Feng Shang Princess

Why is it significant?

The Feng Shang Princess is London's first floating Chinese restaurant, established in 1985 in the Cumberland Basin along Regent's Canal. The three-deck pagoda structure requires special underwater stabilizing struts fixed to the basin floor to prevent it from tipping over. The surrounding basin sits at the remnant of an 1816 canal branch that was filled in between 1941 and 1942 using World War Two bomb rubble.

Key Facts

What to look for?

• Opened in 1985, the Feng Shang Princess was London's very first floating restaurant.
• Engineers anchored the three-deck structure of the Feng Shang Princess using underwater stabilizing struts.
• The Cumberland Basin opened in 1816 as the gateway to a half-mile canal branch toward Euston.
• The canal arm was filled in between 1941 and 1942 using millions of tons of wartime rubble.

Photo: Google

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How is the Feng Shang Princess floating restaurant in London stabilized to prevent tipping?

Moored gracefully in the quiet waters of Cumberland Basin sits one of the most unexpected sights along the Regent's Canal: the Feng Shang Princess. With its glowing red lanterns, ornate hand-carved dragon motifs, curved pagoda eaves, and intricate gold detailing, this three-deck floating Chinese restaurant has been delighting canal walkers since nineteen eighty-five. Hand-crafted in traditional Chinese architecture and assembled right here on the water, it holds the distinction of being London's very first floating restaurant. But have you ever wondered why this calm, dead-end pocket of water exists in the middle of London? In the nineteenth century, this basin was known as Jew's Harp Basin, named after a famous local pub. Opened in eighteen sixteen, it served as the bustling gateway to the Cumberland Arm, a half-mile canal branch heading south toward Euston. Heavy barges glided through this water carrying stone for monument masons, produce for market stalls, and mountain loads of hay and straw to feed thousands of horses working across Victorian London, including those stationed at the nearby cavalry barracks. During World War Two, the waterway took on a dramatic and vital new purpose. As bombs rained down during the Blitz, the canal arm was used as a giant emergency water reservoir for firefighting pumps. After the war, between nineteen forty-one and nineteen forty-two, the canal branch was officially closed and filled in using millions of tons of rubble from London's bombed buildings. Today, all that remains of that half-mile canal is this small water stub where the boat floats. Sitting directly above this layered history, the vessel itself is an engineering curiosity. Because its top-heavy three-story pagoda structure would otherwise risk tipping over in the mud, engineers had to fix special underwater stabilizing struts to anchor the hull securely to the basin floor. When the sun sets along the towpath, red paper lanterns light up across all three decks, casting a warm crimson glow over the dark canal water. It is a peaceful, floating landmark where London's industrial wartime past meets vibrant cultural tradition.