I walked this section of the Canal on a dull day in Spring and although it was the weekend there was frenetic activity: the flowers were showing off, birds were bustling, runners were running, bikers were biking and I was observing!
The bridge dates from 1818; the opening on the left is the lock; on the right is a weir. This is the only remaining double span bridge over the canal. And this huge, 3-foot pipe was necessary, from 1898, for pumping water from the Thames to higher reaches of the Canal.
The Mile End Road was apparently so-named because it lay one mile outside the City. The Mile End Road bridge dates from 1818, like that at the Commercial Road.
There was a lot of bomb damage in this area during WWII. And although I thought this caused the current isolation of The Palm Tree I was wrong – it was the local council. There are some curious gate posts at the bottom of Haverfield Road which look like dockyard gates…
The Mile End Park was the site of  The New Globe Pleasure Gardens which operated between 1820-60.
You may be interested in
Walking the Regent’s Canal (2005)
Canal & River Trust
The Regent’s Canal (book with hand-drawn maps)
Off the Beaten Track – a walk along Regent’s Canal
London Canals (this section) – excellent article – DO READ THIS!
A walk along the waterways – another lovely post – DO READ IT!
At the Ragged School Museum – excellent post by The Gentle Author
JohnJee (@johnjee1966)
“There was a lot of bomb damage during WWII and so The Palm Tree stands isolated”. Whilst both statements are true, the former does not explain the latter: the council knocked the houses down next to the Palm Tree not the Luftwaffe!
Candy Blackham
Thank you – very helpful – I have amended the post. And thank you for reading so carefully!
anne54
These photos have a special resonance for me. My partner grew up in this area during and after WW2. He migrated to Australia when he was 14 and hasn’t been back. I went there a couple of years ago, to find his old street and house. It had been demolished, but was somewhere around Haverfield Rd. He would not recognise the area now, He remembers when the first doodle bug landed very close to their house, and now there is a blue plaque, remarking on that, close by. Thank you so much for showing them to me.
Candy Blackham
Oh, I will make a special post – what would you like to see?
anne54
That could make a wonderful treat! Anything from around that area would be a pleasure to see again.