| Abstract: | In 2015–16 Compass Archaeology had the opportunity to carry out an archaeological investigation on a site adjacent to Hawley’s Lock on the Regent’s Canal, Camden. The fieldwork followed the recommendations of Historic England, which were made due to the apparent existence of a lock-keepers' cottage at Hawley’s Lock, represented principally on historic maps. The excavations unearthed the well-preserved remains of the cottage from which a floor plan was established. The history and evolution of the building suggested three stages of construction. The original cottage was built c.1820, contemporary with the construction of the first phase of the canal. It was extended to the west and north by 1850 and separated into two probable dwellings, with a third structure added to the west between 1850 and 1870. This third building was associated with the neighbouring sawmill and was the least well preserved of the three. The remains of the steam-pumping house at Kentish Town Lock were also encountered and are discussed herein. This article attempts to place the lock-keepers' cottage within a social context and therefore considers the residents of the building and what their day-to-day lives might have looked like. This topic has been overlooked until now, with canal archaeology focused on engineering and industrial aspects of the waterway rather than the anthropology. An attempt has been made to rectify this throughout the project, and it is hoped that more attention might be paid in the future to the everyday people and workings of the canals of Britain. |
