Phil Maxwell’s Kids on The Street
In Spelman St
Photographer Phil Maxwell has taken more pictures on Brick Lane than anyone in the past thirty years. These vibrant images of children running free upon the streets of Spitalfields are selected from his vast personal archive held at the Bishopsgate Institute. “Most of these pictures are twenty to thirty years old.” he admitted to me, “There aren’t any contemporary photographs because I don’t take pictures of kids these days, not least because there aren’t any on the street anymore.”
Phil’s lively photographs are evidence that – not so long ago – the streets of Spitalfields belonged to children, offering them an extended playground, including the market, waste land and derelict houses, where they roamed without adult supervision.
“When I first started taking photographs in Liverpool, the children in the street would demand that I take their photographs but that wouldn’t happen today.” Phil recalled, “In those days, children were a constant presence upon the streets in every city, playing their games and enjoying themselves. In the East End in particular, a lot of children played on the street because they lived in restricted conditions – so the street was the space where they were free to run around and discover things.”
In Swanfield St
On Brick Lane
On Brick Lane
In Commercial St
On Brick Lane
In Hanbury St
On Brick Lane
In Cheshire St
In Bethnal Green Rd
On Brick Lane
On Whitechapel Rd
On Brick Lane
In Buxton St
In Arnold Circus
In Cheshire St
On Brick Lane
Photographs copyright © Phil Maxwell
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Great photos as always from Phil.
I’d love to know what is happening in the picture of the boys on the swings with a mass of the Old Bill in the background…? Preparing for a Poll Tax riot perhaps??
Are we breeding agoraphobics these days?
Photo 7: Parkers or snorkel jackets, came in blue or green with a bright orange lining. Everyone had one, usually accompanied by an Adidas sports bag the size of a Transit van.
I really hope someone pops along to say “That’s me”.
Thank You for These Lovely, Pictures of these Sweet Children. I do Enjoy Them So Much!!????????
Great photos Phil
Wonderful and fine observations as allways!
Love & Peace
ACHIM
I had an instantaneous reaction to this wonderful series, and it came with a soundtrack:
“FAME! I’m gonna live forever. I’m gonna learn how to fly. …….. Ba-by remember my
name. Remember. Remember.”
Thank you for this joyous, buoyant, jubilant series of photos. Really lifted my spirits today.
The pictures are as usual wonderful and evocative… but what strikes me first its the difference between the way the children are dressed in these pictures and the way the are dressed in older pictures. Very much a change.
Beautiful photographs, and every one of them telling its own story. Thank you.
Very few girls on the street, very much a boy’s world.
Line of police near swings-about to protect an NF march down Brick Lane perhaps?
This photographer has a remarkable talent. While I like a lot of the images you have on your blog, as a photographer myself I think his are ‘next level’ in terms of composition and content. He distills the scene in front of him perfectly.