The Grand Surrey Canal
Albany Basin was the actual terminus of the canal, a little short of the Camberwell New Road. Burgess Park incorporates the entire Surrey Canal route west of Trafalgar Avenue, with the exception of Albany basin
Burgess Park - Canal terminus
Burgess Park is well known for having been reclaimed mostly from the Grand Surrey Canal. Its a claim of sorts because there is so little to commend the canal itself. As far as canal related things go its a bit of an anti climax. The walk along here does give one the idea of how the Grand Surrey must have seemed as it stretched into the distance towards its terminus at Albany Basin. The canal was progressively closed in several phases, the section to Camberwell being the first to be closed and filled in. There were many accidents involving children from the local estates and this prompted the Port of London Authority decision to close this section down in the late 1960's
After the 'footbridge to nowhere' the Burgess Park footway runs ON the course of the canal
This isolated wall in Burgess Park to the rear of St Georges must have been associated with the canal in some way, probably forming part of a gated access
Underpass by St Georges Church, near Camberwell. One of the most famous pictures of the Grand Surrey Canal shows a large sailing barge moored up at this very spot, with the church and Wells Way bridge in the background
Part of the site of Albany Basin, Camberwell. The canal's terminus was set back from Camberwell Road just off Addington Square. There used to be a group of canal buildings fronting onto the Camberwell Road - an archway led through to the canal basin
The remains of a gate pillar at Albany Basin
Part of the canalside wall at Albany Basin. It now forms a kerb on the footway at this location through Burgess Park
The sign on Camberwell Road welcoming visitors to Burgess Park
No acknowledgement of the canal's existence. Sad! Epilogue: Beyond this point not one single bit of canal was built. The plans for a canal to Epsom (with a branch to Croydon) and Portsmouth were never realised. Croydon was served by the separate route that ws built from New Cross via Forest Hill for 26 years (see the Croydon canal feature.) Portsmouth was reached via a very longer route taking in the River Thames, the River Wey navigation, the Wey and Arun canal, the River Arun navigation, the Portsmouth and Arundel Canal, a dodgy tidal voyage round the Thorney and Hayling Islands - and a final stretch into Portsmouth on the short Portsea Canal
THE ROUTE:
Buildings / Surrey Docks 1 / Surrey Docks 2 / Surrey Docks 3 / To Old Kent Road / Canal Junctions / Canal Names / Bridges / Wharves / Peckham / Camberwell
Around Little Venice & Paddington: History and transport systems / Canute's 'Canal': The mythological waterway that wasnt / Croydon Canal: London's shortest-lived waterway, closing completely by 1837 / Cumberland Arm: A branch off the Regents Canal from Camden to Euston / Grand Surrey: The canal with an ambition to reach Portsmouth! / Grosvenor Canal: The Grosvenor linked Victoria to the Thames / Kensington Canal: The canal that became a railway and an underground route / London's Canal Tunnels: There are three canal tunnels in London / Paddington Arm: The Grand Junction/Grand Union from Bulls Bridge to London / Pudding Mill River: Requiem for London's lost waterway / Regents Canal: This runs between Little Venice, Camden Town & Limehouse / Romford Canal: The penultimate, yet unfinished, canal to be built in London / Ruislip Feeder: The former waterway that fed the canal / Westbourne River: The old waterway from Kilburn to the Thames / Woolwich's secret waterway: The Royal Arsenal Canal
Attractions near the London canals: Abbey Road / Bayswater / Crockers Folly / Derry and Toms / Edgware Road / Marylebone Goods / Nash Villas / Spitfire Works / St Pancras