Suresh Singh’s Spitalfields
When Suresh Singh was a student at City & East London College in 1979, he was given a project for General Studies O Level to record his neighbourhood. So he set out with his camera from his home at 38 Princelet St and took these photographs of the streets of Spitalfields. They are published here for the first time today and are now in the collection at Bishopsgate Insitute.
Suresh will be in conversation with Stefan Dickers talking about his book A MODEST LIVING, MEMOIRS OF A COCKNEY SIKH at the Write Idea Festival at the Whitechapel Idea Store on Saturday November 17th at 1pm. Click here to book a free ticket
Christ Church from Wilkes St
Spitalfields Market seen from Christ Church
Looking towards the City from the rooftop of a Hanbury St factory
Children playing cricket in Puma Court
Mr Sova, proprietor of Sova Fabrics on Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Shed on Brick Lane
Shoe shop on Cheshire St
Cheshire St
Stamp and coin dealer in Cheshire St
Boy carrying home the shopping on Brick Lane
Shops on Hanbury St
Truman Brewery seen from Grimbsy St
Woman on Brick Lane
Her shoes
Down and out on the steps of the Rectory, Christ Church
Homeless men sitting outside Christ Church – this area has recently been fenced off
In Fashion St
Naz Cinema, Brick Lane
Family walking from Shoreditch Station into Brick Lane
Clifton Sweetmart, Brick Lane
Former Central Foundation School for Girls, Spital Sq, now Galvin restaurant
Inside the former Central Foundation School for Girls, Spital Sq
Abandoned books at Central Foundation School for Girls
There was a constant police presence on Brick Lane due to the race riots
Crowds leaving the mosque on Brick Lane
Sign in Fournier St
Sign in Fournier St
Christ Church prior to restoration, without balconies
Christ Church from the roofs of Hanbury St
Photographs copyright © Suresh Singh
Click here to order a signed copy of A MODEST LIVING for £20
What wonderful moody photos. I also really enjoyed Suresh’s book. I read it in one sitting and was reminded how extraordinary ‘ordinary’ lives can be – it was a sheer delight. I hope this is the beginning and not the end of his writing career.
Those photos really capture the atmosphere of the area at that time. Valerie
Dear Suresh
I hope you were given an A for your photography project. They are beautiful pictures. I particularly like the 3rd picture of the view over the rooftops and chimney pots on Hanbury Street. It is interesting to see the many gaps on the streets in your photos – all patched up now!
Best wishes Peta
Yes – fascinating to see the Spitalfields area before gentrification. Suresh obviously has a good eye, and I thought the shoe shop window photograph was particularly striking.
I also really enjoyed his book, and thought his Dad came across as an extraordinary character…
There are some really brilliant photos here! Thanks for sharing, love the atmosphere, takes me back to when I was a kid.
Jose C.
I absolutely love the photograph of the woman in the white coat with her torso framed by the wall painted sign. I only wonder what the words, framing her head, mean?
Suresh certainly knew what he was doing when he took these photographs in 1979. A marvellous collection taken by a young photographer with a natural eye for composition and subject. It would be great to see some contemporary photographs of Spitalfields from Suresh. I photographed the woman on Brick Lane around four years later wearing the same coat. She appears in my book Brick Lane published by Spitalfields life. She lived in Flower & Dean walk.