The canal at the top of Camden Market. On the left is the Pirate Castle. The entrance 2 the disused Dead Dog basin is on right.

Note: Dead Dog basin gave boats access to an underground wharf which formed part of the Camden horse tunnels. Part of the tunnels on a lower level are open and this is actually to the north east of the basin as well as being on the lower levels. The tunnels that lead from the basin are on a part of the upper levels which are not open to the public.

View the pages of the Camden Market and Horse tunnels.

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The last departure of the day from Camden to Little Venice watched by several onlookers.

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The former extent of Dingwalls basin can be clearly seen where the timber decking lies.

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Hampstead Road locks – the only double pair left on the canal. Its very busy with markets and shops and coffee bars. The white castellated building used to be the lock keepers house.

Hampstead Road lock was once where an unusual contraption could be found. The Regent’s Canal Company, mindful of the problem of water supply, chose to pioneer a pair of cassions (or lifts) that raised or lowered the boats. The hydro-pneumatic canal lift as it was known, was an abject failure, having worked for just a few months between 1816 and 1818. See the additional Regent’s Canal feature on Congreve’s Hydro-Pneumatic Canal Lift.


Since the major fire a couple of years ago, the whole frontage at Hawley Lock has changed and the market is now practically on the towpath.

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Kentish Town at the bottom of Camden locks. The building on the right with the eggshells was once the TV-am studios.

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The location is by Hawley Road Lock, which is the bottom of the three locks in the Camden flight. It took me a long time to getting round to replacing that Tanranchewer pic which means not one Th21 pic on this site now!

St Pancras, Kings Cross, Islington tunnel and City Road

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Below Camden the canal has a series of sharp bends that crosses the former valley of the Fleet River. This is a view looking north west from Camden Rd bridge.

Elsewhere it has been mentioned that the Regents Canal is for most of its length built in a cutting. Between St Pancras Way (Gray’s Inn Bridge aka the Constitution bridge) and St Pancras lock, the canal is technically a contour canal for it follows the hillsides above the infant Fleet River. This may not be apparent today with all the buildings on the offside (west) part of the canal but adjacent St Pancras Way and the surrounding locale is at a considerably lower elevation.


Moored boats at Camley Street bridge, just above St Pancras.


St Pancras Lock from the north west looking to the ‘spire’ of St Pancras station. In due course the area will be completely unreconisable.


Above and below: major changes that will take place at St Pancras Lock.


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The next lock is at St Pancras. The new mega station that serves international trains is just a few yards away at St Pancras and Eurostars can now be seen crossing the canal as they make their way towards the continent. Camley Street natural park runs along the south side of the canal here. On the far left can be seen the St Pancras Waterpoint. It was originally built in 1872 by Sir Gilbert Scott and was sited at St Pancras until the redevelopment of the station for Eurostar meant it had to be removed. It was dismantled carefully and transported 700 metres to its new home by St Pancras Lock.


Below St Pancras lock the canal is right next to both Kings Cross and St Pancras rail stations. Clearance work in readiness for redevelopment has afforded this view showing the stations in relation to the canal, along with one of the remaining gasholders.

Next: King’s Cross to Acton’s Lock

Regent’s Canal pages:
Introduction & Little Venice-Maida Hill / Maida Hill-London Zoo / Cumberland Turn-Pirate Castle / Camden-St Pancras / Congreve’s Canal Lift at Camden / King’s Cross-Acton’s Lock / Mare Street-Limehouse