In Petticoat Lane
Click here to book for my tour of Petticoat Lane this Saturday
Experience the drama of the celebrated market and meet some those who made it including, Geoffrey Chaucer, Betty Levi, Tubby Isaacs, Franceskka Abimbola, Jeremy Bentham, Fred the Chestnut Seller and the Pet Shop Boys.
Hosted by The Gentle Author, this is a walking tour of storytelling and sightseeing, complemented with archive photography, paintings and music.
Click here to contribute to our crowdfund for TESSA HUNKIN’S HACKNEY MOSAIC PROJECT book.
Mosaic makers, Elspeth, Ken, David, Sheri, Alice, Beryl, Dani and in the front row, Lee, Tessa, Janice
Petticoat Lane Market has a special place in my affections because it was where my parents went on their honeymoon in 1958. Today it commands my respect as the most authentic local market, because Petticoat Lane is not a recreational market as the others are but the place where you go if you need to buy things cheap.
So it was an especial delight to go over there and congratulate Tessa Hunkin and her colleagues from Hackney Mosaic Project, the makers of the new Petticoat Lane mosaic which celebrates the history of the market.
For many months, they have been working to complete the mosaic in the pavilion on Hackney Downs which serves as their workshop and yesterday came to admire their latest creation now installed on the wall of the Petticoat Tower Estate on the west side on Middlesex St.
Even as we stood there, passersby stopped to take photos of themselves in front of the mosaic which gave the proud makers a visible and gratifying confirmation that they have created a popular success.
At the centre of the mosaic is a view down Middlesex St, flanked by roundels of textile designs and the market personalities of yesteryear (including Prince Monolulu and Sid Strong), embellished with images of petticoats. If you look closely, there are even some actual pearl buttons set into the mosaic in honour of the pearly kings and queens.
Afterwards, the mosaic makers took the opportunity for a stroll around the market followed by a hearty lunch at Nora’s Cafe on Wentworth St to celebrate the completion of yet another successful project to add to the dozens of mosaics they have installed over the past ten years which elevate our East End streets with their wit and beauty.
A Spitalfields silk design and Sid Strong, the crockery juggler
A Bengali textile design and an Organ Grinder
A Pearly Queen and a Wax Batik textile design
As a mixed media artist, I am captivated by the depiction of the soft frilly petticoats, using the hard chips of mosaic. Think about it — Hard/soft. Private diaphanous “wearables” are now on-display
and captured for posterity. This is a big part of the charm of Ms. Hunkin’s work — she has such a brilliant eye for telling details, and is seemingly unafraid to transform ANY topic into mosaic.
And the touch of pearl buttons was pure genius.
Many thanks for the daily inspiration!