Phil Cunningham’s East End Streets
Shall we join Photographer Philip Cunningham for a stroll around the East End streets in 1985?
Henry Moore’s ‘Draped Seated Woman’ on the Stifford Estate
“I began photography by taking pictures of the East End, which was my local area. Then in 1979, when I was at art school, my tutor, Roger Jeffs came down to the East End and we walked around together. Even then, things were changing fairly fast and he urged me to document it, so I got into the habit of taking photos of the place and its people. In 1995, I moved to Suffolk and my documentation of the East End ceased. All the negatives and prints were put away in boxes and forgotten about, until one day I was contacted by the Gentle Author who came to have a look at my pictures.” – Philip Cunningham
Clinton Rd
Whitechapel Rd, site of the Pavilion Theatre
Cable St
Whitechapel Market
Commercial Rd
Myrdle St
Backchurch Lane
Rampart St
Morris Rd
Cudworth St
Cudworth St
Wickhams, Mile End Rd, viewed from Assembly Passage
Edwin St
Hessel St
Whitman Rd
Off Winthrop St, Whitechapel
Mile End Park
Hart St
In Stepney
Morris Rd
Morris Rd
Morris Rd
Backchurch Lane
Backchurch Lane
Photographs copyright © Philip Cunningham
You may also like to take a look at
Philip Cunningham’s East End Portraits
More of Philip Cunningham’s Portraits
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Beautiful, evocative photographs. I convince myself that my memories of that year are as clear as a washed window, yet seeing these images it now seems like a lost world
Thanks to GA this is real street history in the 1980s a true representation, as the photographer saw it, of streets on the East End in his time lots of dereliction. Among them could be some WW2 blitz damaged buildings. This must be before the property boom time and land grab. Poet John. PS Whitechapel Bell Foundry must be saved for the nation !ok.
“….and forgotten about, until one day I was contacted by the Gentle Author……”.
Hats off to People Who Notice! Not only the intrepid photographer, but the inquiring Author.
These photos have a startling and stark beauty, and I am grateful they have been
resurrected.
Thanks, as ever.
Great photos – love the last one with the old kitchen range still in the near demolished wall!
The photo marker Hart Street is Sly Street looking West beyond the crossing of Rampart Street….The Shalamar Sweetshop stands/stood on Canon Street Road.
Evocative photos which remind me of my numerous visits to the East End in the 80’s. Thatcher had already been in power for 6 years by the time of these wonderful pics, and her shadow was long and enveloping. Some grim looking shots for sure, but real. People really did have a sense of community whatever that old witch said. [No such thing as society, etc]. Thanks.
The photo captioned ‘Myrdle St’ actually depicts Romford St, one street over in the infamous Fieldgate Mansions. I lived on Myrdle St, my sister lived on Romford St during the times recorded in these photos. Although the streets looked very similar, Romford St had Fieldgate Mansions tenements on both sides, whereas Myrdle St only had tenements on its east side. The photo shows Fieldgate Mansions tenements on both sides, and therefore must be Romford St. Such wonderful photographs, such a wonderful website. Good work everyone.
Wow.. I’m the little boy behind the two girls (my sister and her friend) pictured in Hessal Street E1 this is amazing thank you..