Mike Seaborne’s Isle of Dogs, Then & Now
No part of the East End has changed more in the last generation that the Isle of Dogs. Between 1983 & 1986, photographer Mike Seaborne recorded it prior to redevelopment, as part of a project with the Island History Society, and then returned in 2014 to capture the same views as they are today.
View from Alice Shepherd House, looking across Manchester Rd towards West India Docks
Canary Wharf, looking east
South West India Dock, looking east
View east from the Plate House belfry, Burrell’s Wharf
View north from the Plate House belfry, Burrell’s Wharf
View south from the Plate House belfry, Burrell’s Wharf
View from Montrose House
Westferry Rd to the south of the old entrance to Millwall Docks, looking north
The Blacksmith’s Arms at the junction of Westferry Rd and Cuba St, now converted into a restaurant
Westferry Road opposite Burrell’s Wharf, looking west
Castalia Sq, Jill Skeels & Madelaine Harvey still working at the hairdresser’s in 2014
Mellish St at the junction with Alpha Grove
Castalia Sq, Ray Whiting, who ran the greengrocer’s in the eighties, still lives locally
Westferry Rd opposite Gaverick St (later Mews), looking south
At the junction of Westferry Rd & Deptford Ferry Rd, The Vulcan has been converted into flats & a restaurant
Arethusa House, Westferry Rd – in the early eighties Norman’s Nosh Bar was popular with workers clearing the Mast House Terrace site opposite
At Burrell’s Wharf
Junction of Westferry Rd & Manilla St, looking south. The Anchor & Hope closed in 2005 & was still empty in April 2014
Maconochies Wharf, a derelict industrial site acquired in the early eighties by the Great Eastern Self-Build Association
Billson St – the ‘temporary’ Orlit pre-fabricated houses built after WW2 still survived in 2014
Pier St, looking west – view of the entrance to the Mudchute from Urmston House
Cubitt Town Junior School
Westferry Rd, looking south from the junction with Cuba St
Glengall Grove from Finwhale House, looking north
Looking east from Montrose House towards Westferry Rd & Millwall Outer Dock
Photographs copyright © Mike Seaborne
You can see more of these photographs at www.80sislandphotos.org.uk
I find it surprisingly difficult to assess what I think of these photos, in some ways it can be easy because they clearly show that certain parts of the Island have changed so dramatically that you need to compare the photo from previous times in order to establish that it is actually the same place and yet other photos show almost no change at all, one thing that dose strike me with the areas of most chance is how the scale and close proximity of the new buildings project a very clostrophobic atmosphere in direct contrast to the open spaces of the past, the photo of Gaverick St is particularly relevant to me because my grandmother was born there in 1896 and lived there for many years, I can remember her telling me that in the old days with the street litterally backing right onto the river in the spring when the tides wer particularly high Gaverick St world regularly get flooded and it was common for the whole street to be under three feet of water, looking at the images from the first set of photos its hard believe that over 30 years have passed since they wer taken, life passes so fast, its a wonder I’m even still hear.
Great photos. I lived in Bow in the 80s and would drive to Asda on the Island as it was the largest supermarket in the area then.
I love the irony of the ‘Wall Of Excell nce’.
I lived on the Island and I know the story of its decline.
By the early 1980’s, when the first photographs were taken, the Island had become a desolate place. Most of the industry had gone, along with the docks and more than 12,000 jobs. The dreadful estates of maisonettes and flats built in the 1960’s were in a shocking state of decay and dereliction. These estates had been built after the unnecessary demolition of terraced houses that had been declared slums, which they most certainly were not. This was another example of town planners and architects destroying houses and communities in pursuance of their idiotic ideology. When the terraced houses – along with some “temporary” prefabs – in Manchester Road, from West Ferry Road to Glengall Grove, were demolished in 1964-5 and the first estates of maisonettes were built, the Island was no longer a community. The people who lived in the terraced houses were shipped out to the suburbs and people from Islington and Camden were moved in. Islington and Camden at this time were considered to be ghastly slums but the beautiful regency houses mostly survived, having been bought up very cheaply in the late 70’s and early 80’s by shrewd affluent types who saw the potential in living in big houses close to the City and West End. When all the docks finally closed (another politically motivated bit of vandalism) Mrs Thatcher decided that business and finance were more important than people and the so the Docklands Development Corporation set about building the New Jerusalem of finance in Canary Wharf whilst virtually ignoring the needs of the existing population. In the 17 years of the LDDC’s existence only a single new secondary school – George Green, a former Grammar School which re-located from Poplar – was built and 1 new primary school, despite the fact that funding was supposed to be available for two secondary schools, as well as 11 primary schools, 3 post-16 colleges and 9 vocational training centres. This despite the fact that more than 20,000 new “homes” have been built. Many of these dwellings are expensive flats that are not designed with families in mind, of course. The story of the Island is a cautionary tale that illustrates very well how the needs of a local community are always ignored, forgotten and buried under the expediency of hopeless local councils, short termist politicians and the greed of developers.
A remarkable set of photos and a worthy record of changing times. For better or for worse? There’s no denying that few of us would want to time travel back to the conditions of the past but it is such a shame that the scale of the new developments – mentioned by Robert above – in too many cases has overwhelmed the integrity of the earlier community.
God is in the details — at least, for me. The highlight for me was seeing the two hairdressers,
still standing in the doorway, still smiling, and still hard at work. Still looking lovely, too.
Here’s to the ladies!
I hate that it’s changed so much… I spent a lot of time on the island as all my dad’s family lived there… it makes me so sad to think that they are all gone, along with the close knit community that it was back in the 1950s-1960s. Some people are able to visit the place of their childhood and it won’t have changed very much at all, unlike the east end… it’s as though my past has been eradicated.
I lived on the Island when Mike Seaborne was taking his photos – and it wasn’t a pretty place – but there was more than the dereliction and decay as shown here.
Looking at the photos I was reminded of the British Gangster film ‘The Long Good Friday’ which was set against the backdrop of the docks becoming available for re-development. The quality of the buildings put up is not particularly inspiring.
Fantastic Work! We have all seen many things change and we have enjoyed working with you all, regards Alex Neil
My Dad was born (1894) & raised at 24 Manchester Road, which was a fine, tall terrace (now replaced by 1960s/70s junk). Does anyone know where I can find archived pictures of that terrace?
They need to get the name,s of some of the place,s right .I was bread and born on the Island and still live a little way off in bow and i still go onto the Island .One example opposite the Anchour and Hope was john Lenaton NOT Burrell,s wharf .Then another one was A picture Of opposite Cuba street NO, The Robert Burns was in the picture i can assure you it was not any where near Cuba Street it was near to Chair street.The building on the right finished up as a yard for Spurling,s haulage they wetre kown for the signs on there Cab, as delivering Heinz foods this is but two examples.
Yes, it is rather sad when you see these lovely old photos, But, we have to remind ourselves, they were Only the good old days IF you were fortunate in gaining a Grammar School education, and acquiring a decent job , paying a decent wage, instead of being ” funnelled ” into a dead-end factory job paying subsistence wages, or forced to join the Army,
I worked at LENANTONS in the 1970s and have happy memories of my colleagues. It was “another age ( a wonderful one ) some of the people have passed away but l often think of them and of course everyone else. GOD BLESS THEM ALL !