Some Vinegar Valentines
As Valentine’s Day approaches and readers are preparing their billets-doux, perhaps some might like to contemplate reviving the Victorian culture of Vinegar Valentines?
When I met inveterate collector Mike Henbrey in the final months of his life, he showed me his cherished collection of these harshly-comic nineteenth century Valentines which he had been collecting for more than twenty years.
Mischievously exploiting the expectation of recipients on St Valentine’s Day, these grotesque insults couched in humorous style were sent to enemies and unwanted suitors, and to bad tradesmen by workmates and dissatisfied customers. Unsurprisingly, very few have survived which makes them incredibly rare and renders Mike’s collection all the more astonishing.
“I like them because they are nasty,” Mike admitted to me with a wicked grin, relishing the vigorous often surreal imagination manifest in this strange sub-culture of the Victorian age. Mike Henbrey’s collection of Vinegar Valentines has now been acquired by Bishopsgate Institute, where they are preserved in the archive as a tribute to one man’s unlikely obsession.
Images courtesy Mike Henbrey Collection at Bishopsgate Institute
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Bug Woman & A London Inheritance
With another of my Spitalfields Blog Courses coming up on March 4th & 5th, it is my pleasure to present recent work by two of my unashamedly favourite alumni – Bug Woman and A London Inheritance. Click here for more information about the Course
BUG WOMAN, ADVENTURES IN LONDON, Because a Community is More Than Just People
Dear Readers, When I visited St Pancras & Islington Cemetery after Christmas, there seemed to have been an eruption of artificial poinsettia. It was the first choice of those who had come to visit the graves of their loved ones during this poignant season. And now, as the wind shook the bare branches and the sun shone indifferently, the red ‘flowers’ imparted an incongruously festive air.
Although January is the middle of winter for us, the starting gun has already sounded for many birds. The trees and bushes were full of robins singing, blackbirds chucking and great tits making a right old racket. The width of the band of black on the chest of a great tit is related to testosterone levels, as is the black bib under the chin of a male house sparrow. The wider the band, or the bigger the bib, the more aggressive and dominant the bird is. I shall leave you to decide on the possible nature of the little chap above.
At this time of year, there seem to be large gangs of young magpies about. There was a group of four or five in the cemetery and they were a noisy, rambunctious lot, harassing a pair of crows and then turning their attentions to terrifying some jays. I once watched twenty magpies in an Islington square forcing some crows to abandon their nest. Fortunately, the crows had not yet laid any eggs and the magpies soon departed to annoy someone else. I imagine this is pre-breeding behaviour which will cease once everyone is paired up and has their own eggs to worry about.
One of the cemetery kestrels watched serenely. I first spotted this bird on top of a hawthorn bush. It has endless patience, making the occasional reconnaissance flight across the gravestones and then returning to sit and watch. I know there are lots of small rodents here and the fact the cemetery supports a pair of kestrels means they are good at finding them. I always get a thrill when I see a kestrel, they may be small but they have the enigmatic nature of all predators, a self-assurance that I find very moving. Kestrels also eat small birds and so the superabundance of berries and rose hips this year, which will attract thrushes and other small avians, helps too.
And so I turned for home, stopping only to wish ‘Happy New Year’ to a very under-dressed man clutching a can of beer. He was shivering with cold but strolled off briskly into a wooded area to finish his drink. The cemetery is a magnet for lost souls of all kinds and my heart went out to him. No one is born to end up in a cemetery in a tattered shirt with drink as the only solace.
At this time of year, there are gangs of young magpies about
The cemetery supports a pair of kestrels
A superabundance of berries and rose hips this year
A LONDON INHERITANCE, A Private History of a Public City
One of my father’s books is stuffed full of pages and cuttings from professional journals, including a complete copy of an Architects’ Journal dated 9th January 1972 with a lengthy feature titled New Deal For East London. The feature reported on the challenges facing East London which had been in continuous decline since the end of the war, along with the future impact of some of the early plans for major developments.
• The impact on the London Docks of large cargo ships coming into service
• The lack of any strategic planning for the area and the speculative building work taking place, mainly along the edge of the Thames.
• The location of a possible Thames Barrage.
• The impact of the proposed new London Airport off the coast of Essex at Foulness.
• The need to maintain a mixed community and not to destroy the established communities across the area.
Architects’ Journal gives an example of what happens when prosperous families arrive: “Some well-to-do families moved into a small terrace of new houses by the river, and were approached by the small boys of the neighbourhood with offers of ‘Guard your car, sir?’ for some trifling weekly sum. The car-owners brushed these knowing offers aside, but soon found their cars, if left in the street, being persistently vandalised, scratched and mucked about by those they had casually frozen out.”
The article paints a depressing picture of East London at the start of the seventies: “This is the poorest part of the capital with the greatest need for all the social services provided (or permitted to be provided) by the local authorities, and – not surprisingly – with the highest rates. Today this is a going downhill area in which neither the growing tourist industry, nor the entertainment industry, nor the new light industries show any interest. Such industries prefer to expand near the prosperous West End or in some part of the country, such as the new towns, where they will be eligible for an industrial development certificate and all the financial assistance that implies.
The rag trade may still flourish in the east, but its best products will be sold in the boutiques and department stores of West London, none of which consider the East End area worth opening up in. Even the great chain stores seldom open up a new branch in this area, while there are obviously more profitable sites to be found to the west. The entertainment industry, too, takes little interest and one reason for this may well be the very poor public transport system in those parts, which must inevitably limit both the catchment area and the enjoyment of an evening out.
There is no comparison between the provision of public transport in the west and the east. The Underground provides a fast network of frequent trains, north, south, east and west – on the west of the City of London. No such network serves the East End, and even the newly proposed Fleet Line only touches north-east London at Fenchurch St.”
A key focus of Architects’ Journal was a concern that, should there be comprehensive development of the area in the coming years, a range of pre-1800 buildings should be preserved. When I see an old map – such as this – with locations marked, I always wonder what is there now, so there was only one thing to do – to visit the locations in Whitechapel and see if the buildings identified in 1972 as worthy of preservation have survived the development of East London over the past forty-five years.
Site 1 – Pair of Early-Eighteenth Century Buildings
Turning off Aldgate High St, I walked down Mansell St to where site ‘A’ should be according to the Architects’ Journal map, on Mansell St at the junction with Little Somerset St. There was nothing to be found that resembled an early-eighteenth century pair of buildings and the site is now occupied by an office block. Not a very good start!
Site 2 – Pair of Eighteenth Century Buildings
The next location was further down Mansell St, on the opposite side of the road where I found a pair of well-preserved buildings. These are from the seventeen-twenties with possible Victorian updates to the facade. The doorways would originally have been symmetrical but the one on the right has lost its pedimented Doric doorcase and cornice. The photo in the Architects’ Journal shows the state of the buildings in 1972 and they continued to crumble into the eighties when the ground floor housed an Indian take-away. I am not sure when they were restored but it was good to see the second location in fine condition.
Site 3 – Group of Eighteenth Century Buildings
To reach site these, I walked to the end of Mansell St and turned left into Prescot St. Here I was looking for a group of eighteenth century buildings on the south side at the western end of the street. Looking along the street, I could only see one building of the appropriate architectural style and age, squashed between a Premier Inn and an office building. Architects’ Journal described this location as a group, so I assume that originally there were similar buildings on either side of this lone survivor, possibly once part of a terrace. It was strange to see this old building sandwiched between two very different and much more recent structures.
Site 4 – Single Large House of 1760
At the end of Prescot St I turned left into Leman St and walked along the to where the map showed the location of a 1760 house. In the expected location, I found this cluster of three buildings. I assume that the single large 1760 house is the building on the right.
Site 5 – House over Half Moon Passage
I continued along Leman St and turned left into Alie St. Walk along Alie St to where I found the house over Half Moon Passage. I have found a couple of references to the origin of the name ‘Half Moon Passage.’ One that refers to the graphic representation of an unpaid sixpence on a customer’s tally used in pubs and ale houses, while the other refers a tenement that stood here in Tudor times called the Half Moon. The photo from Architects’ Journal shows Half Moon Passage and the building around the passage in 1972, but the buildings on the left have been replaced by an office block. The pub on the right, The White Swan is still there, although it is impossible to get a pint of Double Diamond today.
Site 6 – 1710 Terrace in Alie St
Opposite The White Swan is a terrace that runs along Alie St, on either side of St. Mark St, with a pair of symmetrical, four-storey buildings standing on each side of the junction with St. Mark St. Although extensions to the edge of the pavement obscure the lower floor, the upper floors of this terrace are visible.
Site 7 – Seamen’s Chapel of 1760
Just past the junction with Leman St, still on Alie St, is the German Lutheran Church of St. George dating from 1762, the “Deutsche Lutherische St. Georgs Kirche.” This is the oldest German Church in the country, originating from when Aldgate and Whitechapel was home to a large population of German immigrants. In the nineteenth century, this was the largest number of German-speaking people living outside Germany.
Site 8 – Seventeenth Century Hoop & Grapes Pub
The final site on Architects’ Journal’s map of buildings in Whitechapel is The Hoop & Grapes, with foundations going back to the thirteenth century. Due to the the way buildings evolved rather than being built new as a single construction, parts of the building could well date to the sixteenth century with additions to the facade added in the seventeenth century.
Forty-five years after the original Architects’ Journal article, I was pleased to discover that seven out of the original eight buildings that the article proposed should be considered for preservation have been restored and survive into the twenty-first century.
HOW TO WRITE A BLOG THAT PEOPLE WILL WANT TO READ – 4th & 5th MARCH
Spend a weekend in an eighteenth century weaver’s house in Spitalfields and learn how to write a blog with The Gentle Author.
This course will examine the essential questions which need to be addressed if you wish to write a blog that people will want to read.
“Like those writers in fourteenth century Florence who discovered the sonnet but did not quite know what to do with it, we are presented with the new literary medium of the blog – which has quickly become omnipresent, with many millions writing online. For my own part, I respect this nascent literary form by seeking to explore its own unique qualities and potential.” – The Gentle Author
COURSE STRUCTURE
1. How to find a voice – When you write, who are you writing to and what is your relationship with the reader?
2. How to find a subject – Why is it necessary to write and what do you have to tell?
3. How to find the form – What is the ideal manifestation of your material and how can a good structure give you momentum?
4. The relationship of pictures and words – Which comes first, the pictures or the words? Creating a dynamic relationship between your text and images.
5. How to write a pen portrait – Drawing on The Gentle Author’s experience, different strategies in transforming a conversation into an effective written evocation of a personality.
6. What a blog can do – A consideration of how telling stories on the internet can affect the temporal world.
SALIENT DETAILS
The course will be held at 5 Fournier St, Spitalfields on 4th & 5th March from 10am -5pm on Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday. Lunch will be catered by Leila’s Cafe of Arnold Circus and tea, coffee & cakes by the Townhouse are included within the course fee of £300.
Accommodation at 5 Fournier St is available upon enquiry to Fiona Atkins fiona@townhousewindow.com
Email spitalfieldslife@gmail.com to book a place on the course.
Charles Chusseau-Flaviens’ London
Petticoat Lane
Photographer Charles Chusseau-Flaviens came to London from Paris and took these pictures, reproduced courtesy of George Eastman House, before the First World War – mostly likely in 1911. This date is suggested by his photograph of the proclamation of the coronation of George V which took place in that year. Very little is known of Chusseau-Flaviens except he founded one of the world’s first picture agencies, located at 46 Rue Bayen, and he operated through the last decade of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth century. Although their origin is an enigma, Chusseau-Flaviens’ photographs of London and especially of Petticoat Lane constitute a rare and precious vision of a lost world.
Petticoat Lane
Sandys Row with Frying Pan Alley to the right
Proclamation of the coronation of George V, 1911
Crossing sweeper in the West End
Policeman on the beat in Oxford Circus, Regent St
Beating the bounds for the Tower of London, Trinity Sq
Boats on the Round Pond, Kensington Gardens
Suffragette in Trafalgar Sq
Photographs courtesy George Eastman House
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The Kiosks Of Whitechapel
Mr Roni in Vallance Rd
As the east wind whistles down the Whitechapel Rd spare a thought for the men in their kiosks, perhaps not quite as numb as the stallholders shivering out in the street but cold enough thank you very much. Yet in spite of the sub-zero temperatures, Contributing Photographer Sarah Ainslie & I discovered a warm welcome this week when we spent an afternoon making the acquaintance of these brave souls, open for business in all weathers.
I have always marvelled at these pocket-sized emporia, intricate retail palaces in miniature which are seen to best effect at dusk, crammed with confections and novelties, all gleaming with colour and delight as the darkness enfolds them. It takes a certain strength of character as well as a hardiness in the face of the elements to present yourself in this way, your personality as your shopfront. In the manner of anchorites, bricked up in the wall yet with a window on the street and also taking a cue from fairground callers, eager to catch the attention of passersby, the kiosk men embrace the restrictions of their habitation by projecting their presence as a means to draw customers like moths to the light.
In Whitechapel, the kiosks are of two types, those offering snack food and others selling mobile phone accessories, although we did find one in Court St which sold both sweets and small electrical goods. For £1.50, Jokman Hussain will sell you a delicious hot samosa chaat and for £1 you can follow this with jelabi, produced in elaborate calligraphic curls before your eyes by Jahangir Kabir at the next kiosk. Then, if you have space left over, Mannan Molla is frying pakora in the window and selling it in paper bags through the hatch, fifty yards down the Whitechapel Rd.
Meanwhile if you have lost your charger, need batteries or a memory stick in a hurry, Mohammed Aslem and Raj Ahmed can help you out, while Mr Huld can sell you an international calling card and a strip of sachets of chutney, both essential commodities for those on-the-go.
Perhaps the most fascinating kiosks are those selling betel or paan, where customers gather in clusters enjoying the air of conspiracy and watching in fascination as the proprietor composes an elaborate mix of spices and other exotic ingredients upon a betel leaf, before folding it in precise custom and then wrapping the confection into a neat little parcel of newspaper for consumption later.
Once we had visited all the kiosks, I had consumed one samosa chaat, a jalebi, a packet of gummy worms and a bag of fresh pakora while Sarah had acquired a useful selection of batteries, a strip of chutney sachets and a new memory stick. We chewed betel, our mouths turning red as we set off from Whitechapel through the gathering dusk, delighted with our thrifty purchases and the encounters of the afternoon.
Jokman Hussain sells Samosa Chaat
Mohammed Aslem sells phone accessories and small electrical goods
Jahangir Kabir sells Jalebi
Raj Ahmed
Mannan Molla sell Pakora
Mr Duld sells sweets and phone accessories in Court St
Mr Peash
Photographs copyright © Sarah Ainslie
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Markéta Luskačová At Leila’s Shop
Photographer Markéta Luskačová has been taking pictures in the East End since 1975 and will be in conversation about her work with Curator Andrew Dempsey at Leila’s Shop, Arnold Circus, E2 7JP, next Monday 13th February, 6:30pm. Markéta will also be signing her new book TO REMEMBER – London Street Musicians 1975-1990 which has an introduction by John Berger and copies are available for sale at Leila’s Shop. Email info@leilasshop.com to book your ticket.
Brick Lane, 1978
Bishopsgate, 1980
Commercial St outside Christ Church, 1979
‘The first street musician I ever met was at the horse fair in the West of Ireland on a cold autumn day in 1973 – an old man playing a violin between the horses. It was like an epiphany. A few years later I started to live in London close to Portobello Rd Market. Street musicians played there frequently and the feeling of being in the presence of something precious stayed with me. The street musicians themselves were often quite lonely men, yet their music lessened the loneliness of the street, the people in it and my own loneliness.’ Markéta Luskačová
Commercial St outside Christ Church, 1987
Cheshire St, 1990
Cheshire St, 1982
Yard off Cheshire St, 1986
‘It takes me back eighty years to my childhood (in the thirties), when I was disturbed and spellbound by the street musicians I passed and stopped to listen to and watch. The word play had a double-sense for me. They played instruments or they sang in the street in the hope of getting money, survival money, from the passersby. And I played games in order to escape and feel that I was elsewhere.’ John Berger
Cheshire St, 1979
Cheshire St, 1976
Cheshire St, 1979
Cheshire St, 1979
Cheshire St, 1979
Photographs copyright © Markéta Luskačová
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A Lost Corner Of Whitechapel
The land at the rear of Whitechapel Station is now a construction site for Crossrail but Photographer Philip Cunningham recorded the vanished streets and yards that once occupied this lost corner
Winthrop St
“I first started taking photographs of Winthrop St and Woods Buildings in Whitechapel in the mid-seventies. I remember the first time I went to Winthrop St on a cold frosty morning with a bright blue sky. A woman came out of one of the houses and asked what I was doing. ‘Photographing the streets,’ I said. ‘You’d better hurry up they’re coming down!’ she replied. She was right, within a few months they were gone.
‘Comprehensive Development’ was the only philosophy pursued by the London County Council and Greater London Council for rebuilding London after the war. Their planners complained that too much pre-war building was left, making comprehensive planning really difficult. Yet it would not have taken much imagination to have incorporated streets like these within any new development, creating a richer and more diverse urban landscape.
Even Mile End Place, where I lived in my grandfather’s house, was designated for demolition in 1968 to become a car park for Queen Mary College. Fortunately, the council did not have enough money to build flats for us to be decanted into so our street was saved.”
Winthrop St
Durward St School was built in 1876 and eventually restored by the Spitalfields Trust in 1990
Winthrop St
Winthrop St
Winthrop St
Winthrop St
Woods Buildings looking towards Whitechapel Market
“Woods Buildings was a subject I photographed over and over, it always held that feeling for me of Dickens’ London. To the left, as you approached the arch under the buildings, was a urinal and when I climbed the wall to take a look, it appeared to be for public use but had been bricked up. It must have been quite intimidating to pass through that passage at night.”
‘We live here, it’s not a toilet’
Entrance to Woods Buildings in Whitechapel Market
“By 1984, the land opposite Woods Buildings on the north side comprised a combination of wasteland and sheds where a boot fair would be held every Sunday. It was licensed by the Council and very popular. One Sunday, I observed a group of Romanians selling secondhand clothes just outside the compound which did not go down well with the gatekeepers as they had not paid a fee. There followed a quite violent fracas, although fortunately no one was seriously hurt and only a little blood spilt. I felt sorry for the children, it must have been frightening for them. Those were desperate days!”
Durward St
Photographs copyright © Philip Cunningham
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Philip Cunningham’s East End Portraits
A Petition To Save Our Shopkeepers
With excessive increases in Business Rates threatening an imminent wipe-out of independent shops and small businesses across London, the East End Trades Guild has launched a petition to challenge this destructive policy – accompanied by the statement below. Click here to sign their petition.
Last December, Margot James, Minister for Small Business, congratulated Paul Gardner, fourth generation proprietor of Gardners’ Market Sundriesmen in Spitalfields and founder of the East End Trades Guild, on being chosen as one of Britain’s Top 100 Small Businesses.
Last summer, Prime Minister Theresa May said, “From dynamic start-ups to established family firms, our small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our country. I want to build an economy that works for all, and that means working with, and listening to, smaller firms.”
Now thousands of these small and medium firms across London face an uncertain future under the Government’s plans to hike their business rates, in many cases by more than double.
The Capital’s thriving and enterprising business communities are at risk of sliding into stagnation: employment replaced by unemployment, and vibrant streets replaced with empty shops and closed shutters.
We are calling on Government to listen to London’s businesses and halt implementing the new valuations until they have committed to:
● Further increase the rates relief for small businesses and introduce a new relief system for medium businesses.
● Devolve the operation and setting of London’s business rates to London’s government so they can better suit the challenges of the capital.
Paul Gardner was invited to Downing St in recognition of the one hundred and forty-seven years his family business has been serving customers in the East End. He listened to the Minister speak about how important small businesses like his are to the economy and said, “I was very honoured that I was invited. It was a defining moment in my life, going to 10 Downing Street. I think my mum will be very proud of me.”
Gardners Market Sundriesmen is one of thousands of independent businesses who are facing a huge rise in Business Rates from April. This is because the Government has revalued rates based on property prices, which have more than doubled in parts of London. Many businesses now face closure by virtue of their postcode. Making it worse is that many businesses previously classed as ‘small’ will become ‘medium,’ meaning they will not be eligible for Small Business Rates Relief.
The rateable value of Gardners Market Sundriesmen is rising from £18,000 to £40,500. Paul Gardner revealed, “It means not much of a future for my business. Most people who run a small business are just keeping their heads above water, but if they have another £300 a week to find that will be the end.”
Specialist printers & envelope makers Baddeley Brothers, which has been in business in East London for one hundred and fifty seven years, has seen its rateable value rise from £60,000 to £156,000. It has a proud history of hiring and training local people, and currently employs twenty-five. Director Charles Pertwee admitted, “With this sort of increase, we’re talking peoples’ jobs. As a family business in its sixth generation this is not something we wish to consider. It will make us consider whether Hackney is a viable location to continue a light manufacturing businesses.”
Len Maloney, Hackney born-and-bred, runs JC Motors in Haggerston. His business works with a local charity to provide job opportunities and mentoring for young people. Now Len has to find the extra £10,000 added to his rates bill. He said, “This has gone way, way over the top. I am so stressed because I see no hope for the business. Ministers should come down to ground level to see what businesses like ours do for our local communities.”
Please join us in taking a stand against the Government to protect independent businesses like Paul’s, Charles’ and Len’s – ‘the backbone’ of London’s economy – by signing our petition.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION
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Paul Gardner of Gardners Market Sundriesmen
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Baddeley Brothers
Len Maloney of JC Motors in Hackney (photograph by Sarah Ainslie)
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The Founding of The East End Trades Guild
