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Eleanor Crow’s East End Cafes

March 9, 2023
by the gentle author

JOIN ME FOR FOR A WALK THROUGH SPITALFIELDS THIS SATURDAY 11TH MARCH 

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CLICK HERE TO BOOK FOR SPRING & SUMMER TOURS

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Syd’s Coffee Stall, Shoreditch High St

(Gone but not forgotten)

Illustrator Eleanor Crow made this set of watercolour portraits of cafes as a tribute to those cherished institutions which incarnate the essence of civility in the East End. “It’s because they’re individual concerns, often owned by families across generations who get to know all their customers,” admitted Eleanor, revealing the source of her devotion to cafe culture ,“I like the frontages because each is designed uniquely for that café with wonderful sign-writing or lettering and eye-catching colours. Some of these cafés have been here for a very long time and everyone in the area is familiar with them, and is very fond of them. They make the streets into a better place and are landmarks upon the landscape of the East End.”

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E. Pellicci, Bethnal Green Rd

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Savoy, Norton Folgate (Gone but not forgotten)

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Time for Tea, Shoreditch High St (Gone but not forgotten)

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Dalston Lane Cafe

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Paga Cafe, Lea Bridge Rd

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Lennies Snack Bar, Calvert Avenue (Gone but not forgotten)

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Marina Cafe, Mare St

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Kingsland Cafe, Kingsland Rd

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Grab & Go, Blackhorse Lane

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Gina’s Restaurant, Bethnal Green Rd (Gone but not forgotten)

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Copper Grill, Eldon St

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Billy Bunter’s Snack Bar, Mile End Rd (Gone but not forgotten)

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Beppe’s Cafe, West Smithfield

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B.B. Cafe, Lea Bridge Rd

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Savoy Cafe, Graham Rd

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A.Gold, Brushfield St (Gone but not forgotten)

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Arthur’s Cafe, Kingsland Rd (Gone but not forgotten)

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Cafe Bliss, Dalston Lane

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Cafe Rodi, Blackhorse Lane

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Rossi Restaurant, Hanbury St  (Gone but not forgotten)

Eleanor Crow at E.Pellicci

Drawings copyright © Eleanor Crow

Portrait copyright © Colin O’Brien

You may also like to read

At Gina’s Restaurant

At Mister City Sandwich Bar

At Arthur’s Cafe

At City Corner Cafe

At E.Pellicci

At Regis Cafe, Leadenhall Market

At Dino’s Grill & Restuarant

At Syd’s Coffee Stall, Shoreditch High St

14 Responses leave one →
  1. Winnie permalink
    March 9, 2023

    Love these. So many good memories. To go through the door of a friendly or quirky cafe
    lifts the spirits. Very sad when some of them disappear. Gorgeous artwork.

  2. Andy Strowman permalink
    March 9, 2023

    One thing that cannot be described in picture form are the conversations, the games of draughts played out at Eisenbergs, forgive me on the spelling, people moving the salt amd pepper pots, and the smokers, and stories.
    If anybody wants a feel of that East End I gotva few books left for sale, “Transgressions,”, “Mum and I”, “Story of a Stepney boy”, or someone wants to record my memories in video for use in archive foem, as us elderly raconteurs, only want it told, to help the youngsters, understand what we had and what we miss so much, then contact me please at andy.strowman1@gmail.com

  3. Andy Strowman permalink
    March 9, 2023

    I am writing with thanks to the Gentle Author too for his sincerity and to say I am in the process of producing a new book called “Feelings”, aimed at trauma victims and workers like Probation Officers, teachers, Police, and Counsellors. Once again if anyone is interested please mail me at andy.strowman1@gmail.com
    I was once a Social Worker and I have been through much trauma.

  4. March 9, 2023

    These are beautifully detailed watercolours. Thank you Eleanor and the GA. My grandad started his enterprise with a coffee stall and then had a cafe in Wood St, Chingford. ( It’s now a scout hut). My mum told me that she hated the smell of coffee and couldn’t understand why anyone would drink it but it seemed to have been successful and led to the cafe. I only have one photograph of grandad in his cafe, taken in the early 1950s. I love it because it captures a moment in time so perfectly and it’s of the grandad I never met.
    In my working life, which involves a lot of travelling about, I visit brilliant independent cafes all over the place. You can’t beat a tea and cake stop as an afternoon break!

  5. Marcia Howard permalink
    March 9, 2023

    I love Eleanor Crow’s paintings, and the fact that she’s ensured we don’t forget what was once there. Thank you so much for sharing them again

  6. March 9, 2023

    Eleanor Crow’s wonderful watercolours are simply whimsical, accurate and beautiful. I wish I owned an original!

    By the way, there is another website — which is the valid one?
    https://www.eleanorcrow.org/

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  7. March 9, 2023

    Wonderful watercolours, thank you Eleanor for capturing these images, especially those ‘gone but not forgotten’.

  8. Hilda Kean permalink
    March 9, 2023

    Good to record and have remembered past shops and cafes. I’ m thinking of the little visual book on London’s Lost department Stores by Tessa Boase in Safe Haven publishers. Is there any possibility of a publication relating to East London not so many decades ago as in these drawings? Would also be great to include oral accounts from many people who used to – or still do – go to these places regularly.I note that other comments on this page also recalling people’s local experiences are also suggesting a way forward?!

  9. John Venes permalink
    March 9, 2023

    Marvellous. I remember some of these, particularly Gina’s.
    But, as with so many of these stories, there is a feeling of sadness.
    Nearly half of these places are gone.
    It’s hard to find a proper caff, not cafe, in the East End now.
    Unfortunately there is no shortage of trendy coffee shops selling all manner of fancy -named blends.

  10. March 9, 2023

    Treat yourself to even MORE artwork by Eleanor Crow. I just followed the link to her website and enjoyed a banquet of images. Loved having a glance at her sketchbook. Quite wonderful. She brings a distinctive style to every topic. Thank you for making the introductions here, GA.

  11. Susan Locke permalink
    March 9, 2023

    Beautiful work, love her style.

  12. Steve Hanscomb permalink
    March 10, 2023

    Such lovely work!
    The Copper grill and the Savoy are also long gone now sadly.
    One Caff that isn’t shown here, but has been painted by Eleanor is Scotti’s on Clerkenwell Green. It’s a fantastic family run cafe that has all of its’ original fittings and charm. Brilliant food and the nicest people running it. Al, Max and his team knock out some seriously good sandwiches, the freshly cooked chicken escalope in ciabatta is one you’ll go back for many times!
    Eleanor’s painting hangs proudly on their wall.

  13. David permalink
    March 10, 2023

    Sadly a few more of those mentioned are now “gone but not forgotten”, or like L.Rodi have been modernized and hence ruined

  14. Cherub permalink
    March 11, 2023

    It’s sad that many of these cafés are disappearing. When I worked in the City there were some great cheap places in Leadenhall Market which I presume are probably long gone. I used to eat a proper lunch there because I lived in a flat split into bedsits with a horrible shared kitchen.

    I paid a recent visit to my home town for a week, the High St is rapidly dying as all the main retailers like M and S have gone. They’ve killed off the traditional cafés and it’s now populated by soulless coffee chains selling expensive posh sandwiches and cakes, along with a sushi bar. Sometimes you just want a cup of tea in friendly and cosy surroundings. There used to be an old one called La Speranza that did great hot meals and I sorely miss being able to have lunch there – someone bought the building and cancelled the lease because he wanted to turn it into a kebab place. It failed and is now a restaurant offering a strange mix of Scottish, Venezuelan and Portuguese tapas.

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