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Yasmin Redfern
Featurs
Editors Letter Yasmin RedfernLetters from the EditorsThe First Issue tales, and Boat Talk
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Floating Book Shop Article
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By Yasmin RedfernPhotography Yasmin Redfern
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Photography Henry Kane
PhotographyJohn Barry
Style On Board
Watery World
The Artisian Food Canal Trail
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9The Floating Book
Shop
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Welcome to the first edition of ‘Adrift’ a canal boat life style magazine, for those who inspire to live on a canal boat in the City. Put in perspective life in the city is by definition a busy life style. Therefore there are times when you just need that tran-quil peaceful countryside lifestyle on your doorstop. You miss the animals, and the sound of the birds in a morning. Well this is where London’s Thames canal network
comes in. It might surprise people to know that half of the population of London doesn’t know that it even exists.
It is true that more and more young people are looking into living afloat, partially to reduce the costs of housing, but also to add an eco friendly and slightly bohemian as-
pects to their lives. If you are one of these people this magazines for you!In this issue we are going to discuss the history of London Canals. We also include
interviews with local boaters from Angel Canal, Islington and Camden Town. We look at the traditional summer culinary ideas from the history of canal boats, as well as gar-dening ideas onboard. We have an article that covers our boats interior designs from
an eco-friendly aspect. Looking ahead our next issue is the autumn issue and already we are planning to do a special review on ‘The Floating Cinema’ berthed at Regents Canals. We intend to do more interviews with some of the unique characters from the canal boat community.
There is an open invite to all our new readers to let us know what you would like to see in future issues.
I hope you really enjoy this issue and are looking forward to the next one. Yasmin Redfern Editor in Chief
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Living on water isn’t just a dream or pleasure for some but also it is becoming a sustainable life style that offers a way of greener living.We spoke to 27 year old Eleanor and 30 year old Harry who have only just moved afloat. So why did you choose to live on a canal boat? “Well we both lead a hectic life style, and living in the City can become congested. “ Says Harry a Art director for Monk.
Have you noticed the living dif-ference on board yet? “We definitely have become more water conscious. We don’t keep taps running, nor do we leave lights on around the boat, living aboard makes you become more aware of green living.” Says Eleanor. ‘To live in the heart of a hectic City but be so at peace with nature and the environment is a big a plus.”
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Moving around on your boat means an adventure ahoy. Dis-covering new places in London weekend after weekend. Some may even see it as a journey discovering new places from a different perspective. The Canals give a fabric and texture to parts of London that before you never knew existed.The community so tightly held together, living in each other’s pocket helping each other out.Canal boat life style isn’t just something for the retired who live in the country side, but now is popular among many young couples, artists, film makers and so on. So if it is a dream of yours then its time to put that dream into action.
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The
Watery world of the City Centre Canal Community
London’s Canal Network was constructed at the start of the in-dustrial revelation when the need for transporting goods more effi-
ciently became more pressing. The canals of London are man made and connect to the river system. The canal network gradually declined in
early 20th century due to trains and other types of transport been built.
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“Quirky is the word” The Floating Bookshop in
London travels every two weeks from Angels Lock Canal to
Hackney then on to Camden Lock and eventually Paddington.
This Canal boat is the Capital’s only floating second hand book-
shop.It has a sound system that ads a musical dimension, helping to attract younger customers. In
this way Art Culture and Music are altogether on the same.
‘There aim is to not give people what they want but want what
we give them. Widen there knowledge and so on.’
Book buyers are an eclectic bunch of people with a wide
variety of tastes covering every subject under the sun.
Paddy the owner believes that as it becomes more popular his
business is drifting into the main stream however he still retains the more niche market that he
began with and still manages to attract young people interested
in subjects from the modern age.
In my opinion this bookshop is well worth a visit and you could
be rewarded with an unusual find hidden away on one of the
shelves.
13 Hand Tapstry boots £45 Coal, Camden Lock, 2 Betties chocolates Betties.com, 3 Tape measure Libertys, 4Plant BBQ Tailers Bricklane, 5 The Streets Book, HMV.
Mixing It Up
141 Rucksack £14, Barbour online £85, 2Kitchen Tray mukai.com £90 3 SuitCase, Oxfam, 4 teatowl Mukai.com 5Mug Fujai Store, 7Bag cat and tim. 8 Flowe Kettle Ikea £25.
You can just get off the world and escape the week.
The boating community here are like a family.
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To trigger memories of the old way of living, I first ask: Do you miss land?” No of course not I’ve been living in London on canal boats for 3 years, and I absolutely love it. You do take living on land for granted very easily though, like the constant supply of water, or the flushing of a toilet. My engine has to be on a couple of hours before things get running.
It’s always been a dream of mine for a couple of years to live aboard. I idealize the coun-tryside. I mean that’s why I moved onto a canal boat in the heart of a buzzing City, that way it’s the best of both. You can just get of the world and escape the week.
Neighbors are always real friendly, and welcoming wherever you go. When I lived in my flat in east end of London I knew no one in my building but the boating community here is like a family. If I run out of something I can just nip and ask In a canal boat close by.
Nothing beats drinking a couple of beers on deck on a weekend. I mean on a weekend I’m more likely to have mates around and get a couple of beers in. Yes I do occasionally nip to the narrow boat pubs which are all around if I fancy a change of scenery.
For me I travel around every couple of weeks. So one week I might be moored up to Victoria Park, and the next I’m in Hackney. This way I don’t pay for mooring fees unlike somebody who is moored up in one place can pay anything to ten grand or more, depending how near to the center of London you are.
Interview Yasmin RedfernPhotograph Y Redfern
Ben, Acctor/Builder London
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Boaters don’t fuss over designer clothes, nor do they follow the pointless un- sustainable season trends. Why? A. there isn’t enough room for a huge wardrobe on the boat, and B it’s just not eco-friendly or a necessity of theirs. However that doesn’t mean they dress like pirates in rags and clothsQuality and comfort are the two words that come to mind when boaters do there cloths shop.
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A checked shirt to match your curtains, and bed throw.
good pair of sturdy shoes worn to avoid slipping on the boat, and falling into the water
A good quality striped shirt, just because of the fact you live on a boat, and its what you must wear when steering the boat down the river.
Ankle straps are a must, and so are bright col-ours this way you’ll spot your shoes a mile off if they end up float-ing down the river.
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Experience The Tranquility
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Experience
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