London Canal Museum at King's Cross tells the story of the capital's waterways

A few minutes' walk from the bustle of King's Cross, a Victorian warehouse holds one of London's most charming small museums. The London Canal Museum tells the story of the capital's canals and the people, horses and boats that worked them, and it makes a perfect stop on a day exploring the Regent's Canal.

The building is a story in itself. It was built in 1862 and 1863 as an ice warehouse for Carlo Gatti, the famous ice cream maker, who stored ice imported from Norway by ship and canal barge. Beneath it lie two Victorian ice wells, which were filled in and forgotten until they were rediscovered by accident in the 1980s. One can be seen from the public area, and the other can be viewed on the museum's Icewell webcam.

The museum opened in 1992. Its displays cover canal history, with a particular focus on the Regent's Canal, as well as canal engineering, boats and cargoes, and the social history of the families who lived and worked on the water. Visitors can look inside a narrowboat cabin and learn about the colourful "roses and castles" decorative art associated with canal boats.

The story of ice is told too, from the trade in Norwegian ice to the history of ice cream itself.

The museum backs onto Battlebridge Basin on the Regent's Canal, and it runs its own boat trips. Its small boat, Long Tom, has carried visitors on 50 minute return trips through the Islington Tunnel, as well as longer journeys to Little Venice and Victoria Park.

The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and family fun days, and the building can be hired for events. It describes itself as fully accessible to all visitors, and it is suitable for adults and children alike.

For anyone walking the towpath between King's Cross and Islington, it is well worth stepping off the canal for an hour to discover how London's waterways shaped the city.

The London Canal Museum is at 12 to 13 New Wharf Road, N1 9RT, about five minutes' walk from King's Cross St Pancras. It opens Tuesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays. For times, prices and boat trips, visit canalmuseum.org.uk.