Through Canonbury
Before Rosebery Avenue there was the New River. It ran in front of Sadlers Wells theatre and the stretch of waterway as depicted in old contemporary drawings, had little footbridges and gardens and was particularly attractive. As the nineteenth century drew on the New River was piped in quite substantial sections, including the final bit to New River Head. Rosebery Avenue was built on the old open air course of the New River. The New River ran past St John Street, Goswell and City Roads and onto Colebrooke Row where there was once a attractive open air section. This crossed over the eastern portal of the Islington tunnel on the Regents canal. Leaks from the New River into the canal tunnel were often annoyed the canal company. Where the New River entered the Essex Road area it dived underneath in pipes and re emerged in Ansteys Row. The Essex Road section has always been piped ever since the New River was opened in 1613. Large diameter tree trunks were hollowed out and used as pipes in the Essex Road section and the method, utitlising smaller diameter trunks, was subsequently employed to distribute water around the Islington area.
The old course through Ansteys Row still exists in part, even though its largely landscaped over. Once New North Road is reached a lengthy stretch of original New River can be walked, with its attractive iron bridges, as far as St Pauls Road. The route then takes us past Canonbury station and along Petherton Road. Between St Pauls Road and Stoke Newington the New River was fed through substatnial pipes, and the attractive stretch along the middle of Petherton Road became a grass verge which can still be seen today. Once Green Lanes is reached the route seems to dissapear but its actually quite easily followed through Clissold Park and Stoke Newington
This is the NR's course at Duncan Terrace, just before Essex Road. Duncan Terrace is actually a sub-continuation of Colebrooke Row. After the Duncan Terrace/Colbrooke Row section the New River ran underground along Essex Road
These steps on Essex Road, near Cross St, gives access to the next open air section of the New River past Asteys Row and Hawes Street. Its actually now a footpath with some landscaping but the course can be easily discerned. From these steps there's a lengthy but delightful walk along the New River alignment to St Pauls Road
The Asteys Row section
The New River alignment at Hawes Street
The Hawes Street section soon meets New North Road, and on the opposite side of that road can be see the Myddleton Arms. On the left (where one man is sitting and another is walking) is the first bridge (incomplete) over the course of the New River. This section is watered, and was first created as a public open space in 1954. It was restored in 1998, providing a pleasant linear parkland through Canonbury, known as the New River Walk
The New River, with the Ice House in the distance. The channel is mostly narrower than in bygone days to provide space for the footpath and gardens. The New River walk is an attractive linear park, however its not all plain sailing because much of the route isnt the original river channel. That is, save for the section to the north and south of the Ice House (seen in centre of above image) which is the original channel. The remainder has been narrowed, altered, or whatever and is nothing more than a pleasant waterside feature rather than the New River itself
Willow Bridge. This cast iron affair is about mid way along the New River Walk, and its the only complete New River bridge found south of Stoke Newington. Its the first such bridge heading north to New Gauge (or the last such bridge coming south to New River Head)
Another section of the New River by the Ice House. Where the wooden sides are seen this is said to be the original water channel
Sections like this of course are defintiely not the original water channel!
At the far end of the New River walk, is St Pauls Road. The above picture shows the location and here we see the final section of what is nothing more than a dried up channel. Beyond the fence is the junction of St Pauls and Wallace Roads. We carry on our exploration further north in
Canonbury Part 2
