A marvellous record of our proud and hard working East End communities before the area was totally ruined by the closure of local industry and the advent of diversity.
Thanks Larry ,,, my family are British Jewish ,,, my grandparents and parents were all east end ,,, I go back now but it's all changed sad! , cheers mate
Loved this. My nan and pop , aunties uncles, cousin all lived there most of there lives. I believe i have cousins still there ,which could make them descendents of people who setteld there 3 to 4hundred years ago. My second cousins ,Tracey Emens nan was my dads sister. Our family name was Hodgkins. They lived in Flaunders Rd. And my nan and pop were in a bango quintet when they first met. I can remember playing on the bombed out remains, which were once homes of my nan and pops friends. My son has an extensive history of the family. Thank you again a grateful 80 year old in Australia.
There was a lot of poverty in the East End, but at the same time there was a tremendous community spirit. It was also safe to walk the streets at night. My mum, who grew up in Hackney Wick during the thirties often said that the worst thing that could happen to young girls or women who were walking home late at night would be a wolf whistle from the local lads.
Great work, thank you for all the time and effort you have put in Larry I lived in Bow in the 60s & 70s. I wonder how many people remember the paraffin delivery trucks (Esso blue ) there were two lorries around the east end owned by a man called Bill Pierce, as a kid I worked on one with a man called Ron ( known as ginger) me and a blond kid called Kevin he was around my age only 14 worked on the weekends all around bow and Stepney ring the bell, filling people’s containers and carrying it back to them, it was really heavy work for kids, but oh boy we felt so special! I remember at that time people still had coal fires, but paraffin was that little bit cheaper. I don’t think modern health and safety would allow the working conditions and hours……..but I know it made a man of me! When Ron wasn’t selling paraffin in the summer, he had an ice cream van, he would load a mobile cart for me (Lyon’s maid) and I would go around the tower blocks, knocking on peoples doors selling ice cream! If anyone remembers any of this, please let me know. Gary Coade.
Love the shot of kids writing on slate boards, my grandkid can't understand this how we scribed the 3 R's at at our primary school Stock Street Plaistow near the train Station. I recall the excitement of going on a Sunday school outing by steam train from Plaistow to Canvey Island. I can still envisage the smell of the smoke and the noise from the train. Wonderful memories
I recognised it too couldn't remember the name of the road somehow I knew someone was going to make that comment . I used to take a train from Dagenham to Aldgate East and walk up Brick Lane . I bought a pair of Martens and a pair of brogues there and other gear from Club Row .
