Grand Union Canal History We Saw Lots of Colourful Canal Boats on Our Way (2)

Our Trail Begins... We started our walk along the canal at GRAND Mitre Bridge, not too far from our school. Mitre Bridge (1) was built in 1801 and UNION CANAL was the last steel girder bridge to be built along the canal. We saw lots of water birds along the canal, Discovery Trail like ducks, canada geese and coots. Coots Explore your are black birds with white heads…not to be local environment confused with moorhens who are dark too but with red heads! Grand Union Canal History We saw lots of colourful canal boats on our way (2). The Grand Union Canal is a man made The old canal boats were called barges waterway that links up London with and they used to be pulled along by strong Birmingham. It is made of several different horses along a path called the towpath. In canals joined up together in “union’. This the olden days whole families used to live canal is 137 miles long. The part near to our on brightly coloured narrowboats – along school, the Paddington Arm was completed with their cargo. in 1801. They didn’t have much room to live in. Only a It was really well used in the days before the few square meters! railways, when the best way to move heavy Nowadays people still live on canal boats, goods like fuel, food and materials (like just for fun, but most wood and stone ) was to put them onto canal of our heavy goods boats and float them along the canal. are transported by trains or lorries, so the canal is Original art work and words by Ark Bentworth Primary Academy Ark Bentworth Primary Academy with now a much Year 6 (2014) Hammersmith and Fulham Urban Studies quieter With thanks to funding from Hammersmith United Charities Centre explored this part of the Grand Union place. Canal together to make this Discovery Trail. Hammersmith & Fulham Urban Studies Centre Look inside, follow our trail and discover The Lilla Huset 191 Talgarth Road some more about the area and its wonderful London W6 8BJ history and wildlife! 020 8741 7138 | [email protected] | www.hfusc.org.uk Kensal Green Station Just next door to Kensal Green Cemetery There is a great place is St. Marys Catholic Cemetery (5). This H T you can go AR RO Mary Seacole Pub E W RO T is where is buried, Mary Superstore N AD A B Gateway L [ Bus Access WhereK wildlifeIndustrial Esta te can 5 Kensal Green Cemetery Canalside was a Jamaican nurse who helped injured depot A Ramp St Mary’s Activity AS RD AS O L Centre D R.C. Cemetery B L 4 AT swim to and fro soldiers in the Crimean war from1853- O Buses D R 266 al A n 1856. She used traditional medicine taught I a R C It’s near Ladbroke ion O S Sainsbury’s T C C nd Un I HYTHE ROAD R ra Superstore V Mitre Bridge G U 2 L to her by her mother. Mary B 3 A Grove Old Oak Sidings B D E S B Nature Reserve N Gasworks R A Buses died at home in Paddington in O L B Parking 1 Canal Gasworks Nature Conservation Area K N 70, 295, 316 E Railway Depot C O A place you will love L ANA L W M A AY G 1881. She has a lovely palm R M N O O E V C Buses Access to E K tree on her gravestone because Where life is lovely 220 A canal walkway O D Underground station there are lots of palm trees in L and slow! O B Bus stop Jamaica. So get off your sofa T Toilets and row! Refreshments Kensal Green Cemetery On the other side of the canal lies Kensal memorial. He tried hard to improve the There is a cemetery nearby Green Cemetery and we crossed the bridge conditions of ordinary working people during near the Canal Centre (3) and called in for a the 19th century. Where people can rest when they die visit and to talk to Robert Stephenson from the Kensal Green Cemetery is where the last Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery (4). They person to fight a duel in England is buried. It It’s called Kensal Green help to look after the cemetery and tell people is also where Jean Francois Blondin and his A place that’s serene about the history. wife are buried. He had a very interesting job! Robert told us about some of the very famous Blondin was a famous tight rope walker who Why not pop in? Don’t be shy! and interesting people who are buried here, walked over Niagra Falls – a really dangerous including father and son engineers Marc and enormously high up waterfall between Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. They USA and Canada. Because everyone expected designed many buildings, ships and bridges, him to keep doing amazing things, he then including Paddington station, the famous crossed over again blindfolded! ... Clifton Suspension bridge and the Rotherithe ...then in a sack tunnel, the first built under the River Thames. ...then pushing a wheelbarrow We also found the Reformers’ Memorial, a ...then carrying his manager on his back tall pillar covered with lots of names to help us remember all the people who tried to make ...then stopping to cook and eat an omelette! life better for everyone else, like Elizabeth You might be surprised to discover that he Fry, who campaigned for better conditions in survived all this and died at home (called prisons. This is right next to Robert Owen’s Niagra House) in Ealing!.

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