Comments on: Just Another Day With John Claridge

By: john edwards

john edwards — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:25:55 +0000

See they’ve latched on to the Capri. Phwooar! Carsholton to Chigwell, Barnet to Blackheath, brown suede brogues, Daks slacks, few Babychams or Calypso [ Called ‘Leg Openers’ by the trade ] for miss
Permafrost … power where you need it – Derek the Dirty’s dream car – See if he’d got a Jag they’d keyed it
if not the brake fluid paint job for getting a bit above the manor and mates … but with the Capri – well it was raced wasn’t it, so, egalitie fraternitie what? Moss driving gloves and off to Brighton or Henley.
Lads at Cobb Street having a good laugh, the one on the left a ringer for Lionel Bart or Lyin’ Abaht as I
used to scold him trying to get his creative spark going again.
One on the left in ‘ four men’ He’s wearing my aunt Elsie’s tea cozy her niece bobble knitted for her.
And those tube trains! High ceilings, quality steel tubing & detail, grooved wood floors, classic patterned and lovely seats – terrific moshing in rush hours. Our pal Pete Butler who was at LSP noe LCP when Tom Eckersley was head used to flit a paper butterfly on a 6fy rod on the heads of his fellow passengers, Pete being 6ft plus …. especially those girls heading for Hornchurch he was tempted by. And, those strap handles eh! Like a stage set of ominous blackjacks hanging above, also of course known as ‘Priests’. Got it again JC – The percussive ring of the echoes of my, and your, mind. The cast is assembled, gangs all here and crazier than Morton Frazier’s Harmonica Gang.
Brilliant eye/mind/heart JC.

By: David Drakes

David Drakes — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:55:30 +0000

It may be just another day to each of these folk but JC’s lens renders a poetic feel to all of them . . . enshrined forever in the mists of East End time.

By: Cherub

Cherub — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:56:01 +0000

My husband grew up around Upton Park / East Ham / Plaistow and back in the 70s my elder sister lived on the Barking Road there so the pics are very intesting.

By: Jan Davis

Jan Davis — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:39:37 +0000

Yet more wonderful images John and as usual everyone has said it all before me! It just goes to show that you were totally absorbed by images so early on and had a complete empathy with everyone who crossed your path – a truely compelling set of pictures – thankyou as ever

By: Olga Secerov

Olga Secerov — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:08:03 +0000

Love’ SOS motors’ and ‘The Shed’ . I love the grainy and gritty texture of ‘Station Entrance’ in Plaistow.

By: Chris F

Chris F — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:53:09 +0000

Lovely, lovely scrap yard… I do hope that Heaven has a massive scrap yard where I can potter about all day… Another set of great photos.

By: Marien de Goffau

Marien de Goffau — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:37:22 +0000

Sublime portraiture in a nutshell. Simple and pure. The man and his environment. I fully enjoy the simplicity of these powerful portraits. Great and still alive in these fine black and white prints.

By: Freddie Edmondson

Freddie Edmondson — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:53:45 +0000

Whilst I see noise all around, I hear only whispers and murmurs. Quiet souls speaking softly, mumbling, muttering & sharing secrets.
A collection of blissful images from a world I never knew. My family had a Kosher fish shop in north London in the late 70’s- Happy days. We also had a much treasured Ford Capri!
Thank you John.

Freddie Edmondson.

By: Heather Dyer

Heather Dyer — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:53:01 +0000

John Claridge, the East End’s Cartier Bresson. Every picture is a gem.

By: Jens Marott

Jens Marott — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:53:35 +0000

It gets better and better, now we get to inside the shops, I look at these prints and think of John as a young man running around with a camera, taking pictures of his life, no rules, no fear, just for the love of it, it just doesn’t get more real, these images in years to come will become iconic to the history of the real East End.

Thank you John for sharing, hopefully there’s more to come, I really hope so.