Date
Fri May 3rd
Organiser
Soraya
Cost
Free to members, £10 supplement for attendees from Meetup
Activity
The 6 mile walk starts at the Fox Inn, Hanwell, CAMRA Pub of the Year in the past. The canal is a stone's throw away with its seven locks and is a tranquil haven and a surprising little gem to be found within Greater London. The Grand Union Canal was once a busy industrial waterway connecting London with the Midlands. There's a lot of wildlife on the canal and we would hope to see waterbirds, including herons, cormorants, moorhens and flotillas of ducks. Along the canal, as well as locks, there are lockkeeper's cottages, as well as ramps to help horses out of the canal when they fell in. The walk continues along the River Brent to the Jacobean Boston Manor House which reopened to the public in July 2023 after a five-year restoration programme, which has seen it completely refurbished with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a range of other funders. The house was built for Lady Mary Reade in 1623 and has beautifully restored historic interiors in 17th, 18th and 19th century styles, including breathtaking original ornate plasterwork. The walk then continues to the newly-refurbished Brentford Lock Canalside with its moored canalboats being overlooked by residents of attractive newly built apartments and townhouses instead of the warehouses that once stood on the site. Brentford was a major waterway for industrial trade and now has a riverside quarter full of cafes and restaurants where we can stop for lunch at the end of the walk.
Refreshments
Two cafes at Boston Manor House and restaurants and cafes at the end of the walk in Brentford
Travel
Nearest station Hanwell (Elizabeth line) or buses, including numerous buses that stop at Ealing Hospital and Hanwell Broadway (5-minute walk to the Fox). From Brentford buses direct to Hanwell and Ealing. Nearest station Gunnersbury (District and Overground lines).
Start
10:00am prompt at the Fox Inn, Green Lane, Hanwell, London, W7 2PJ
Finish
Around 1:00pm in Brentford High Street, Brentford, TW8 8AH
Links
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