Hertford Union Canal

The Hertford Union Canal is a short waterway just over one mile long in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It links the Regent’s Canal to the Lee Navigation and was opened in 1830. Promoted by Sir George Duckett, the canal was built to give boats a quicker route between the Thames and the Lee. It soon proved unprofitable and was taken over by the Regent’s Canal Company in 1857. Later it became part of the Grand Union Canal network and is now managed by the Canal & River Trust. The canal’s history shows how transport links in London have changed over time. It was intended to bypass the Bow Back Rivers, which were slow and often silted. After years of little use, the canal was deepened and widened by its new owners. Many of the original locks, bridges and cottages from 1830 still survive and are protected as listed structures. The three locks at Old Ford are still in working order and can handle boats up to 72 feet long. A walk along the towpath takes visitors past Bow Wharf, a redeveloped area with shops and bars. The path runs beside Victoria Park for much of its length and joins the Lea Valley Walk at Hackney Wick. Near the bottom lock stands the site of the old Mitford Castle pub, where a famous railway murder victim was once taken. The canal also forms part of the Limehouse Circuit, a five-mile circular walk through east London.