East London HistorySociety Newsletter

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Pir A pictorialhistory ofVictoria Park

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Philip Mernick

and researChed by

Doreen 1{(hidall

Illustra ed with postcards and Text and pictures

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2 East London History Society Newsletter

THE EAST END

50 YEARS AGO

The winter of 1946/47 started early with theworst weather for fifty years. Bli7.7.51rds sweptacross the country and this was followed by largescale power cuts as power stations and gasworksran out of coal which could not be replacedbecause the railways were also being affected bythe severe weather conditions.

Eastenders sat frozen in houses that had beenbuilt for the great-grand parents, all heating camefrom open fires burning coal, coke, wood, paperand even potato peelings, in fact, anythingthatwould burn. It was thousands of domesticchimney pots discharging smoke, soot andsulphur into the atmosphere which brought onthe London fogs, called `peasoupers' because ofthe yellow-green colour. The fog turned whitenet curtains black, stopped trains running, slowedbuses and made everyone cough. The streetsbecame empty in the evenings, with visibility nil.If you were out in the streets you could hearpeople, but you could not see them, and yet therewas very little street crime., you were safeprovided you did not wander into the road ortrip over a kerbstone.

January 1947 brought snowdrifts, 14 feet highoutside London. Ice floes drifted along the southcoast, the Thames froze in places and in London

degrees of frog recorded. 'Mari3,r factoriesclosed down because of power cuts as a result ofwhich 4 millions workers were idle throughoutthe country. In the East End, most of the wellknown firms closed, among them were Bassettsclothing factory in Bow Road, where 240 womenwere put out of work.. The Far Famed CakeCompany in Poplar shut clown, Clarnicosconfectionery works at Wick Lane put all theirworkers off All these workers were given theirNational Insurance Cards and told to report totheir nearest Labour Exchange (now known asBenefit Centre). However, Bryant and Maysmatch factory at Bow kept up productionbecause it had its own power plant.

With many men returning from the armed forceshaving been told by London Transport that theirold jobs would be kept open for them, LTdecided that all women employees who weredoing 'men's' work such as bus conductors andgarage hands would have to go. These womenwho had carried on with their jobs all through theair raid were now told that, as the war was overand the men were back, they could now return totheir cooking and housework.

The Labour Government announced an amnestyfor all deserters from the armed forces, if theygave themselves up. There were an estimated20,000 in the country, most of them in theLondon area. They could not get identity cards,ration books or National Insurance cards andlived mostly by petty crime and casual work.They all knew that they could be stopped in thestreet at any time by the police, and asked fortheir identity cards. It was a problem that thegovernment needed to clear up now that the warwas over.

March 1947, and the big thaw started, followedby large scale flooding. Hackney Marsh wasunder water, the water works at Lea Valleywhich supplied most of the east end of Londonwith fresh water was also flooded. Police carscame round all the streets warning everyone toboil all drinking and cooking water, and 400flesh water wagons were called out to providedrinking water for eastenders.

In Stepney a man in the street was struck by awhich OM nfrthe rnnf oflarge piece of

house. He died later in London Hospital.

By April 1947 the bad weather eased off, eventhe sun came out for a while and people began torelax. The queues were now outside the cinemasand the most popular films at the time were 'TheJolson Story' and 'Great Expectations'.

John Harris

East London History Societ y Newsletter

A Pictorial History of

Victoria ParkThe East London History Society isdelighted to present its illustrated bookon Victoria Park. The illustrations,mainly from Philip Mernick's collection

—p ,44.11. olltot pu-sui v lummal W AUU1111J111.411

material from archival sources, manyof which have never been seen before,make this '000k a collector's item. Pekehistory of Victoria Park was extensivelyresearched by Doreen Kendall, and thetext has been meticulously edited byPhilip, Doreen and the Committee ofthe ELHS. The book has been superblyput together by Expression Printers, tocreate a book that is sure to become astandard reference book for local1.:e.en, /we eum..4.11.”..■

1114 :et now g. ran ntlilaAsma aux / ua.liaiaaaka 11 Kw vw a azzauw,

and well worth the wait!

Copies are on sale at all localbookshops, or write directly to DoreenKendall, 20 Puteaux House, MaceStreet, London E2 ORF.

Price is £6.99 plus £ 1.50 p & p.

3

Note:The East London History Newsletter ispublished twice yearly, and is free to members ofthe Society.The Newsletter is typeset and produced byRosemary Taylor. 711e editorial team comprisesJohn Harris, Doreen Kendall, David Behr,Philip Mernick and Rosemary Taylor.

Letters atk.-I articles on East End history andreminiscences are welcomed and we make everyeffort to publish suitable material.

Letters and enquiries may be sent to noreenKendall, 20 Puteaux House, Bethnal Green,London E2 ORF, or to Rosemary Taylor, 5 PuseyHouse, Saracen Street, Poplar, London E146HG.All enquiries concerning membership should beaddressed to the Membership Secretary, John Harris,15 Three Crowns Road, Colchester, C04 5AD.

Stop Press Stop Press Stop Press

Diane Atkinson will be giving her lecture onHomeworking Women in Spitalfields on

Thursday 3rd April.

Many members who came along hoping tohear her lecture in December, which was

postponed as Diane was unable to come, willbe delighted with this news. Please spread the

word!

Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery will beholding their Annual Open Day on BankHoliday Monday 26 May 1997.

There will be plenty of entertainment for allthe family, with walks and trails throughoutthe day. Birds, butterflies, wildflowers andwildlife can all be explored and forresearchers of family history, a guided tour ofthe cemetery graves and an opportunity toseek the advice of our Cemetery Team -Doreen and Diane Kendall, Rosemary Taylor,and Bradley Snooks.

East London History Society Newsletter

In response to Stephen Sadler 's article on theRed Church and the Revd Coke, Doreen Kendallsent in the following which she came across:From the Observer, 28th September 1878:

`The Revd Mr Coke stated at the Bethnal GreenBoard of Guardians that he only spent 8 shillingsa week on himself and "he could assure them helived well on that."

Mr Coke is renowned for marrying people at theunremunerative fee of 7 1/2'd per pair.'

Mrs B A Pugh, 6 Raith Avenue, Southgate,London N!4 7DV:

With regard to the Summer Edition article onicle "James the Great and Francis Coke, pleas findenclosed the Baptism certificate of my mother'ssister, Constance Annie Miller, at St James theGreat, September 27th, 1891, Edward FrancisCoke being the presiding Vicar. Unfortunately,Constance Annie died a little under two yearslater of scarlet fever. We have no idea where shewas buried.

The large Miller family lived all around BethnalGreen in Temple Street, r•tnrnhert Street , MapeStreet, Granby Street, Fashion Street, etc. etc.,but particularly 283 Bethnal Green Road.

your newsletter is fascinating reading togenealogists such as myself. I have just applied toJohn Harris for membership of the Society.

Editor's Note:

And may I offer a very warm welcome to you,Mrs ,Dugh.I was visiting Tottenham Park Cemetery inSeptember, in connection with a proposedguided walk, and while being shown around thecemetery, I happened to notice a gravestone withthe name of the Revd Coke and reference toBethnal Green. By sheer coincidence, I hadstumbled across the grave of someone we had

only just featured Having only recently typed itup for the newsletter I was able to give the groupI was with a brief history of the life and times ofthe Revd Coke, and to say they were impressedwould be an understatement!

Heather Dawson, 12 Timaru Road, TerreyHills, NSW 2084, Australia:

My brother-in-law was recently visiting Londonand made some enquiries for me about myancestors who lived at 3 Prospect Place in thedivision of St John's, St George in the East. Hesent me your leaflet requesting information aboutTower Hamlets Cemetery.

I don't know exactly where the cemeteryhowever I imagine that you exchange informationwith groups researching other cemeteries in thearea and I may be able to contribute.

My Gt. gt. gt. grandfather was Samuel HenryFranks, who married Jane Love c 1800. Childrenincluded Mary Anne Franks, Eleanor LoveFranks, Samuel Henry Franks and George ScottFranks. They were all baptised at Sion Chapel.

Although a printer by trade Samuel Henry I wasclosely associated with the Eastern ChampionFriendly Society and letters written by himduring the period 1835••0 refer to funerals thathe arranged. Unfortunately, I do not have accessto all the correspondence at this stage, however Ido have copies of a few of his letters. His son,also, was secretary to the society in the 1860's.

Samuel's grandson - Samuel Franks Ill - diedJuly 27th "aged 4 years 3 months and 11 days,"was to be buried on Sunday August 11th 1839 "Iexpect it will be White draper Church ".

Mr Williams of Bethnal Green died 3rd June1839 aged 92 buried at Spitalfields Church, "Hehad three cofgns, one 1472 lead was a veryrespectable funeral, a hearse and 2 coaches,feathers, velvet, porters etc."

If this type of information is useful to you I willgo through the remaining correspondence forother references. It is rather difficult to read.Naturally, if you already have any information on

East London History Society Newsletter 5

Franks, Stanton or the Friendly Society, I wouldbe delighted to hear from you.

Norman Bishop, 22 Grove Road, Deepcar,Sheffield, S Yorks, S30 50A:

My Bishop ancestors moved across the waterfrom Bermondsey to Stepney some time between1863 and 1871. Robert Bishop was a MasterMariner on the East Coast run, bringing coalsfrom Newcastle until he was nearly 70. In the1871 Census he was living with his wife at 54Trinity Almshouse Mile End. There were sixother members of the family living there as well,including his son, a Trinity House pilot/mastermariner (no mention of them being visitors,though I think they must. have been.) Thesealmshouses must have been very good as Inoticed several other families had servants. In1879 he and his wife were living in PortlandStreet, Stepney, with their daughter.

Could you let me know of any books that wouldgive me an insight into life in Ctannaa, in +11e latter

half of the 19th century as well as information onTrinity House.

Ed. Note:

Doreen has suggested Record No. 13 which hasan article on Trinity House. Jane Cox's book,London's East End, Life and Traditions, isanother useful book. Millicent Rose's The EastEnd of London is a book I find invaluable.

Joyce Garwood, 42, Aberdeen Gardens, Leighon Sea, Essex, SS9

I was very interested in the Summer Newsletterwith regard to the Central Line.

I noticed that it was mentioned that the tube wassealed until after the war but did ynn know thatthe Plessey Company of Ilford used the 'tunnel'as it was called, to keep production going duringthe time of the Blitz and flying bombs.

I was a coil winder and our department was onGants Hill platform, and machines were putthrough the tunnel, and I think it went as far asLeytonstone. This was to save time going to the

shelters, when we were in the main building inLey Street.

Can you tell me what happened to the Red CoatSchool in Stepney Green, it was my first schooland going through old photos came across ourclass with teacher Mrs Black.

(Ed Note: The school is opposite St Dunstan'sChurch and is called the Sir John CassFoundation and Red Coat School).

John Gorman, Galley Wood House, AimesGreen, Waltham Abbey:

The day following the lecture, I had a heartattack. As a result, I was unable to come to theopening of the Hannah Billig exhibition. I willalso miss Rosemary Taylor's lecture on WilliamMorris.

Please convey my regrets to Rosemary, and tellher how much I enjoyed In Letters of Gold.

David Webb sent me a programme of events forthe City of London Historical Society, but itlooks as though I will not be really fit until theend of the year.

I hope that I will be able to attend some of yourevents in 1997.

Ed Note:

It is with great sadness that we learnt of thedeath of John Gorman, our speaker inSeptember. As he mentions in his letter, he had aheart attack the dqy qfter giving his lecture toour Society, and although he appeared torecover, he suffered another fatal heart attackabout a month later. Besides being adistinguished printer John was a labourhistorian and author of "Banner Bright". On 26September he spoke on the post-war East.nnfinn Communist Party (he was n member

from 1949 to 1956), and his disillusionment withcommunism. We all enjoyed his entertainingtalk, and his untimely death has come as a shockto all those who knew and admired his work Iam sure all our members would like to join me inoffering our condolences to John's wife andfamily.

6

East London History Society Newsletter

Mr J F Crouch, Park View, 131 HillcrestRoad, Hornchurch, Essex RM11 lEE, wrotein response to Doreen's request forinformation about St Augustine's Church:

I have childhood memories of the "Old Church"which was located at the end of the Park. Iremember it as being derelict which we presumedas children was the result of bomb damage. I alsoseem to remember that there was a POW camplocated to the end of the church.

I have spoken to one of my friends who alsoplayed in the 'shell' of the church and we canremember a large statue of the Madonna at therear of the church.

Somehow we used to manage to climb into thebelfry via an old iron ladder. Not muchinformation but perhaps it will assist you in yourresearch. Incidentally I used to live on the islandor Monier Road estate as it was then, aftermoving from Libra Road (by the `Roman').

Mrs Yates, 128 Clare House, MontheithEstate E3 5PZ, also has memories of StAugustine's:

The church was like a little country church,seating fifty people. It has rough, not regularbrickwork. The tower looked like a castle withnnintpri arrow like pointers; on each corner.People referred to the church as "Thumbs UpChurch" because of this. The church had no bells.The church fell into disrepair and the left handwall was left standing , although the raftersseemed to have been burnt.

Ed Note: Mrs Yates also recalls walking withher parents across the park to church. Her homewas in Park Terrace and the deeds went back tothe 1700s.T_ d_. in Victoria Park by St Augustines Gate alarge black stone stands where the altar used tobe. At one time this had a plaque on it recallingthe history of the church.

The Tower Hamlets Connection By HaroldFinch, Price £7.99. Published by TowerHamlets Library and Stepney Books.

A biographical dictionary of anyone famous orinfamous who has had connections with TowerHamlets, this book has been a labour of love forHarold Finch. The author is in his eighties, andhas spent over thirteen years researching hiswork. The illustrations add an extra touch to abook which is sure to be taken on board as astandard reference book for local historians andschools alike.

Copies are available at Bancroft Road Libraryand Eastside Bookshop.

More Light, More Power, and illustratedhistory of Shoreditch by David Mander.Published by Sutton Publishing Limited.Price £9.99. (128 pages) •

The title is the motto adopted in 1897 byShoreditch and refers to the establishment in thatyear of the Shoreditch Electricity Station andRefuse Destructor, the furnace of the latter beingused to raise steam to generate electricity.Shoreditch was also the first in London to buildmunicipal housing and to patent its own watercloset.

Shoreditch had a strong theatrical tradition,beginning with Shakespeare's Curtain Theatre,where some of the Bard's finest plays were firstperformed, but it was also the centre of London'sfurniture trade and a thriving boot and shoeindustry.

Hackney, Homerton Dalston by DavidMander, published by Sutton Publishing_Price £9.99. (160 pages)

Continuing the series of Britain in oldPhAtnerraphs, this compilation of archivephotographs from Hackney Library is anexcellent and informative addition to thebookshelves of local history enthusiasts.

East London History Society Newsletter 7

otes an e .... ..... ...... ........... •. ..... . .. ..... .... ..... .. ............. .......... • •

Coach Outing to l9tley

The outing to Otley Hall in April 1996 was agreat success. We had stopped first at NeedhamMarket which had a well described walk aroundthe back of the town. Many of the shops in thisarea were experiencing difficulties as a result ofthe new supermarket on the outskirts of thetown. Some of the old established shops havebeen forced to close.

As we pulled into Otley Hall a blackboardwelcomed Ann Sansom and the Society, and wefelt quite privileged that the Hall had beenopened specially for us.

The Hall is a 15th century house and is one of thefew Grade I listed houses privately owned by J GMussessun. It stands in grounds of ten acres. Ourguide was one of the five daughters of the ownerwho had grown up in the Hall and seen all therestorations carried out under the guidance ofEnglish Heritage. The gardens were beautiful andthe sun shone, making it a perfect day.

Otley Hall was once owned by BartholomewGosnold, who captained the Godspeed on itshistoric voyage from Blackwall to Virginia,where the group of 105 men were to become thefirst permanent settlers in America. Gosnoldpioneered the route to New England in 1602,first charting and naming Cape Cod (firstGosnolds Hope), and Martha's Vineyard, afterhis daughter. In the following years a majorreturn trip was planned, and in 1607 theJamestown Colony was founded. Gosnold wouldhave become Governor of the colony but died of

malaria three months after his arrival in Virginia.His brother Anthony Gosnold also made thejourney, and survived him by three years beforebeing lost at sea. Gosnokl's exploits were usedby Shakespeare as the basis of his play TheTempest.

Christmas Party at the RaggedSchool Museum

1

Once again in December 1996, members of theEast London History Society and the RaggedSchool Museum Trust celebrated Christmastogether, with a Quiz followed by refreshments.It was a highly successful evening whicheveryone seemed to enjoy. The Quiz was bothentertaining and proved very popular. Thewinners who included Doreen Osborne and PhilipMernick , ELHS committee members wererewarded with books from the bookshop.

The mulled wine went down very well, andvolunteers had excelled themselves with the food,of which there was fhrAespite the factthat there were over forty guests and volunteerspresent. The fact that the musician was unwelland unable to come, so we had to rely on a taperecorder, did not lessen our enjoyment.

Our thanks must go to Claudia Bigg, theMuseum Curator, who worked hard to ensurethe success of the occasion.

TO ALL RESEARCHERS:

For those of our members engaged in familyresearch, a reminder that the General RegisterOffice of Births, Deaths, and Marriages at StCatherine's House will transfer to MyddletonPlace Finsbury. This large modern building willalso house the National Census Records for theUK. The census rooms will be open to the publicfrom 9.30 am Monday 10th March. The Births,Deaths and Marriages will be open to the publicafter the Easter weekend. From April thisbuilding will stay open until 7 pm Tuesday andThursday and also Saturday 9.30 to 5 pm. Thebuilding also has a bookshop and a cafeteria.vnur nearest tube station will be the Angel(Northern Line).

It is with great sadness that we announce the deathof the Revd. Reg Sagoe, Minister at the LatimerCongregational Church. Many of our member whohave attended lectures in the church hall willremember his unfailing kindness and generositytowards the ELHS. Reg will be sadly missed by all

1 !who knew him.

8

East London History Society Newsletter

Hannah Billig at the RaggedSchool Museum

The opening of the exhibition on the 6th October,on the life and times of Dr Hannah Billig, theAngel of Cable Street, was a truly memorableoccasion..

The exhibition was opened by the Mayor ofTower Hamlets, and we were privileged to havewith us, Mrs Rossi Billig, widow of David Billig,Hannah's younger brother, together with herchildren and grandchildren.

The Ragged School Museum was packed withguests and well-wishers, with several of DrHannah's patients eager to share their memoriesof this great lady.

Co—wino= Denis. Jones was able to announcethe great news that the Council have agreed toerect a plaque on the house at 198 Cable Street,where Dr Hannah lived and worked. This is totake place in July 1997, to mark the tenthanniversary of her death. Further news of theexact date and time will be published in the localpapers'

The exhibition was on at the Ragged SchoolMuseum up to the first week of January, and hasnow moved to the Whitechapel Library. Forthose of you who were unable to visit the RaggedSchool, this is another opportunity to see theexhibition.

We have now had an enquiry from Galway inIreland, requesting the loan of the exhibition. DrBrooks has been making enquiries about havingthe exhibition in the Museum at Caesarae, thelittle town in Israel, where Dr Hannah spent thelast years of her life.

A booklet on the life of Dr Hannah has beenpublished by Rosemary Taylor. Written in astraightforward style with illustrations by LukePower, it is hoped that it will form anintroduction to local history which can be easilyread by children, and encourage them to explorethe lives of our local heroes and heroines.

Hannah Lvanig,

The Angel of Cable Street price £2.50 +50p post and packing is available from

rosemary Taylor, 5 Pusey House, Saracen

Street, Poplar, London El4 6HG.

Every Stone Tells a Story, A shortHistory and History Trail of TowerHamlets Cemetery, by Rosem ary Taylnr,with illustrations by Bernard Canavan.Price £3.50 + 50p p&p. Address as above.

This book continues to sell well, andseveral London Cemeteries (and one inBromley, Kent) have taken copies to sellat their Information Centres.

Future issues of the Newsletter will carry afeature entitled "What They Were Like to WorkIn", through which members can share theirmemories of the workplace, factory or office intime past What were the conditions like, thewages and the hours of work We would like tohear from any of our members who worked inWzckhams, Boardmans at Stratford andClarnicos at Stratford Were you a cinemausherette, a barmak4 4z factory worker. If youhave information to share with our members,please send your letters to Rosemary Taylor, 5Pusey House, Saracen Street, Poplar, LondonE14 6HG.

The East End Festival Programme for1997 has kicked off with the launch of theirnew website on the Internet via:http://leevalley.co.uk/EastEnd Festival/

The East London History Society'scontribution can be found on History, withbackground history on Tower Hamlets anditems on Chinese Limehouse, and WorkingWomen 1888 by Rosemary Taylor.

East London History Society Newsletter 9

FIREWORKS BY THE REGENT'SCANAL

The following article was amongst some oldiffff0 a IS 4/1■121E Call* lin MP 11117 AM.‘11A1.1111S667 Wlirma ...vas ...

President Mr. Alfred French.

On the east bank of the Regent's Canal a shortway along the Mile End Road from QueenMary and Westfield College, there stands theNew Globe public house. It was built in 1820when the district surrounding it was still ruraland in the middle of the nineteenth century itwas well known for the pleasure gardensbehind it which were similar in kind if not inmagnificence to the renowned VauxhallGardens.

The New Globe Gardens were the creation ofthe Gardner family who arrived in the Mile EndRoad towards the end of the eighteenthcentury. William Gardner was born inCoggeshall, Essex, in 1759. He moved into theMile End Road probably as a result of adifference with his step-brother. There heestablished himself as a fanner and hay andstraw merchant. He was also the licensee of theCherry Tree public house which stood on thesite now occupied by the Church of theGuardian Angels. William Gardner died in1816 and by -then the Regent's Canal had cuthis land into two unequal parts.

Gardner's elder son farmed the land on thewest side of the canal but he soon beg...Itotake an interest in the new form oftransportation. He established himself as aboat-repairer and later he opened a coal wharfHis business survived until 1902 when hejoined his rivals and Charrington, Gardner,Lockett and Company were formed. Thiscompany used to operate Globe Wharf; theentrance of which is on the opposite side of thecanal from the new Globe.

The small piece of land on the east side of thecanal was used for building. In 1820, MarthaGardner, William's widow, had an inn and alarge house built on it. The inn was the NewGlobe, which with alterations to the front of

the lower storey, still stands in the Mile EndRoad. The large house remains too, though ithas been divided into several shops. The cherryTree seems to have disappeared at about thistime and his license may well have been passedon to the New Globe.

The licensee of the New Globe was Gardner'syoungest son Thomas, who in 1838 bought theland behind the inn from the West Ham WaterWorks. The site, bounded by the Regent'sCanal, Grove Road and the then new EasternCounties Railway had contained a reservoirwhich had been made by hollowing out a largemound. The reservoir was filled in and laid outas a bowling green while the rest of the landwas made into a pleasure garden withornamental fountains, trees, statues and chaletsin which visitors took tea. From the bowlinggreen there was a pleasant view of thesurrounding fields and the hills to the north(you can see this view from the roof of QMC,though the green fields have long sincevanished).

In the heyday of the New Globe Gardens therewere often as many a 4,000 visitors in a day.The cost of admission was sixpence, and forthis visitors could enjoy the beauty of thegardens and also be provided with

"entert-iment. Th "e b-oonist Coxwell mademany ascents from the gardens and Williamand John Brock gave fireworks displays.. It wasas a result of experience gained there thatWilliam's son was awarded the contract toprovide fireworks displays at the GreatExhibition of 1851.

By the end of the 1850s the popularity of thegardens had declined. The area around themwas being built up, making the views lesspleasant, and the railways were providing anenjoyable alternative to visiting the gardens incheap excursions. The house next to the NewGlobe was sold in 1859 and in 1860 thegardens too were sold as a building site. Todaythere is no trace of the once famous gardens.Only the New Globe itself and the house by itsside remain. The gardens, like the VauxhallGardens, are no more than a memory.

10 East London History Society Newsletter

LIMEHOUSE CAUSE

This article was sent in by Neil Pepper. Anextract ifro— the d"ry of :Us father, whowas born in 1907.

Arrived with parents back from Germany in1921. Father was discharged from the army,we had no home to move into so we had tolive with my grandmother in No. 71 ParkStreet, Poplar.

Dad went back to work as horse keeper for GJ Anderson in Lower North Street, Poplar,night work. I used to go to the stables and helpto shift manure and see the horses to drink. Atweek-ends several of the horses used to docanal work pulling the barges throughLimehouse Cut and Regents Canal. Late atnight my father used to take me to an all nightcoffee stall, called Hole in the Wall. You couldget hot cakes and a large tea for 2d. This stallwas in East India Dock Road and there wasalways lots of horses and carts loaded with hayfor the hay market at Gardiner's Corner.Opposite was a coffee shop called Bob Hills,open 7 days a week. The carmen could get acooked breakfast from 4 am until midday.During the night sometimes a local policemanwould call in for a cup of tea at the stables.

During that year I became ill with a diseasedbone in my leg and my Mother used to pushme in a wheel chair to Poplar Hospital. I wastaken into hospital and spent 9 months inDonald Currie Ward, named after Union CastleI thir i-. I used to lay out on the balcony

watch the ships loading and discharging in theEast India Docks.

During my time in hospital my parents movedinto No. 49 Limehouse Causeway. Thefoundations had collapsed and the house was ata slope, all the furniture had to be levelled upwith blocks of wood and if you droppedanything it rolled to the end of the room! Thestreet was very narrow, only one cart or vancould get through one way at a time. We livedwith Chinese families next door and several

other families lived in the same road. Therewere Chinese restaurants and gambling densand puka-poo shops where results were everyhour from 10 am to 10 pm. For sixpence or ashilling for each try you would get your moneyhark if von gnt 5 nut of 1 0 for 6 you got £46s., or £9. If you got 10 right you got £180.My Mother got 10 right and got £180 all inher apron. We were well off for a while, then.

There were Chinese shops and fish shops andsmoked fish; a coal shed where you could buy7 lb of coal for 2 1/2d or 14 lb coke for 4 1/2d.There were many dice houses in the Causewayand Pennyfields. In West India Dock Road,there was Charlie Brown's Pub. Its bars werelined with curios from all over the world. Theseamen from the West India Dock used it a lot.November 5th was a great night in Chinatown.The Chinese made some great fireworks andCharlie Brown used to do a fireworks displayfor all the children in the area.

As children we would take a coster barrow orcart Witt wan 11.71

the JV4:1411GH R./ tAni.t,

paid off from the ships from the West and wewould take their baggage to the differenthomes in the West India Dock Road - JacksPalace, Lascars Home and German Seamen'sHome. During my time there was once a fightbetween the Chinese which lasted several days,with mounted police patrolling the streets.Many of the Cantonese lived in LimehouseCauseway and the Shanghai men lived inPennyfields. In my young days nearly all theChinamen had their pigtails and several womenhad their feet bound and always wore theircountry's dress.

In Limehouse Causeway when any Chinamandied he was taken in a closed in hearse andonly men followed with music. But a little timebefore they would leave, a man I knew used topush a costermongers barrow laid out withfruit, flowers and a whole roast pig, to EastLondon Cemetery, and it was buried with theperson who had died, for his journey to thegods.

Bobby Ince who lived opposite us, who was toL _ _ _ _ 1,_°cum= mumci -m-law iaLer was a sailing

East London History Society Newsletter 11

barge mate. I met him one morning coming outof the West India Dock and he had a monkeyon a lead which he bought off a seaman off aship, for 10s. It was wild and vicious and hewanted to take it home to show our brother-in-law, Jimmy coffins. We got it "n a N". 77 tramat West India Dock. We had to take it upstairs.Suddenly it got loose and jumped on thepassengers' shoulders and started to bite them,and grab their hats. We got thrown off thetram and walked to Bow with it. When we gotthere we let it loose and it caused a riot in the11",,cP . It flew at the r2t, tore the curtains downand smashed everything it got hold of.Everybody was shouting and trying to catch it.We caught it, and it bit my sister-in-law'sfinger so Bob took it back home to Limehouse,put it in a cage and sold it at Club Row for £1on the Sunday. When Bob got married he andhis wife Jane lived with his wife's snanny atBow Common. He brought another monkeyhome. It was nice and tame and we used togive it food and peanuts, it was a nice pet.

MEMORIES OF HAWRAH HOUSE-- ~lie

In our ain't:111MM 17710 ilicwaavaivi 9 1•11

Hellicar asked about Ha.wrah HouseConvent . The name has often been speltglowrah', a trap I have also fallen into.Below is an abridged version of an addresswritten by Miss E Youles, on her retirementfrom Cardinal Griffin School (now BlessedJO Ildii Roche) in Upper North ,..Areet, Poplar.

I was born in Tottenham on the 9th June 1905,because my father (William Youles) workedfnr Pirkfnrel's in the High ltnaci, and occupieda house over the stables, but he was returnedto Poplar depot soon after this.

In 1908 I was taken to Wade Street School,screaming my head ofC to meet my firstHeadmistress, Mother Anna Waring FCJ andmy first class teacher Miss Nellie Lynn. Iremember this day with aystal clarity, as itwere yesterday. My mother went off and leftme and I was lifted forcibly onto the back of alarge wooden rocking horse, a fearsome steed,with snorting nostrils distended, and painted a

bright scarlet. He had a fiery eye, a hairy maneand a long flowing tail to which I clung, andeven now, I am able to feel the texture of thehorse hair that I must have dragged out in myfrantic efforts to dismount. My memory ofMice Lynn. is of a tallish, dignified_lady, with a soft musical voice. She worebeautiful lacy blouses surmounted by lacecollarettes held up to a place under the ears bypieces of fine whalebone surmounted by tinypearls. I used to sit and wonder if the pin at theend of the pearl went straight through her neckand fastened on the other side. Mother Anna tome was a lady, who never removed her hat.

In due course I was promoted to the GirlsSchool under the headship of MotherWmefride Rebbitt FCJ and proceeded throughthe classes to the top one i.e. Standards 5,6,and 7 in one huge room which must have beenable to hold about sixty pupils. Here myteacher was Mother Gertrude Fagan FCJ agreat disciplinarian, and a lady of markeddramatic talent. This was the age of learning byheart and under her tutelage, we declaimedwith great fervour the speeches fromShakespeare plays and were introduced to theworks of Charles :Dickens in abridged form.

On August 4th 1914, I remember seeing on theplacard in huge black print "BRITAINTVCCNT A WU C III A 13/ , T +Lc. 1 es •-.44.ser ra.LACA.4-4'1.M.Goa VT CUM I ivo...au Luc n.miLuais

baker and butcher shops owned by people whowere suspected of the slightest affinity with theenemy. When the air raids started I sawfamilies with bundles of bedding going forshelter to Blackwall. Tunnel where they wouldstay for the night. The air raid warning was aknocking "n the street Annr by a warden andcan still hear the knocks along Sussex Street,getting louder and louder as he approachedNo. 36 where we lived. My mother, sister andgrandmother used to go downstairs at thesignal and we would be told to get on with ourhomework. I do not remember being afraid.

In 1916 came the Exam for the Junior CountyScholarship and I duly went one Saturdaymorning, to Ricardo St. School armed with anumbered ticket only. The papers were set inEnglish and Arithmetic. The Composition that

12 East London History Society Newsletter

year was: How can you help your country inwar-time. My efforts met with the award of acoveted scholarship and I became the proudpossessor of a Post Office Savings Bank Book,into which a sum of money would be paidto•—rds my m"iten-rice at a 0-r.rnm.- School.

I proceeded to Hawrah House Convent and Isettled in there very well. Mother Alice Bartonwas the Revd_ Mother and we were told to"bow from the waist" when we met her. Ouruniform was a navy serge dress and a sailorcollar made from white pique. These collarswould be stiffened with starch and mine had toremain clean for a whole week. It was sent tothe laundry - the Non Para in North Streetand was done for 2 1 /2d We wore a "cup andsaucer hat" or mortar board on our head. Thetassel had to be arranged at the correct angle.These hats were the target of groups of boyswho would flick them off very expertly and weoften had to rescue them from the kerb alongEast India Road.

Each day as we went home, we were requiredto wear our gloves, because such were the signof a young lady and one ethe nuns wouldshake hands in the doorway as we left thebuilding and we would say "Good morningMother" or "Good afternoon Mother" as thecase might be. I do not remember having muchleisure time. We had lots of homework to dobut as a treat on Saturday afternoon, we mightbe allowed to go to the Gaiety Cinema on thecorner of Pekin Street, where for 2d we wereshown one complete film and the instalment ofa serial e.g. The Exploits of Elaine. Theheroine would be left hanging by the hair froma steep cUU or tied to a railway track in thepath of an oncoming train. Then it stopped andyou had to return the next week to find out ifshe was rescued. There were no books in myhouse, so I haunted the Poplar Library in theHigh Street with my sister, both of us beingavid readers. The open access system was notin use in those da;rs. rIne had to get P■

catalogue, trace a number of the chosen bookdown rows and rows of red and blue numbersbehind a glass case. Of course, red indicatedthat the book was out and quite often we had

to start all over again until we succeeded infinding a number in blue meaning that the bookwas 'in' and therefore available.

Each year we took a public examination, Juniorand then Senior Oxford, and in 1921 came theGeneral School Exam upon the results ofwhich exemption from Matriculation could beobtained. I passed these exams and on the lastnne obtained a distinction in English whichpleased me very much. As there was no 6thForm in Hawrah House, two of us who wishedto go in for a teaching career were transferredto St Aloysuis Convent, Clarendon Square.This involved a journey to King's Cross, whichcost 10d a day. In 1925 I emerged a fullyqualified teacher and obtained my first post atWade Street School. My sister joined me in1927, and we have remained together eversince.

In 1939 when World War II broke out theschool was evacuated to Oxford. However,many boys and girls returned to Poplar, so Iwas recalled and reported for service in theHoly Child School, Grundy Street, whereSister Mary ran morning and evening sessionsfor various groups of returned evacuees.Several more evacuations took place, to Devonand later to Sheffield.

After the war I returned to Poplar and WadeStreet School. Then in 1951, I was offered thepost of Deputy Head at Cardinal Griffin's. TheCardinal Griffin's Secondary Modern Schoolwas a show piece for the building section ofthe Festival of Britain. I remember the architectMr Stokes, being present on the first morningand he presented a half-crown to the first pupilto walk into the new school.

I would like to thank the parents for theirloyalty and support and the pupils for their loveand appreciation for all we have tried to do forthem. A few years ago, a boy who was leavingschool at the end of his 5th year, came to saygoodbye. I commented that I did not have thepleasure of teaching him in my classes and heanswered, "No, but you were always there," aremark I shall always treasure.

Our Spring Coach Trip will take place on Saturday 26th Apra to Brighton.

We will be visiting the Royal Pavilion, George IV's fantastic pleasuredome. The entrance fee is 13.35, but is subject to change.

In the afternoon. there will be a guided walk through The Lanes, Brighton'sold town. Ms will ioe about il..50, depending on numbers.

Lunch will not be arranged. There are many places to eat, including theyou nrwsevrtinRoyal rewPavilion 4 .411C, vi viius a parlay.

Party-

T hope to arrange tea for thp

The coach fart . will be L'6.50 a head. Th-v- pick up. •will be a* Mile Endopposite the station at 9.30 am.

Please send bookings to Ann Sansom, using the form below.

To: Ann Sansom, 18 Hawkdene, London, E4 7PF. Tele: 0181 524 4506.Spring coach Trip to Brighton.

I/we would like seats for the coach trip @ £6.50 per head.

NAME

ADDRESS

TELE NO.

I/we enclose a cheque/PO for £ payable to the East LondonHistory Society.

East London History Society Newsletter 15

Thursday 30 JanuaryPolice in Stepney and Whitechapel -Terry Brown

Thursday 20 FebruaryBad Smells in Stepney - the chemicalindustry in East London - Mary Mills

Thursday 13 MarchRise and Destruction of Mosley" sBritish Fascist Party 1932 - 1948 -Morris Beckman

Thursday 3 AprilHomeworking Women. of Spitalfields1880-1909 - Diane Atkinson

Thursday 10 AprilThree Mills - Their story and area(illustrated) - Brian Strong and MichaelBurkham

Thursday 8 MayTransport in East London - memoriesand research, Members' Open Evening.

All meetings are held in LatimerCongregational Church, Ernest Street, StepneyEl at 7.30 pm. Ernest Street is betweenHarford Street and White Horse Lane, off MileEnd Road, just opposite Queen Mary andWestfield College. The nearest stations areStepney Green and Mile End.

David Behr welcomes suggestions for futuretopics and speakers. Discuss your ideas withhim before or after the lectures.

Annual General Meetingof the East London History Society

The AGM of the East London HistorySociety was held on Thursday 17October at 7.15 pm.

The Accounts of the Society were readout and approved, following which thecommittee was re-elected en-masse.

The Society members were informed ofthe resignation of Colm Kerrigan aseditor of the East London Record. Asan interim measure, the work ofproducing the Record has been takenover by Philip Mernick and RosemaryTaylor. It is hoped that the 1997 issuewill be published shortly.

The Committee members are asfollows:

Rosemary Taylor - ChairDoreen Kendall - SecretaryPhilip Mernick - TreasurerDavid Behr - Programme SecretaryAnn Sansom - Coach OutingsJohn Harris - Membership SecretaryDoreen OsborneBradley Snooks

The committee would welcome anymembers who are considering taking

I

an active part in the affairs of theSociety to attend committee meetings,as observers.