In this recording by Eastside Community Heritage, a local man recalls how each part of the canalside had its own particular smell.
Local History
Navigation by smell
The Stink Bridge
Make sure your volume is on: "The smells of the canal"
It was all smells - there were so many little factories and things like that around here that you could walk about and know where you were by the smell. You could have your eyes shut and know where you were.
You had a glue factory, by the side of the canal, by a bridge by Bow Road. There was also a flour mill there as well. You had a tin box factory, you had the carpenters. You had all sorts of things, and all the shops had all different smells.
I mean along Old Ford Road there were so many factories... you had furniture factories and what have you. A lot by the canal were chemical factories and a lot of bridges were called 'stink bridge' because of the smell from the factory!
You can still see the old factory buildings by Old Ford Lock, on the west side of the Queen Elizabeth Park.
