Grand Surrey Canal Basin
Grand Surrey Canal Basin
Date: 1934
Dimensions:
609.6 x 482.6 mm
Medium: Water-colour
Object number: GA0240
DescriptionOriginally planned to run from Rotherhithe to Mitcham, an Act to construct the Grand Surrey Canal was passed in 1801. The original scheme became limited to a three mile route to Camberwell opening in 1809, with a branch to Peckham opening in 1826. It was planned to reach Vauxhall from Camberwell, but the advent of railways limited the scheme, but by the 1960s most of the canal had been drained. Whitten's timber works at Eagle Wharf, Peckham Hill Street was a major user of the canal, and had barges delivering timber to them via the Greenland dock until it closed in 1970.
Culture: Story of Southwark