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Palmers Road, LONDON, E2 0FF

Construction of a national canal network began in the late 18th century, but initially the canal from the Midlands ended at Paddington, and there was no link to eastern London until the Regent's Canal was built. It was the brainchild of engineer Thomas Homer who, in 1812, presented a plan to the Grand Junction Company (which owned the canal from London to Birmingham) for the creation of a waterway from Limehouse to Paddington. To begin with the project progressed quickly, largely passing through what was then agricultural land, but it was soon hampered by financial problems. Stubborn and greedy landowners asked inflated prices for property along the preferred route, and, to make matters worse, Thomas Homer disappeared in 1815 taking the company's funds with him. New legislation passed in 1817 enabled the work to be completed by 1820 using funds borrowed from the Treasury. The canals were initially a success, particularly for transporting coal, building materials and other bulky loads, but the rise of the railways not long after the canals were built substantially reduced their importance. Now they are primarily a leisure facility. What was then the Central Electricity Generating Board laid cables under some of the towpaths in the 1970s, as here, and made them suitable for pedestrians again. This is the Regent's Canal, just north of the main railway line out of Liverpool Street where it crosses over the canal. The bridge is also relatively new, although it has already been scarred by graffiti. The flats could have hardly been built any closer to the canal. Mile End Park is on this side of the canal.

Construction of a national canal network began in the late 18th century, but initially the canal from the Midlands ended at Paddington, and there was no link to eastern London until the Regent's Canal was built. It was the brainchild of engineer Thomas Homer who, in 1812, presented a plan to the Grand Junction Company (which owned the canal from London to Birmingham) for the creation of a waterway from Limehouse to Paddington. To begin with the project progressed quickly, largely passing through what was then agricultural land, but it was soon hampered by financial problems. Stubborn and greedy landowners asked inflated prices for property along the preferred route, and, to make matters worse, Thomas Homer disappeared in 1815 taking the company's funds with him. New legislation passed in 1817 enabled the work to be completed by 1820 using funds borrowed from the Treasury. The canals were initially a success, particularly for transporting coal, building materials and other bulky loads, but the rise of the railways not long after the canals were built substantially reduced their importance. Now they are primarily a leisure facility. What was then the Central Electricity Generating Board laid cables under some of the towpaths in the 1970s, as here, and made them suitable for pedestrians again. This is the Regent's Canal, just north of the main railway line out of Liverpool Street where it crosses over the canal. The flats could have hardly been built any closer to the canal. Mile End Park is on this side of the canal.

Once a common sight on London's waterways from the Surrey Docks to Edmonton, these overhanging timber sheds await development. [Edit] Demolished mid 2007

Looking south-southwest.

The canal by the Millennium Park section of Mile End Park.

Three new apartment blocks, one complete and the others in various stages of construction.

I'm unsure if this curvy building is part of Queen Mary University or Globe Town. Looking at the campus map on the university's website http://www.qmul.ac.uk/docs/about/26065.pdf I can't find any building with this shape, so I presume it is part of the latter. View taken looking west from Victoria Park.