Comments on: Philip Cunningham’s East End Shopfronts

By: Stephen Gerskin

Stephen Gerskin — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 22:38:13 +0000

My aunt had a shop at number 1 hessel st selling pillows feathers down etc.any photos?.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 11:07:32 +0000

Is there a single building left out of all these marvellous photos ,it’s a good job you took these photos as youngster would never believe what the east end used to look like

By: Roy Clarke

Roy Clarke — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 15:00:38 +0000

Great pictures

my family use to own Barretts Store and I use to go there with my Grandmother in the school holidays. The shop was on Stepney Green and not Stepney Way. It was next door to the old Red Coat school building on Stepney Green. Thanks for sharing these pictures, especially the one of my Uncle Tony in the shop.

Regards

Roy Clarke

By: Terry Abrahams

Terry Abrahams — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 18:04:06 +0000

Would you happen to have any photo’s of Cohen’s grocers, I think in Wentworth Street? In the 50’s I was a gofer boy there on a Sunday. The manager was Fay. My uncle was Jack Abrahams, a baker at Kossoff’s nearby. thank you.

Terry Abrahams
Kesgrave
Suffolk

By: frank hadley

frank hadley — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 08:55:31 +0000

looking at the last picture of cheshire st. looking west towards brick lane,after sunday market.
i used to go to school in cheshire st. the area seemed to decline by the early 70s,
what was once a busy and vibrant area is now unrecognisable , only the new brick lane is worth visiting now. and that goes for petticoat lane too. people looking at these photos couldn’t
imagine what a great place this once was. all we seem to see are photo’s of the decaying east end
admittedly there were a lot of building’s that needed pulling down a lot due to war damage, believe me we kids growing up in the east end didn’t know it at the time. as it was such a happy place to live, and i would go back in a heartbeat,as i have fond memories of the dear old east end.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 14:53:34 +0000

Fascinating, evocative photos. Nice to see that Verde & Co are still at the same address in Brushfield Street, although their premises look much smarter these days!

By: Ros

Ros — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 23:07:05 +0000

Another wonderful, bittersweet collection. So many things to think about. Thank you once again Phil Cunningham, for your evocative collection. Hope there’s more to come!

By: Dick Mathews

Dick Mathews — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 22:56:27 +0000

In the late fifties / early sixties I used to buy shoes from Blackmans Shoe Shop in Cheshire St, and a few years earlier we would buy from the same people trading from a stall outside on Sunday mornings. They’re still there! A sign above the shop a few years back read “Buy your shoes where your Dad bought his”!
My father was a cab driver and he told me tat he has once had Mr Blackman as a passenger, who told him he would take a thousand pounds on a Sunday morning – perhaps an exaggeration, as I seem to remember their Hush Puppies (all the rage!) were about a pound a pair.

By: Ruth shaw

Ruth shaw — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 21:23:33 +0000

I know so many of these places but found it so sad to see how they have been neglected, my shop was round the corner to burns and Harris stonemason.

By: gary arber

gary arber — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 17:59:12 +0000

Galley’s in Roman Road was an amazing shop. Started well before my time by J. Galley, when I first started working in Roman Road it was run by Ebeneezer Galley with his sister only known as Miss Galley, and with his daughter Ethel. In the days before the B & Q’s etc. Galleys was the only store that the local builders could buy their supplies. Old Galley had the reputation of being a bit of a miser, he had stocks dating back many years but you always paid the latest price. He had a yard opposite the shop in Medway Road for sands and heavy stock, two men, Alf and Tom worked for him, during the time that the shop was open old Galley was behind the till. If you bought anything from Galleys it was of the best quality. When the store finally closed after the deaths of galley and his sister the sale of stock was amazing, historic tools, even horses harness chains an bits. I bought many tools from Galleys in my time and they are all in my workshop in prime condition, such was the quality. If Galleys was still trading during the days of the Gentle Author they would have featured in his blog more times even than Gardeners.
Gary Arber