Description
The London Canal Museum tells the story of London's inland waterways. There are exhibitions on two floors, and a waterside area outside. The exhibitions tell the story of the development of canals in London and include social history, horse power, boats and cargoes, water and locks, the decorative arts of the canals, costume, manual handling, and the decline and resurrection of the canals in London. The building is a former ice warehouse and a large Victorian ice well is preserved underground and can be seen by looking down or online using a webcam. An exhibition tells the story of the ice trade. The museum is a venue for private functions and hosts weddings, wedding receptions, parties, conferences, meetings and business events.
Service options
On-site services
Accessibility
Assistive hearing loop
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Amenities
Gender-neutral toilets
Toilets
Restaurant
Crowd
Family friendly
LGBTQ+ friendly
Transgender safe space
Children
Good for kids
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Reviews
5
Fantastic day out on Regents Canal with Skipper Nigel aboard 'Long Tom'! Nigel led our birthday party deftly through locks, pointed out interesting things along the way, and was really encouraging of our attempts to help - a great teacher. Highlights included Islington Tunnel, passing the outdoor films at Coal Drops Yard, and waving at everyone along the way. Thanks for a wonderful Saturday afternoon!
5
UPDATE: we went back to go the other way yesterday and had an equally great time. If anything the scenery is more interesting, seeing how the waterside buildings have changed and been repurposed. The approach to Victoria park is beautiful and a lovely ice cream stop. Once again, kids and Grandad enjoyed doing the locks and steering the boat, as did all the other passengers. We even saw sharks! -- Brilliant long boat trip yesterday to Little Venice. Perfect way to suit both active kids and grandparents with mobility issues. The staff were really helpful and the guide was interesting. The kids loved doing the locks and having a go a steering and granny enjoyed being chauffeured along the canal in style. Couldn't have been better. We will be back in the summer to go the other direction.
4
Good staff and a neat, medium sized museum. PS7 entry was very fair. There's a barge you can explore and a lot of displays on the history of British canals. There's also a great audio available about someone who used to work in the building when it was an ice storehouse. Very unexpected and informative. You can go outside to view the quay full of barges and wideboats. There's also a small gift shop full of books about canals. One or two looked decent. I spent about 90 minutes here.
5
Fun interactive museum about London canals. We took a boat trip with afternoon tea that we totally recommend. The boat trip lasted 90 min and took us along the canal and crossing the Islington tunnel. Jane was a lovely guide, providing us with lots of anecdotes and history about the canal. Martin was a fantastic skipper who made the trip smooth and entertaining. The scones from Sun Bakery (a family owned local bakery) were delicious!
5
What a great place! The small museum gives a great overview of the history of London's canals and the other activity on this site. And the boat tour was wonderful! We got to ride through several locks, and were even invited to help operate them and to steer the boat (fun for kids!). The guide on board told us many interesting details about the sights we passed. It was fascinating to pass through living history - seeing simultaneously how people made a living 200 years ago and how much the city has changed in the years since then. What a beautiful, hidden gem - it's a side of London we never knew existed.
5
Took the "tunnel tour" on a canal boat. It was a great experience with a friendly and knowledgeable host. All of the volunteers in the museum are friendly and welcoming. It's a hidden gem of London.