Canal Tales | Exploring the British Library's Waterway Collections Corner

Explore a specially curated Waterway Collections Corner at the British Library and share your own stories connected to waterways.
About this Event

1 About the Activity

Join us to explore the British Library’s Waterway Collections Corner, a specially curated temporary display bringing together waterway-related collections, archives, maps, images, and stories from different places, periods, and perspectives.

Created with support from British Library curators and reference specialists, the Collections Corner offers an opportunity to explore a diverse selection of waterway-related materials from across the British Library's collections. Participants will be invited to explore the materials, meet British Library specialists, and share their own memories and experiences connected to waterways.

As the first event in the Canal Tales programme, this session will also introduce the wider project and invite participants to join future walks, story co-creation sessions, making sessions, and the summer procession taking place between July and September.

Things to Know

• Meeting Point: The Last Word community hub (Piazza, The British Library)
• Collections Corner Access: We are planning to arrange guest passes for participants. Further access information will be shared with registered participants closer to the event.
• Refreshments: Tea, coffee, and biscuits will be provided at The Last Word community hub.
• Photography & Filming: Photos and videos will be taken during the session for evaluation, documentation, and promotional purposes. Please let us know if you prefer not to be included.

2 About the Canal Tales Project

Canal Tales: Walking, Imagining, Making, Performing is a series of participatory community activities taking place across the British Library and along Regent’s Canal in King’s Cross and Camden.​

Connecting the British Library’s canal collections and resources with the living canal environment, the project invites diverse local communities to explore stories, memories, creativity, ecology, and everyday life connected to the waterways through sustainable creative activities.

The project is produced by Canal Dream CIC and led by Chuntian Hu. It is funded through the British Library’s Green Libraries Hubs Grant Scheme, supported by The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund.

3 The Programme

Canal Tales unfolds through four connected stages, with multiple activities in each stage:

• Walking: Explore waterway collections at the British Library and the living environment of Regent's Canal.
• Imagining: Co-create new canal stories inspired by waterways, collections, and shared experiences.
• Making: Transform stories into creative artworks, objects, and performances using sustainable materials.
• Performing: Bring canal tales to life through a summer procession along Regent's Canal.

View the full programme and book activities here.

Participant Commitment: To help bring the procession to life, we encourage participants to create at least one procession piece (usually requiring one or two making sessions) and take part in the final procession.

4 Who We Welcome

​Canal Tales welcomes boaters, canal-side communities, emerging creatives, children and young people, local organisations and community groups, and anyone interested in waterways, creativity, sustainability, and cultural collections.

We particularly encourage participation from residents of Camden and neighbouring boroughs.

5. Space and Accessibility

Canal Tales activities take place across multiple locations, including the British Library, The Last Word community hub, and along Regent's Canal.

• British Library: Please visit the British Library Visit Us page for full accessibility information.
• The Last Word community hub: The space is accessible via ramp and has a hearing loop installed. While wheelchair access is possible, the space can be narrow in places.
• Regent's Canal Activities: Accessibility may vary depending on the location and route of individual activities. Further information will be provided for each session where relevant.

If you have specific access requirements, please contact [email protected] in advance so we can support you accordingly.