I
fyouwantawalkora
bike ride that tellsa
storyaboutLondon,
youcoulddoworse
than following the
Regent’sCanal, anarrow, 14km-long
stretchofwater thatbisectsnorth
London from theLimehouseBasin in
theeast to“LittleVenice”, close to
Paddington, in thewest.
To thewest there’s theworn
grandeurofMaidaVale; to theeast,
the towersofCanaryWharf–andso
muchofLondon inbetween, from
housing-bubbleHackney to tourist-y
Thecaféowner
Today, there arecafés, bars and
restaurants alongmuchof theRegent’s
Canal –but oneof thefirstwas The
Towpath, near KingslandRoad ineast
London, whichwas openedfive years
agoby American foodwriter Lori DeMori
(
below
) andBritishchef Laura Jackson.
“I was livingon thecanal and saw these
breezeblockbunkers for sale,” saysDe
Mori. “Whenwefirst bought the space,
itwas really just a shell, andwewere
preparing all the food inmy kitchen.”
Fast-forwardfive years and the rustic
Towpath–which refuses todo takeaway
–not only has its own kitchenbut has
become an institution for great coffees
andhomelyMediterranean-ish food,
including Jackson’s roast chicken, which
DeMori rates as the “best on theplanet”.
Abigpart of its success, though, has been
the riseof thecanal. “It used tobe adirt
trackhere, but it’s changedcompletely,”
saysDeMori. “There’s somuchmore
traffic alonghere– it’s a genuine
greenway.”
towpathcafe.wordpress.com
You’llpass
everythingfrom
thezootoBoris
Johnson’shouse
Camden,with its
BreakingBad
t-shirtsand rent-a-punks.You’llpass
LondonZoo,mayorBorisJohnson’s
housenearAngel and thebeautiful
VictoriaPark.
While it’sa fascinating, if
arbitrary, viewofLondon, the
canal itselfhasa real story to tell.
Itwasbuilt in 1812on theorders
of architect JohnNash,whohada
masterplan to redevelopcentral,
»
050\
n
