The main line of the Grand Union Canal starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks. It branches off to Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton. Originally constructed to improve communication between Birmingham, the Midlands and London, and carry freight such as coal.
However, with competition from the railways taking a large share of traffic in the second half of the 19th century, improvements in roads and vehicle technology in the early part of the 20th century meant that the lorry was also becoming a threat to the canals. Tolls had been reduced to compete with the railways, but there was little scope for further reduction. Together with other amalgamations (or unions), the Regent's Canal and the Grand Junction Canal combined and modernised to remain competitive.
Jeannette Briggs at CanalGuide describes the Paddington arm, and says of the sweep through Alperton:
From here the canal passes through the leafy suburbs of Alperton, where nicely tended gardens border the towpath, and another branch of Sainsburys sits on the edge of the canal, complete with bollards for boaters to moor. You will also smell the many varied scents of the various food factories which are all around you - mostly very pleasant!
If you are lucky you can see herons here, plus terrapins, swans, grebes, moorhens and coots all nesting in the shallow waters of the banks of the canal.