Sculptures have been unveiled at a luxury development in City Road to commemorate the site’s heritage on the Regent’s Canal.

Opening the Lockgate is the work of well-known artist Ian Rank-Broadley, who is also working on a memorial to Princess Diana.

It celebrates the location of the site on the Regent’s Canal, which is marking its 200th anniversary this year. In its heyday the canal formed one of London’s most important centres for inland freight and made a significant contribution to London’s prosperity.

Developer Berkeley commissioned Rank-Broadley to create the series of sculptures to pay tribute to the site’s waterside heritage and the working community that enlivened London’s canals. It was unveiled earlier this month.

The artist said: “It is my intention as the sculptor to portray the working lives of these people with dignity and create a lasting tribute that acknowledges the contribution they made. Bronze will last a thousand years or more, and so now, can the memory of the canals.”