Azella, a regular at the St Botolph’s Crypt wet shelter, gets her slap on before heading off for the pub with a friend. Azella sometimes slept in a cardboard box in the underground car park of Denning Point. One night a truck drove over the box and killed her. 1977.

Azella, a regular at the St Botolph’s Crypt wet shelter, gets her slap on before heading off for the pub with a friend. Azella sometimes slept in a cardboard box in the underground car park of Denning Point. One night a truck drove over the box and killed her. 1977.

The crypt of this east end church was opened to all comers on weekday evenings. Drinkers and drug users were as welcome as anyone else and there was no restriction on their consumption. Filthy, noisy, smelly and sometimes violent the crypt was non judgemental and provided food, warmth and medical support for many years under the management of The Reverend Malcolm Johnson. After he retired the money was squandered and the crypt closed.