Islington Tunnel

Islington Tunnel
	Regent's Canal
Start	51°31′59.37″N 0°6′9.67″W / 51.5331583°N 0.1026861°W
End	51°32′5.12″N 0°6′54.07″W / 51.5347556°N 0.1150194°W
Operation
Opened	1818
Owner	Canal & River Trust
Technical
Design engineer	James Morgan
Length	960 yards (878 m)
Towpath	No
Boat-passable	Yes

The Islington Tunnel takes the

Regent's Canal 960 yards (878 m) under Islington, as the longest such tunnel in London. The way for short boats and barges only opened in 1818; the pavements above are waymarked so the otherwise discontinued towpaths are connected. The canal's Eyre's and Maida Hill Tunnels

, to the west, are much shorter.

History

Islington Tunnel opened in 1818 and was built by the engineer James Morgan.^[1]

The Regent's Canal was authorised by

guinea (£52.50) were submitted, none were accepted, and in December Morgan became responsible for the whole project.^[2]

The company was persistently short of money, as it had only succeeded in raising £254,100 of the estimated cost of £400,000, and as work progressed, it became obvious that more would be needed. The first section from

Poor Employment Act of 1817, with commissioners given powers to award loans to public projects which would provide employment for those without work. The engineer Thomas Telford surveyed the unfinished canal and tunnel on behalf of the Commissioners, and an initial loan of £200,000 was promised, providing that the canal company could raise £100,000 in match funding. This they succeeded in doing, and work resumed in December 1817. The canal opened in its entirety on 1 August 1820.^[3]

The tunnelling contract was given to Daniel Pritchard, who had previous experience building tunnels for the Grand Union Canal at Husbands Bosworth and Crick. The first was built between 1811 and 1813, and was 1,170 yards (1,070 m) long, while the second was built between 1812 and 1814, and was 1,528 yards (1,397 m) long. They had been completed despite encountering difficult geology along their routes. With the completion of the 960-yard (878 m) Islington Tunnel and the nearby Maida Hill Tunnel, he went on to be a specialist tunnelling contractor, completing the Strood Tunnel on the Thames and Medway Canal and the second Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal.^[4]

Lacking towpath, barges originally had to be legged through the tunnel. In 1826 it was upgraded with a steam tug pulling a guiding chain above the centre of the bed which would propel the barges; which remained until the 1930s,^[5] when it was replaced with a diesel engine, now defunct due to boats' motor propulsion.

Route

There is no towpath. Walkers or cyclists wishing to follow the tunnel are helped by a trail of waymarkers which have been set into the pavements above. From the eastern portal heading towards the west, the trail runs up Duncan Street, then left down Islington High Street to the crossing near Angel Underground Station, across High Street and up Liverpool Road, turning left into Chapel Market. At the end of Chapel Market it turns right into Penton Street, and finally left into Maygood Street. At the end of Maygood Street it passes through a small residential zone, before ultimately ending in Muriel Street, from where the towpath may be accessed.