Tell your canal story! Participants wanted for research interviews

[mmitch.student]

Hello everyone!

My name is Megan and I’m currently completing my Master’s degree in Public Histories and Heritage at Birkbeck, University of London. I’m posting here today as I'm hoping to connect with people from the boating community who are interested and willing to take part in an informal, oral history interview to help me with my dissertation research.

 

My dissertation is currently titled: “From Industrial Artery to Leisure Landscape: Exploring the Changing Interpretation, Heritage Practices and Usage of England’s Canals via London’s Regent’s Canal.”

 

To slightly better explain my topic, I’m analysing the current heritage practices surrounding Britains canals and exploring how the modern canal community engages with, understands and experiences the canals unique history. If you are interested in taking part please be reassured, this is NOT a test of historical knowledge! There are no right or wrong answers and I just want to hear YOUR story in your own words. Academic and institutional accounts can only tell me so much, and I would really like the first hand voices and experiences of the people actually using the waterways to form part of the research. As it is these users who are the driving force behind continuing the rich and wonderful legacy of the canals.

 

The 'interview' is more like a relaxed conversation and covers things such as:

How and why you became involved with the canals
Your experience of boating and the canal community
What the canals and their history mean to you personally (specifically industrial and working boat/class histories)
How you feel canal history is presented and understood today in regards to heritage practices

How you view and feel about the canal landscape
 

What would taking part involve?

The interview will last up to one hour although it can be shorter depending on how much you would like to discuss. I am hoping to conduct interviews remotely via Microsoft Teams so there is no need to travel, however in person interviews can be arranged if requested. Participation is entirely voluntary and unpaid. There will be no transferring of sensitive information or bank details. You will NOT be required to provide any personal or identifying information or discuss any topics you feel uncomfortable with. Any information from the interview used within my dissertation will be anonymised completely within the final craft. If interested, participants will receive the appropriate university information and consent documentation which must be signed and returned via email prior to interview. 

 

Who am I looking for?

Preferably people who have previous connections with or have considerably used London's regents canal. 

- Liveaboard boaters! Both continuous cruisers or permanent moorings users. And regardless of wether you have lived aboard for many years or have only recently joined the community, you are welcome! 
- Leisure and holiday boaters including regular and/or occasional users
- Working, business and trading boat operators!!!! 
- Tour and passenger boat operators
- People with long-term or generational connections to the boating community

 

If you would like to take part, have questions, or simply want to find out a little more before deciding, please feel free to contact me at my university email: [email protected]

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my post and I hope to hear from some of you soon!

 

Kindest regards,

Megan (She/Her)
 

[LadyG]

Be sure to notify us of the outcome, in summary, ty

[blackrose]

Since the research is primarily focused on the Regents Canal you're probably better off posting on the London Boater's Facebook Group. Although many of us have taken boats along the Regents Canal so you might get one of two participants from this forum, most people on this forum aren't London-based.

Edited August 15 by blackrose

[Tonka]

6 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Since the research is primarily focused on the Regents Canal you're probably better off posting on the London Boater's Facebook Group. Although many of us have taken boats along the Regents Canal so you might get one of two participants from this forum, most people on this forum aren't London-based.

And most of those won't give a toss about the history, canal arts and practices as they just care about living for as cheap as possible 

[Ray T]

Thank you for a full and clear explanation of what you are after.

[Tony Brooks]

I wonder why the even longer history of river navigation and industry seems to be being ignored. After all Coxes (I think) Mill on the River Wey was still having barge deliveries into the 1960s, via the Thames.

[David Mack]

7 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

I wonder why the even longer history of river navigation and industry seems to be being ignored. After all Coxes (I think) Mill on the River Wey was still having barge deliveries into the 1960s, via the Thames.

1980s I think. @Tam & Di can confirm.

[Tonka]

8 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

I wonder why the even longer history of river navigation and industry seems to be being ignored. After all Coxes (I think) Mill on the River Wey was still having barge deliveries into the 1960s, via the Thames.

Well after that as @Tam & Di will tell you

[MtB]

We used to routinely go fishing as medium-sized boys in the holidays and at weekends around Coxes Lock Mill. This would have been around 1968-1970 ish. I don't ever remember seeing any commercial boat traffic on The Wey at that time.

 

 

[mmitch.student]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Since the research is primarily focused on the Regents Canal you're probably better off posting on the London Boater's Facebook Group. Although many of us have taken boats along the Regents Canal so you might get one of two participants from this forum, most people on this forum aren't London-based.

Thank you! I have joined a few facebook groups, but very understandably, many of them would rather the pages aren't filled with advertisements or off topic posts so it has been a little difficult at times. But I will certainly check this group out and am welcome to any more suggestions!

[mmitch.student]

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

And most of those won't give a toss about the history, canal arts and practices as they just care about living for as cheap as possible 

This is actually a big part of what my project is exploring and a one of my main inspirations! I have two friends who have moved aboard for economic purposes and I feel that understanding the changing narrative and presentation of the canals to new users is a topic that needs to be studied more so that the industrial and craft histories are not lost. So I'm just as interested to speak with new users as I am more experienced ones. I hold no judgement towards people who move onboard for financial reasons, I'd just like to analyse the current situation and consider what actions we can take going forward to ensure the history is better shared and preserved within the expanding community.

[Tam & Di]

I have been involved with inland waterways since the late 50s, however I have very little connection with or interest in canals as a leisure landscape and I would not post here except our Thames grain traffic Tilbury to Coxes Lock Mill has been mentioned.

 

As I read your intentions you are looking at the Regents Canal and will extrapolate from that to describe the change from waterways as trade routes to waterways for pleasure boating on UK canals in general. If that is in fact the case I believe your thesis will be so heavily slewed towards boats as cheap housing that it will not be much practical use. You would need to talk to members of cruising clubs and similar groups, especially those based outside of major cities, to get a more balanced view.

[MtB]

3 hours ago, mmitch.student said:

I'd just like to analyse the current situation and consider what actions we can take going forward to ensure the history is better shared and preserved within the expanding community.

 

An expanding community which in my opinion needs to be stopped from expanding any more. London seems to be filling up fast with boaters not really particularly interested in canals and boating, bringing more and more boats into the city only as a means to live in London for less than it costs to rent or buy a flat. 

 

My own view (not popular) is a boat should only be allowed into the London canals when another boat leaves. Shouldn't be that hard to organise!

 

And only written partly tongue-in-cheek. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15 by MtB
Clarify a point

[mmitch.student]

1 hour ago, Tam & Di said:

I have been involved with inland waterways since the late 50s, however I have very little connection with or interest in canals as a leisure landscape and I would not post here except our Thames grain traffic Tilbury to Coxes Lock Mill has been mentioned.

 

As I read your intentions you are looking at the Regents Canal and will extrapolate from that to describe the change from waterways as trade routes to waterways for pleasure boating on UK canals in general. If that is in fact the case I believe your thesis will be so heavily slewed towards boats as cheap housing that it will not be much practical use. You would need to talk to members of cruising clubs and similar groups, especially those based outside of major cities, to get a more balanced view.

I understand and appreciate your opinion on this, as it was also a concern I shared with my supervisor by selecting such a urban location for my case study. For clarity, I'm not specifically looking at the transition from industrial to leisure use as this is a topic that is already well documented. Instead I'm looking at how the current heritage practices and narrative around the canals represents the history and identifying the gaps within this. By selecting a central location I have been able to explore themes of community displacement, gentrification and the impact of place-marketing/regeneration projects on the long term community as the environment has shifted away from previous practices and regulations in more recent decades. Factors which have obscured the uncomfortable yet rich industrial and occupational community histories that I specifically want to highlight and encourage the reviewed preservation of within the waterways. The revival period and restoration era of the canals already impacted historical understanding and awareness, however contemporary environment and usage is shifting again and this is a less explored topic, which is where I'm situating my work.

 

I feel city canals offer the best example to explore this issue, as higher population rates result in higher exposure to waterways within urban areas, (not just moving onboard, but also public engagement. Walkers, photographers, families ext.). If the current representation of canal history is obscured at the root of exposure for many, how can we better identify this issue and address it? 

 

I have perhaps worded the initial post wrong, as I am also open to gathering the experiences of users outside of the urban environment. My reasoning behind selecting such a specific central location is due to my own location within London, as well as the fact that many rural canals have not experienced the same level of environmental and community change as that of city canals, and therefore often hold a much closer relationship with the past. It is the areas in which the disconnection between the past and contemporary use is much more notable that I wish to situate my discussion.  I hope this makes sense and I'm very open to feedback

Edited August 15 by mmitch.student

[Lady M]

Perhaps try to talk to someone at St Pancras Cruising Club about the changes there from lock keeper operation on the canal to being at the heart of a regeneration project.  Even the club's location is an example of change from commercial to leisure use.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, mmitch.student said:

I understand and appreciate your opinion on this, as it was also a concern I shared with my supervisor by selecting such a urban location for my case study. For clarity, I'm not specifically looking at the transition from industrial to leisure use as this is a topic that is already well documented. Instead I'm looking at how the current heritage practices and narrative around the canals represents the history and identifying the gaps within this. By selecting a central location I have been able to explore themes of community displacement, gentrification and the impact of place-marketing/regeneration projects on the long term community as the environment has shifted away from previous practices and regulations in more recent decades. Factors which have obscured the uncomfortable yet rich industrial and occupational community histories that I specifically want to highlight and encourage the reviewed preservation of within the waterways. The revival period and restoration era of the canals already impacted historical understanding and awareness, however contemporary environment and usage is shifting again and this is a less explored topic, which is where I'm situating my work.

 

I feel city canals offer the best example to explore this issue, as higher population rates result in higher exposure to waterways within urban areas, (not just moving onboard, but also public engagement. Walkers, photographers, families ext.). If the current representation of canal history is obscured at the root of exposure for many, how can we better identify this issue and address it? 

 

I have perhaps worded the initial post wrong, as I am also open to gathering the experiences of users outside of the urban environment. My reasoning behind selecting such a specific central location is due to my own location within London, as well as the fact that many rural canals have not experienced the same level of environmental and community change as that of city canals, and therefore often hold a much closer relationship with the past. It is the areas in which the disconnection between the past and contemporary use is much more notable that I wish to situate my discussion.  I hope this makes sense and I'm very open to feedback

That all makes sense, you do seem to appreciate the difference between the London canals today and in the past (and elsewhere today) and what has driven this, and also how the "cheap housing" boaters are very much less rooted in the canals and their history than "boaters" are.

 

But if you do want the get the traditional/heritage/boater viewpoint as well, you will need to look outside London.

 

Good luck 🙂

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, mmitch.student said:

By selecting a central location I have been able to explore themes of community displacement, gentrification and the impact of place-marketing/regeneration projects on the long term community as the environment has shifted away from previous practices and regulations in more recent decades.

I moved to London in 1980. At that time there was no 'long term community' on the Regents Canal. Commercial traffic had ceased, there was barely any leisure traffic, and much of what there was passed through as quickly as possible on a transit between the more rural Grand Union Canal and Rivers Lee and Stort. Urban development had turned its back on the canal - the towpath was lined with blank factory walls and high fences, there were very few places where you could get from the towpath to the outside world. There were no boats moored to the towpath (the vandalism risk was just too high), but just a few pockets of offline/offside moorings - St Pancras Cruising Club (then called St Pancras Yacht Basin), Battlebridge Basin, Turner Marine at Lisson Grove, as well as a few boats in the arm at Paddington. Limehouse Basin was empty apart from a wharf on the north side occasionally loading scrap metal into river boats. City Road, Wenlock and Kingsland Basins were deserted. The towpath was seen to be dangerous, somewhere no sane person, and certainly not a lone woman, would venture after dark.

Things were just beginning to change. Camden Market had opened and the Camden Lock area was becoming trendy, a large area alongside the canal, cleared of terraced housing, became Mile End Park, more access points to the towpath were created. 

But the 'community' that is there now came quite a bit later. Gentrification, redevelopment facing, rather than turning its back on the canal, the popularisation of canals in newspapers, magazines and on TV, and later on social media, increased costs of housing forcing young (and some older) people to look at more affordable accommodation - these are the factors that led to the development of the current situation, where much of the canal is now continuous double-moored boats, largely liveaboards, and the towpath is extensively used by pedestrians and cyclists.

But a long-established community it is not.

[cuthound]

52 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I moved to London in 1980. At that time there was no 'long term community' on the Regents Canal. Commercial traffic had ceased, there was barely any leisure traffic, and much of what there was passed through as quickly as possible on a transit between the more rural Grand Union Canal and Rivers Lee and Stort. Urban development had turned its back on the canal - the towpath was lined with blank factory walls and high fences, there were very few places where you could get from the towpath to the outside world. There were no boats moored to the towpath (the vandalism risk was just too high), but just a few pockets of offline/offside moorings - St Pancras Cruising Club (then called St Pancras Yacht Basin), Battlebridge Basin, Turner Marine at Lisson Grove, as well as a few boats in the arm at Paddington. Limehouse Basin was empty apart from a wharf on the north side occasionally loading scrap metal into river boats. City Road, Wenlock and Kingsland Basins were deserted. The towpath was seen to be dangerous, somewhere no sane person, and certainly not a lone woman, would venture after dark.

Things were just beginning to change. Camden Market had opened and the Camden Lock area was becoming trendy, a large area alongside the canal, cleared of terraced housing, became Mile End Park, more access points to the towpath were created. 

But the 'community' that is there now came quite a bit later. Gentrification, redevelopment facing, rather than turning its back on the canal, the popularisation of canals in newspapers, magazines and on TV, and later on social media, increased costs of housing forcing young (and some older) people to look at more affordable accommodation - these are the factors that led to the development of the current situation, where much of the canal is now continuous double-moored boats, largely liveaboards, and the towpath is extensively used by pedestrians and cyclists.

But a long-established community it is not.

 

I agree, we brought our first shareboat into London in 1999 and there were very few boats moored anywhere except Little Venice.

 

Even in 2010 when I was working on a data centre in Kings Cross, I used to spend some lunchtimes walking the canal around there and it was pretty deserted.

Edited August 15 by cuthound
To add the last paragraph

[cowpie]

It has been mentioned on other threads in this forum that the increasing numbers of liveaboards coincided with the clamp down on squatting in empty properties.

[IanD]

57 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I moved to London in 1980. At that time there was no 'long term community' on the Regents Canal. Commercial traffic had ceased, there was barely any leisure traffic, and much of what there was passed through as quickly as possible on a transit between the more rural Grand Union Canal and Rivers Lee and Stort. Urban development had turned its back on the canal - the towpath was lined with blank factory walls and high fences, there were very few places where you could get from the towpath to the outside world. There were no boats moored to the towpath (the vandalism risk was just too high), but just a few pockets of offline/offside moorings - St Pancras Cruising Club (then called St Pancras Yacht Basin), Battlebridge Basin, Turner Marine at Lisson Grove, as well as a few boats in the arm at Paddington. Limehouse Basin was empty apart from a wharf on the north side occasionally loading scrap metal into river boats. City Road, Wenlock and Kingsland Basins were deserted. The towpath was seen to be dangerous, somewhere no sane person, and certainly not a lone woman, would venture after dark.

Things were just beginning to change. Camden Market had opened and the Camden Lock area was becoming trendy, a large area alongside the canal, cleared of terraced housing, became Mile End Park, more access points to the towpath were created. 

But the 'community' that is there now came quite a bit later. Gentrification, redevelopment facing, rather than turning its back on the canal, the popularisation of canals in newspapers, magazines and on TV, and later on social media, increased costs of housing forcing young (and some older) people to look at more affordable accommodation - these are the factors that led to the development of the current situation, where much of the canal is now continuous double-moored boats, largely liveaboards, and the towpath is extensively used by pedestrians and cyclists.

But a long-established community it is not.

I used to cycle daily from Stonebridge Park to Baywater along the canal towpath when I was at Imperial in the early 80s, it was scuzzy almost everywhere with no boats to speak of and a towpath that was largely a swamp in winter until you got to the section with the underground cables. Now there are boats moored everywhere that is near any access to the canal, and end-to-end from Willesden onwards.

So I'd agree this is certainly not "long-established" unless 30 years counts -- and most of the increase in boat numbers has been in the last 15 years or so, and even more so in the last 5 years...

Edited August 15 by IanD

[Tam & Di]

4 hours ago, mmitch.student said:

By selecting a central location I have been able to explore themes of community displacement, gentrification and the impact of place-marketing/regeneration projects on the long term community as the environment has shifted away from previous practices and regulations in more recent decades. Factors which have obscured the uncomfortable yet rich industrial and occupational community histories that I specifically want to highlight and encourage the reviewed preservation of within the waterways. The revival period and restoration era of the canals already impacted historical understanding and awareness, however contemporary environment and usage is shifting again and this is a less explored topic, which is where I'm situating my work.

My experience of the Regents Canal is the same as David Mack's, and he explains the recent history very well. What is the "community displacement" that has taken place - what community are you referring to? Your language doubtless means more to a sociologist than to me, but perhaps you could explain what you mean by "the impact of place-marketing/regeneration projects on the long term community" and how this relates to canal users. As David explains there is no "industrial and occupational community histories" on the Regents Canal, so that leaves me puzzled as well. The present canal community insofar as it exists has only really built up following the 1995 Waterways Act, but perhaps that is what you mean by history?

 

Perhaps if you can put your thoughts into more everyday terms people can give you the information you seek.

 

Edited August 15 by Tam & Di

[mmitch.student]

I thank you all for your wonderful responses so far as this is giving me a great insight into your feelings towards my topic. I apologise for my earlier response and using such technical language! I've been working on the topic for a while now and my brain is juggling a lot of academic lingo and concepts relating to the project - so I became a bit over enthusiastic in my description in an attempt to explain it, but it is simply because I am very interested and excited about this topic. I appreciate that outside of the context of my literature review and without fully going into the nitty gritty of the academic sources that I have been working with that some of the language and terminology I am using appears confusing. Perhaps this is because I am routed within the field of public histories that the approach seems different. But it is also why I am so keen to hear from canal users first hand to gain a better understanding and ensure that I am discussing and defining the topic appropriately and in a way that best represents them and the topic I am analysing as well as balancing the broader academic definitions and understandings.

 

I want to reassure potential participants that the actual discussion will not dive so deeply into technical language and I will not aim to influence or affect your definitions in any way. It really is a very open and simple discussion that I wish to have, in which I hope I will hear opinions and recollections that actively challenge and therefore add to my current research. 

 

On this note @David Mack @cuthound @IanD @Tam & Di I found your responses very insightful and would be very thankful if you would consider a full interview to share your knowledge? Your insights and understandings would be greatly appreciated

Edited August 15 by mmitch.student

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, mmitch.student said:

Thank you! I have joined a few facebook groups, but very understandably, many of them would rather the pages aren't filled with advertisements or off topic posts so it has been a little difficult at times. But I will certainly check this group out and am welcome to any more suggestions!

You could try this one (16) National Bargee Travellers Association | Facebook

[Tacet]

7 hours ago, David Mack said:

I moved to London in 1980. At that time there was no 'long term community' on the Regents Canal. Commercial traffic had ceased, there was barely any leisure traffic, and much of what there was passed through as quickly as possible on a transit between the more rural Grand Union Canal and Rivers Lee and Stort. Urban development had turned its back on the canal - the towpath was lined with blank factory walls and high fences, there were very few places where you could get from the towpath to the outside world. There were no boats moored to the towpath (the vandalism risk was just too high), but just a few pockets of offline/offside moorings - St Pancras Cruising Club (then called St Pancras Yacht Basin), Battlebridge Basin, Turner Marine at Lisson Grove, as well as a few boats in the arm at Paddington. Limehouse Basin was empty apart from a wharf on the north side occasionally loading scrap metal into river boats. City Road, Wenlock and Kingsland Basins were deserted. The towpath was seen to be dangerous, somewhere no sane person, and certainly not a lone woman, would venture after dark.

Things were just beginning to change. Camden Market had opened and the Camden Lock area was becoming trendy, a large area alongside the canal, cleared of terraced housing, became Mile End Park, more access points to the towpath were created. 

But the 'community' that is there now came quite a bit later. Gentrification, redevelopment facing, rather than turning its back on the canal, the popularisation of canals in newspapers, magazines and on TV, and later on social media, increased costs of housing forcing young (and some older) people to look at more affordable accommodation - these are the factors that led to the development of the current situation, where much of the canal is now continuous double-moored boats, largely liveaboards, and the towpath is extensively used by pedestrians and cyclists.

But a long-established community it is not.

Until the mid 1970s, the locks on the Regent's Canal were closed Saturday afternoons and Sundays, which rather deterred leisure use.

 

Up to 2000 or thereabouts, the practice was never to stop between Little Venice and Enfield Lock on the River Lea, with the exception of Limehouse Basin.  Even then, you needed to be clear of Limehouse Cut by 11am if you didn't enjoy a stoning.

[Cheese]

12 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I wonder why the even longer history of river navigation and industry seems to be being ignored. After all Coxes (I think) Mill on the River Wey was still having barge deliveries into the 1960s, via the Thames.

Until 1969, according to Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/education/schools-resources/educational-images/coxes-lock-mills-chertsey-surrey-ioe01-00721-34

 

The Mill itself continued or a further 10-15 years