London Canal Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1992 |
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| Location | King's Cross, London, N1 England |
| Type | Transport museum |
| Visitors | 20,000 |
| Public transit access |  King's Cross St Pancras King's Cross St Pancras |
The London Canal Museum is a super interesting place in King's Cross, London. It's a special museum that teaches you all about the history of London's canals. This museum first opened its doors in 1992.
Contents
Discovering Canal Life
The museum helps you learn about all kinds of waterways in the UK. It's a great spot to find out how canals shaped London!
Explore the Exhibitions
You can see many cool things at the museum. The main exhibits cover these topics:
- The history of London's canals, especially the Regent's Canal.
- How canals were built, including how locks work to move boats up and down.
- Different types of boats and the goods they carried.
- How boats were pulled along, from horses to early engines.
- The story of Carlo Gatti and the ice trade (more on him later!).
- The daily lives of the people who worked on the canals.
- How heavy items were lifted and moved on the canals.
- The beautiful "roses and castles" artwork often seen on canal boats. This special art uses bright colors and designs to decorate boats and their equipment.
The museum also has new, temporary exhibits. These often focus on different canal-related subjects.
Take a Boat Trip!
Want to experience a canal yourself? The museum offers fun boat trips on its 12-seater boat called Long Tom. You can take a 50-minute trip through the Islington Tunnel. Or, you can go on longer journeys to places like Little Venice and Victoria Park. It's a great way to see the city from the water!
A Building with a Cool Past
The museum building itself has an amazing history! It used to be a huge warehouse for storing ice. This building was built between 1862 and 1863.
Carlo Gatti and the Ice Trade
The warehouse belonged to a man named Carlo Gatti. He was famous for importing ice from Norway. Imagine, ice used to be brought by ships and canal barges all the way to London! This ice was stored in huge underground pits called ice wells.
The Secret Ice Wells
The building was changed a lot between 1904 and 1906. New floors and ramps were added. The ice wells stopped being used before World War I. Around 1926, Gatti's company stopped using the building for transport. Later, the building was used by different companies. In 1956, it became a warehouse for food. During this time, the old stables were removed. The ice wells were filled with soil and other things and then forgotten. But in the 1980s, these secret ice wells were found again by accident! Today, you can see one of the two ice wells from inside the museum. You can even view the other one using a special camera on the museum's website.
Where to Find the Museum
The London Canal Museum is located in the King's Cross area of London. It sits right next to the Regent's Canal. You can easily reach Battlebridge Basin from the back of the museum. It's also just a five-minute walk from King's Cross St Pancras tube station.
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