2.1 SITE

As a site for the module BARC0187 3D Scanning in Historic Urban Environments the section of the Regents Canal in Islington with the neighboring City Road basin was chosen due to its impact on the local history and cultural heritage. Regent‘s Canal is a waterway that runs through London and connects the Grand Union Canal in the west to the River Thames in the east. The canal was built in the early 19th century to transport goods between London‘s busy docks and the industrial Midlands. Due to this fact it played a crucial role in the growth of London‘s economy during the Industrial Revolution.

In the section of the canal that runs through the Borough of Islington in London, in-between Wharf Road and Graham Street, lies the City Road Basin which is connected to the Regent´s Canal. The large Basin was built in the 1820s as a turning point for the canal‘s barges. The basin was surrounded by warehouses and factories that served the needs of the growing city, but by the mid-20th century, many of these buildings had fallen into disrepair.

In the 1980s, there were several different ideas about what to do with the abandoned City Road Basin. In recent years, however, the City Road Basin has seen a resurgence of walking distance from the City Centre the canal and the basin are popular destinations for walkers, cyclists, and joggers. However, this also leads to a high level of interest from developers who want to build luxury projects near the canal and thus drive-up housing prices.