Comments on: Wonderful East End

By: MIck Lemmerman

MIck Lemmerman — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 16:50:45 +0000

“Old shop front in Bow” is in fact the pawbrokers at the corner of Preston’s Rd (left) and Poplar High St on the right (sing says just “High St”).

By: ian silverton

ian silverton — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 10:00:10 +0000

Looking at all these old pictures,of times gone by,in which we lived,makes me wonder how we all got through it,hungry/poor/cold. Dont think it what i for one want to look at anymore,but thanks for putting them up.

By: John Ford

John Ford — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:39:37 +0000

These photographs help me to visualise the description of East London provided by my father who is now in his ninety sixth year. He has very clear memories of being a raggedly dressed child in the nineteen twenties. His stories do much to destroy the myth that children had much more fun and were happy in their play. Life was incredibly hard with little to celebrate or be joyous of.

By: Rhona Wyer

Rhona Wyer — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:22:26 +0000

Lovely collection of photographs which show London as somewhere all sorts of people managed to live. Rich and poor used to live here side by side until so recently until gentrified by government policy and rich immigrants, so all is gone now and forever. I was surprised there was no mention of Richard III regarding Crosby Hall which, although moved, was one of his London homes.

By: Pauline Taylor

Pauline Taylor — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:40:29 +0000

Evocative pictures and very ‘of their time’ captions. However poor some of these people may have been I bet that, despite not having shoes or stockings, many of those children had so much more fun and knew how to enjoy themselves more than many children do now.

I was amused by the costermonger’s barrow with books on it. My grandfather still had his costermonger’s barrow, in the 1940s and 1950s, which my parents and I inherited, perhaps if I still had it now I could put it outside my shop with books on it!! That would be a talking point.

Thank you again for helping me to understand the East End in which my grandparents lived.

By: HHGeek

HHGeek — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:20:01 +0000

Brilliant stuff. Pennyfields is probably the only place that still bears even a vague resemblance to these images.

By: Molasses

Molasses — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:49:25 +0000

Life was a challenge for the working class at this period – an illness could incur a high debt, and there were other social ills such as upward mobility, lack of education, work conditions.

It is understandable for creation of a more equitable society championed by social campaigners in the first half of last century (and prior) – lets hope we do not regress.

By: Stewart

Stewart — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:52:37 +0000

Really lovely to see these images. My long gone Gran received the full run of Wonderful London in the 1920s and it was leafing through those tattered copies as a child through the late 60s / early 70s that began my obsession with London and its history. When I was a bit older I was slightly dismayed to find that the capitol was much changed, but I’ve spent many an hour seeking out surviving buildings and features that were shown in the original magazines. I managed to get bound volumes of Wonderful London a few years back – and still find myself flicking through them. Many thanks!!

By: Eddie Bosticco

Eddie Bosticco — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:52:41 +0000

Thank you!

By: Peter Holford

Peter Holford — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:37:19 +0000

Fabulous pictures and some bemusing captions. I wonder what was so wrong about children following a water cart driven by a ‘complacent driver’.

The greengrocer’s shop with the wares sloping down onto the pavement upon wooden crates was still a method that was going strong in the 1960s in Lower Richmond Road, Putney. It was a method that obviously worked!