Page 8: Early transport

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Although Kensington was not an industrial area the new forms of transport of industrial England soon touched the parish. First came the Paddington branch of the Grand Junction Canal. It opened in 1801 and enjoyed great popularity for 20 years as both a commercial and a leisure facility. This was followed by the Kensington Canal in 1826, which ran along the western boundary. In 1836 the canal was sold to the West London Railway and drained. Unfortunately the first railway was not a success and lampooning in Punch earned it the name ‘Punch’s Railway’.

More successful were the boat services along the Thames. The steamboat service began around 1816, and Cadogan Pier was built in 1841 to cater for the boats of the Chelsea Steamboat Company. Intense competition was waged by the rival companies and by the 1840s eight steamboats travelled between London Bridge and Chelsea four times an hour. An early Chelsea guide mentions that, “swift and elegant steamboats now ply continually between London and Chelsea.” Wharves and jetties also abounded, especially on the western reaches, handling large quantities of timber, hay, coal, lime, stone and bricks. Landing at Chelsea meant that excise duties levied at the Port of London could be avoided.

Improved rail and road links led to the decline of canal and river transportation, and the steamships ceased operation in 1908. In the 1990s attempts were made to reintroduce regular motorboat services on the Thames but all failed.