btinternet.com or call 020 7387 4942. Please do not telephone the museum for information about this event. Download a Flyer here. Note that "Canal" will also be performed at other venues in July.
