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The Exploding Regent’s Park Canal Secret
A London canal boat loaded with gunpowder exploded near Laurence Alma-Tadema’s home on a rainy 1874 dawn. The blast wrecked houses and toppled a brick wall while Alma-Tadema awoke barefoot on the sidewalk. A bridge guard Peter Knox narrowly survived after stepping off the bridge minutes before the explosion. The artist’s uncanny stair descent amid wreckage becomes a puzzle of memory and miracle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Regent's Park Canal
London
Laurence Alma-Tadema
Fallons
Alma-Tadema
Peter Knox
Bushey Park
Thames
Peter