The Photographic Society to which I belong (City of London & Cripplegate Photographic Society) is working with the London Archive in 2026 to produce images of contemporary London which can be compared with much older images in the Archive. Each society member has chosen an area of London to document, and we will each choose two of our images to exhibit, paired with their older Archive "twins", in the Archive in Autumn 2026.
I have chosen to document the Regent's Canal as it passes through Camden Lock Market. This area has many superficially unchanged buildings, but the character of the area has changed beyond recognition. In the 19th century it was where all goods coming into London by train were transferred to road or canal. The area was nearly demolished in the early 1970s. After a planning battle, it was saved and turned into the markets that now attract an incredible 30m visitors a year.
My first image is based on a mid-19th century watercolour looking east along the canal towards Southampton Bridge (we have permission to download photos from the Archive for comparison purposes). The contemporary photo shows that both the canal and the retaining wall to its north are the same. However, the Pickfords Warehouse on the south bank burned down and was rebuilt as a wine and spirit warehouse for WA Gilbey. This building in turn was converted in 2008 into residential apartments.
In the earlier image you can see a barge in the distance which would have been carrying commercial goods. The contemporary photo has a narrowboat taking visitors on a cruise from Camden Lock to Little Venice. On the south side of Southampton Bridge, the Pirate Castle is a charity providing kayaking and canoeing for children.
My second image is based on a 1905 photo of a girl pulling a narrowboat through Hampstead Road Lock. In this case the canal and the buildings appear almost identical.
The 1905 narrowboat was loaded with barrels probably from the WA Gilbey warehouse in the left background. Narrowboats were normally pulled by horses. The Roving Bridge crossing the canal behind the lock allowed the horses to continue to pull the boats when the tow path crossed from one side of the canal to the other. However, family members, such as possibly this girl, helped to navigate boats through narrow spaces such as the lock.
The 2025 narrowboat is a diesel engine powered passenger boat about to head off to Little Venice with visitors. It is noticeable that the canal bank is now planted with graceful Weeping willow trees and the air is much clearer even on a cloudy day.
