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Mystery Photos Of Brick Lane

November 19, 2014
by the gentle author

Stefan Dickers, Archivist at the Bishopsgate Institute, bought a box of old photographs of Brick Lane in the Spitalfields Market recently, which we estimate were taken around 1980. Unfortunately, they are not labelled with the photographer’s name, so can anyone tell us who took them? I have captioned some of the familiar faces and places, but we hope you can identify more of the subjects.

Reg Fuller at his fruit stall at the top of Brick Lane

At the Taj Stores

At the Spitalfields Fruit & Vegetable Market

In Sclater St

Harry Fishman, Newsagent

Ian Anderson, National Front leader, selling newspapers at the top of Brick Lane

For a spell, ‘The Ten Bells’ in Commercial St was renamed ‘Jack The Ripper’

In Cheshire St

In Sclater St

Stanley Kinn

Images courtesy Bishopsgate Institute

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8 Responses leave one →
  1. November 19, 2014

    I have been in London Town around 1980 — but sorry: can’t remember any of that people… 😉

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  2. frank hadley permalink
    November 19, 2014

    remember harry fishman, a nice friendly man, he let people use his phone in the shop as that was before mobiles.

  3. November 19, 2014

    This is a fine collection from the early 1980’s. Thanks to Stefan for saving them. The 13th photo is of a fascist paper seller at the top of Brick Lane at the intersection with Bethnal Green Road. Whoever took these photographs was familiar with some of the subjects and probably lived locally. The inside of the old Taj store (on the opposite side of the road to todays store) is a fabulous shot.

  4. William Hill permalink
    November 19, 2014

    Lovely photos, this was the East End I knew prior to gentrification! (A button to tweet page links would be useful!)

  5. Bricklane Bornbastard permalink
    November 20, 2014

    I remember most of the people. I have some great shots of Harry as well, in my collection. The Taj stores guy, Mr. Ali Miah has a shop in Vallance road now. I will ask him. I have a feeling that these might have been taken by somebody called Tom Learmouth but cannot be sure. I know a box of his negatives went AWOL during clearance in Hanbury Street but cannot be sure.

  6. Beth Armstrong permalink
    December 1, 2014

    I am one of the people in the picture of the two Socialist Worker sellers – I am on the left and the cartoonist Tim Saunders is the guy on the right. I think it was taken in 1986 or 1987 as I joined the SWP in 86 and wouldn’t have sold the paper before that. Lovely pictures thanks for sharing them! Brings back memories of squatting in Whitechapel in the 80s. Can’t remember who took it though, sorry.

  7. Owen Barnes permalink
    December 22, 2014

    Re. pix in the Beigel Bake shop in Brick Lane……”Portrait of lady (with black hair) behind shop counter”- She is still there today and always serves me but now has white hair, wears glasses and still has the loudest voice. The Beigels are the best in London. We especially come into London from Watford to buy them. This is the most amazing shop. Its Beigels are so well known that there is always a queue outside the shop-even at 4am in the morning.

  8. john carter permalink
    February 17, 2016

    Great photos I lived in flower & dean street for many years.

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