Comments on: At St Botolph Without Aldgate

By: Chris Davy

Chris Davy — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:41:53 +0000

Wonderful to see this article and i wish i had come across it a while ago. My father and his family lived in Creechurch Lane in the late 1930’s [possibly the building in the photograph] he was a choir boy at St Botolphs and attended Sir John Cass School. My grand father had the Dukes Dinning rooms in Dukes Place and another similar nearby. I have a few photos of the area of that time. My dad told a story that his bedroom was next door to his classroom. The family were bombed out and took refuge in the cellar of the Chamber of Shipping in St May Axe – Dad started work there running errands he retired a Secretary and deputy Director General. Nearly got bombed out again in the 1980’s by the IRA just after he retired. My grandfather and grandmother took up new employment as caretakers at Crown Court in Cheapside – I remember as a child being taken up to the roof to look over the city. Grandfather was an Air raid warden and fire watcher at St Pauls. I have seen the area change so much over the years. I would love to know more about the area in the ’20’s-40’s.

By: Jill Wilson

Jill Wilson — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 22:21:31 +0000

Great blog – you have obviously been well taught! I have had a quick whizz through your other blogs and look forward to studying them more carefully when I have had more time as it is just the sort of subject which interests me. And I have signed up to receive future blogs of course!

By: Derek Cox OBE

Derek Cox OBE — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 19:27:16 +0000

Harry King used to run a youth club at the church primarily for single young men newly arrived from the new nation of Bangladesh in the early 1970s.

At this time Harry, along with Peter East of Toc H, based at the nearby Trinity Square, did a great deal of excellent youth work for this neglected and often persecuted group of young people.

At this time the newly formed YWCA Avenues Unlimited Project then based in Bethnal Green Road appointed Ashok Basudev , the first nationally trained full time Asian youth worker, to work in the Spitalfields Ward of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Ashok was greatly helped by the hardworking and unflappable Harry King, whose important historical contribution to community relations has, in my opinion, been largely forgotten.

By: Helen Breen

Helen Breen — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 09:59:22 +0000

Greetings from Boston,

GA, I would say you did a fine job training this “student” in writing a blog that is interesting, well researched, and well photographed. Loved the interiors of St. Botolph without Aldgate. In the tradition of Spitalsfield Life. Kudos…

By: Ian Silverton

Ian Silverton — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 01:05:14 +0000

We had Founders day each year at this Church,wearing red Feathers in our School Blazers,in memory of Sir John Cass,who it was said made his last will using a Quill Pen,leaving his entire estate too the school,blood then marked the Pen,hence red. Thanks Sir John,great school,happy times,and it’s still going stronger by the day,I’m told.