Although I have lived in and visited London many times, there is always somewhere new to explore. I am sure this applies to your city as well. When one approaches London St Pancras Station on the High Speed 1 (HS1) line from Kent or the Continent, if you are seated on the left hand side of the train you will see many brightly coloured narrowboats moored in a small basin just off the Regent’s Canal. I have always thought it would be interesting to walk a section of the canal and finally did this time from Camden Road to Kings Cross Station.

Walking along the canal bank the sounds of traffic diminish and the bustle of city life is left behind. The canal has an interesting mix of new and old.  Some locks and bridges date back to the 19th Century, old converted warehouses are mixed with modern apartment buildings, including some that have been built within the framework of the old Gasometers.  The nearby Coal Drops Yard has been restored with a beautiful sweeping roof added and converted into a shopping centre with many dining opportunities which will have to wait for another time.

In the 19th Century coal was the primary heating and light source, via coal gasification. At its peak over 8 millions tonnes of coal per annum passed through the Coal Drop Yard. Some directly onto barges below in the Regent’s Canal, some loaded on to horse drawn wagons for distribution around London.  The remainder used to produce “Town Gas” for storage in and distribution from the now converted gasometers. The synergies we expect today from our industrial complexes was occurring almost 200 years ago.  (One sometimes forgets that integrated systems are not the province of the modern world)

If you follow the Regent’s Canal to Paddington it joins the Paddington arm of Grand Union Canal which runs to Birmingham and beyond.  As the canal makes its way westward it passes through Old Oak Common.  Old Oak Common is to be the terminus of the High Speed 2 (HS2) line under construction from London to Birmingham.

What would the engineers, sponsors and others from two hundred years ago who were building the Grand Union and Regent’s canals for similar reasons; increased capacity, faster travel times and more reliability, think of todays efforts which are reduced in scope, way over budget, years behind in construction and will not even go into central London like the Regent’s canal does. Perhaps they should add a pedestrian link to the canal footpath at Old Oak Common?

If one has ever wondered why Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross Stations are all built to the north of the Euston road, railway companies were forbidden to build south of the Euston Road by an Act of Parliament passed in 1846. Probably so those in expensive houses in areas like Bloomsbury did not have the noise and soot from trains affecting their lifestyle.

Still off the canal footpath and onto the last week of our travels.  We cram in a 30th family birthday party, a quick trip to Paris and a visit to the British Museum into the remaining days.

The Portland Vase, believed to be made between 1 AD and 25 AD was used by Josiah Wedgwood in the late 18th Century as the basis of the some of the pottery for which Wedgwood became famous for. It should be noted that the Portland Vase is all glass. Very impressive as Wedgwood’s pottery is, I assume that clay must be easier to work with than glass.

We are checked in, bags gone, a relaxing drink in the British Airways Lounge before departure and we are at the gate waiting to board flight BA15 to Singapore.  A delay is announced, due to catering. You would think that they could get that done on time.  Our boarding passes are scanned, and taken from us and replaced with Business Class boarding passes.  An upgrade for the next 14 hours. Fantastic. We settle in to the comfort up front and our meals arrive.  They have a coeliac meal for me!  That was the delay, me!  As a Qantas Frequent Flyer and a Coeliac I would not have expected this to happen.  It is much more difficult to upgrade those with dietary requirements at the last minute, much easier to upgrade the standard meal passengers.  Thank you British Airways for such service.

A great night’s sleep to Singapore made all the difference to our return journey especially since Anne started work just three days later.

– Anthony