Comments on: The Lost Squares Of Stepney

By: Roberta Woods

Roberta Woods — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:38:40 +0000

We lived in Betts House in Betts Street from 1961-64, we had moved there from Huntingdon Buildings in Bethnal Green Road – an early block of social housing built around the 1870’s. To the front of Betts House was a bomb-site where us kids used to play – can you imagine what Health & Safety would make of that! A lot of the bombed-out houses still contained a lot of the occupants possessions including kitchen utensils. There were no buildings beyond the bomb-site to obscure the view of St George in the East Church. We felt we had arrived as the Betts St Baths were still open and that is where I met my first boyfriend George Hodt – now I’m familiar with the history of the area, George’s ancestors were probably amongst the Germans who came to work in the areas sugar refineries in the 1870’s. There were 8 of us living in a 3 bed flat – I notice that Tower Hamlets have taken to combining flats together to accomodate larger families now. I visited the area a few months ago and had difficulty finding Betts House as there is no entry to Betts St from Cable Street – indeed Betts Street has ceased to exist and Betts House is lost in a maze of later council flats. When you consider that Betts Street is on that Rocque’s 1746 Map of London printed above, what vandalism. What survived two world wars was then mindlessly destroyed by short-sighted town planners (that’s a misnomer if ever I heard one) from the 1960’s to this day

By: Julie Balliu

Julie Balliu — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 14:45:38 +0000

I’m very loosely researching family history that I have sat on from previous family members for many, many years. We are French Huguenot refugees and the story is that the Pells resided in Spitalfields, London.
I was reading of a Pells Street 1600s which then became Princes Street…and then Swedensborg Sq, which brought me here. I don’t have any hard evidence, but it seems a coincidence that it’s only a stones throw from Spitalfields, held my family name and this article talks of East End and refugees. There’s probably a strong link somewhere, maybe they all lived there and it was just known as Pells Street, who knows.

By: A Pilkington

A Pilkington — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:13:59 +0000

It is interesting to read the other comments, including from those who lived on or near these Squares.
In 1881, my great-great-grandparents were living at 1 Neptune Street off the south side of Wellclose Square. Fascinating to see an image of the street, and to imagine them walking around there. Their name was Oesterman. They were Dutch Jewish cigar makers who had arrived in England some time before 1871 (1st recorded in the 1871 census in Leman Street) and all their children were born in around Spitalfields, Whitechapel & Wapping.

By: Hazel Rudman

Hazel Rudman — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 10:41:26 +0000

This has been the most fascinating to read, Seeing photos and pictures of Swedenborg St, Is such an eye opener. This opens my eyes to the reality of My Mum living here in 1964.

My sister was born in Swedenborg St in 1964. Does anyone have any idea what hospital would have been close by, I have one photograph of my Mum holding her new baby (my Sister) in what looks like a hospital bed (metal Framed) . Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 09:44:20 +0000

As Libby said ( in 2012 ) Wellclose Square was at the heart of The Battle Of Wapping during the Printworkers Struggle against Rupert Murdoch’s News International plant ( now luxury residences & shops ) – I spent a lot of time in Wellclose Square in 1986-87 supporting the Printworker , I vividly remember the Union vans in the Square & seeing the Mounted Police & Riot Police charging around attacking people … It’s sad to see much of Wellclose Square boarded up & looking run-down .

By: Phil Maillard

Phil Maillard — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 11:32:52 +0000

Hi. Many thanks for the fascinating site regarding Wellclose Square. May I recommend reading the poet Lee Harwood’s long poem ‘Cable Street’ (the first poem in his ‘Collected Poems’ published by Shearsman Press in 2004. The poem contains a reproduction of a letter of confirmation regarding the Compulsory Purchase Order (1963) for 37 Wellclose Square, where Lee Harwood and his wife Jenny (a painter) and young son Blake were living in the mid 1960’s. Best wishes, Phil Maillard.

By: Rob Castle

Rob Castle — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:11:36 +0000

Great article!

By: Pam Wardle

Pam Wardle — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 16:55:06 +0000

I have just come across your fascinating site and really enjoyed reading about the East End squares and all the comments that followed. My father’s family came over from Poland in 1905 and by 1911 were living at 24 Prince’s Square. Various family members came and left but in 1939 there were still family at 23 Prince’s Square, though it was now called Swedenborg Square. The family names were Frankel/Frankenstein, Isaacs and Podgoursky. My dad didn’t live in Princes Square but was brought up in the East End and reminisced about Cable Street and surrounding areas.

By: David Stainsbury

David Stainsbury — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 20:08:39 +0000

Hi
Brilliant article and the thread is really interesting. My Mother Joan Whitcomb, my grandmother Maud Strutton, great grandmother Hannah Mitchell and Great Great Grandmother Nancy White and their families lived in number two and number four Harrods Place just off of Wellclose Square and went to St Paul’s school. My grandmother was taken as a small child to have milk straight from the cow in the morning before she went to school. My grandad Frederick Whitcomb (Sam) was master tea blender at Twinings.
As I understand it people rented their homes in Harrods Place but landlords were willing to sell after the war but my grandparents couldn’t get the money together.
My grandmothers Uncle Morris Mitchell and his family lived in Harrods Place Hannah, Frank Nancy, Rose, Albert and my Nan had stories of how they would wear their evening dresses and go out on a Friday and Saturday night and have to pawn them on the Monday so that they could buy groceries.
In the nineteenth century to the pre war it seems it was a real mix of English, Irish, Jewish and Scandinavians. Many intermarried. My great grandparents worked in a pub. It was run by a German family ( I think they were called Beerman). My grandmother told me that the parents were imprisoned in the war as they were German nationals that had not naturalised and one of their sons as well who didn’t even know he wasn’t born in England.

By: Keith Rees

Keith Rees — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 08:28:09 +0000

Thank you for the photo “looking east from #5 Wellclose Square” and the unknown painting dated 1845.

I have been researching a solicitor named Richard Willey who lived at #3 Wellclose Square; his son Richard Horatio Willey [Will of 1844] and Charlotte Banks; and a number of her children with the solicitor before his death in 1838.

The painting adds value to the story of Charlotte Banks and one of her addresses when raising her children.