Comments on: At Frying Pan Alley with Jack London

By: joe kelly

joe kelly — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:02:02 +0000

lived around the corner from frying pan alley in the early 50s big bombed out building right beside barnets at the time,we used to play there as kids,worked in barnets in the early 60s,great place and lovelly people.

By: Kris

Kris — Tue, 20 May 2025 04:13:16 +0000

I’m here because of the Mark Knopfler song “Mr Solomons Said” in which Mark noted “ you can bet Jack is never going back to Frying Pan Alley.”

By: Janet Long

Janet Long — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 21:50:41 +0000

I worked in Frying Pan Alley in the 60s for a Jewish salmon curers called Barnet’s, their van had a big mermaid sitting on top of the cabs. I went up there recently for old times sake, I walked along Middlesex street along Sandys Row into Frying Pan Alley, so strange walking the same old route, basically the same as it was, Barnet’s has long gone, quite a nostalgic day, then Spitalfields etc….

By: Tina Fisher

Tina Fisher — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 16:05:48 +0000

My Grandfather was born here in February 1908. Only to lose his mother 4 months later and his father in 1914. He too lost his life in WWII aboard HMS Curacoa. It humbles me to know they came from such sad, tough start. What a great article. Thank you

By: Maureen Dew

Maureen Dew — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 08:39:39 +0000

My maternal grandmother was born and lived as an infant in Frying Pan Alley during this time. Her father, who was Jewish and worked as a pot-man, died leaving her young mother, who was Irish Catholic, with three children and pregnant with her fourth. She and the children ended up living in the local workhouse before my grandmother and her older sister were sent to different Catholic orphanages in Wigan and her brother was shipped to Canada. The poverty of her formative years left my grandmother with serious lifelong health problems though she, like her siblings who worked hard and did very well in later life, had a better standard of living in Liverpool. Her mother married again, and lived in Brick Lane, and went on to have a further three children but by 33 had died with a bad heart. If their lives, and the accounts we have of them, are anything to go by, Jack London gave a truthful account of life at that time. As compared to my other great grandmothers (who lived in Liverpool) my Frying Pan Alley great grandmother was fortunate that all her children survived; my father’s mother had ten children and only he survived to adulthood (one sister died at 21), and my mother’s paternal grandmother also had ten children with just two of her children surviving, These shocking statistics are clear evidence of the poverty of those days.

By: Rich Odell

Rich Odell — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 18:10:36 +0000

My father always recalled that his father came from frying pan alley, its so nice to actually validate it’s existence.

By: Peter Woods

Peter Woods — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 12:10:18 +0000

I remember seeing the street name and taking a peak , I am not sure of the year, early 60s, there were still very poor people even then, kids were skipping, east end I remember gone, good job

By: sheila butt

sheila butt — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 18:02:32 +0000

we lived in the buildings opposite trumans brewery my father worked for Barnets in Frying Pan Alley worked all day came home tea time then went back in the evening to light up the smoke holes up he loved his job and was there for yea

Sheila butt nee bell

By: angela young

angela young — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:47:59 +0000

i trained to be a GPO telephonist at rodwell house in Middlesex street in 1967,sitting in the rest room drinking my coffee at tea break i used to look out over frying pan alley,it`s very interesting to read the history of it although looking at the photos would not have recognised the area at all and rodwell house seems to have long gone,however glad to see the old pub DIRTY DICKS is still there in the high street.

By: Margaret Martin

Margaret Martin — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:16:24 +0000

My grandfather was born in Frying Pan Alley in 1888. His parents were British born Polish Jews as were many of the inhabitants of the area at that time. They moved onwards and upwards and family members prospered and eventually lived in St Johns Wood and Highgate through there hardwork and ambition. They never forgot what grinding poverty was like.