East End Photographs and Drawings

[Rob Clack]

The Spout....!

Nice one, Rob!

Thanks for these!

/jake

I remembered the spout

I'll sort out some larger copies for you and send them on shortly.

Rob

[The Grave Maurice]

"Mysterious orbs"? I don't see any orbs. All I see is some excellent photos. So, what's the camera?

[Limehouse]

Great photos! It's astonishing that someone should have chosen the name Swallow Gardens for such an un-garden-like location. It's almost like a sick joke. I wonder if the name refers back to the location in an earlier time, before the railway? Or perhaps the namer had no idea what the place looked like and just thought to himself/herself 'Well, we've had enough 'streets', lets have a 'gardens' instead."

[Septic Blue]

I wonder if the name refers back to the location in an earlier time, before the railway?

"London, Westminster and Southwark - 1746": John Rocque

Red: Swallow's Garden, Parish of St. Mary Whitechapel

[Monty]

Rob,

Top work....and I got your mail. Many thanks.

The arch was subject to a blaze if I remember correct, when Walker was there. Did you note any fire damage?

I know it would be hard to clock.

Monty

[Rob Clack]

"Mysterious orbs"? I don't see any orbs. All I see is some excellent photos. So, what's the camera?

There's some there but you have to look very close. I got myself a Sony a380. It looks an improvement on the whole. Just need to get use to it. I don't think the Swallow Gardens photos would have come out so well with my old camera.

Rob,

Top work....and I got your mail. Many thanks.

The arch was subject to a blaze if I remember correct, when Walker was there. Did you note any fire damage?

I know it would be hard to clock.

Monty

I didn't notice. The whole arch is in a bit of a state. Where the entrance to R Cull was is now a toilet. On the western side was two (probably three) bricked up entrances to the next arch. Judging by where the hoarding was, R Cull had quite a large area to use as a workshop.

Rob

[Monty]

Cheers Rob,

Again, from memory (which is notoriously wrong but hey), but Culls business was based out Barnet way, I always assumed Swallow Gardens was merely a storage yard of sorts. Time to review I think.

Monty


PS Correct me if I am wrong but are yours and Philips the first photos from inside the arch?

[Rob Clack]

Cheers Rob,

Again, from memory (which is notoriously wrong but hey), but Culls business was based out Barnet way, I always assumed Swallow Gardens was merely a storage yard of sorts. Time to review I think.

Monty


PS Correct me if I am wrong but are yours and Philips the first photos from inside the arch?

Could be and it was quite a large area. The firebrick merchants info I got from the 1889 directory. If it was being used as a works place it might explain the hole in the ceiling, a furnace outlet?

Colin took some photos of the interior in 2007 when it was the fish plaice, Barneys? One of which appears in me and Philips book.

Rob

[Monty]

Of course he did...apologies Colin. Though yours is closest to the actual spot, says Monty trying to paper over his error.

Cull was there till the mid 90s wasnt he? Though his business went under at the turn of the century.

The fire was around 95, when Walker had a business to do with glass (bottle makers I think). Maybe this could explain the furness?

I shall have to dig out my Coles file. Its in there somewhere.

Monty

[Rob Clack]

Cull wasn't there in the 1895 Directory. There's a James Walker, Glass Bottle Maker in 1895 and 1899. Yeah and I think that would explain a furnace.

Rob

[Monty]

Rob,

Found the clipping but, like a prat, Ive not noted the paper. Debs Arif supplied it. It reads..

'Between three and four o'clock yesterday morning a railway arch beloning to the Midland Railway Company, occupied by Mr M Walker, glass bottle maker, in Swallow Gardens, Royal Mint street, caught alight. Firemen from the Whitechapek, Bishopsgate, and other stations promptly attended, and, by the aid of three powerful hydrants, soon had the outbreak under control. The contents of the arch were, however, completely destroyed.'

Monty

[Monty]

Ruben Cull & Son

Rob,

Also found the date of Culls liquidation.

All liquidations and bankruptcy were, and still are, advertised in the London Gazette.

London Gazzette, Feb 10 1892.

Cull, Reuben, Windmill hill, Enfield and Cull, Reuben Thomas, Glebe Avenue, Enfield (trading as R.Cull and Son), Old Broad Street, City, brick and tile merchants.

It was also advertised in the Times of Feb 23 1892.

Again, thanks to Debs.

Monty

[Rob Clack]

Found the date of the the paper it was The Daily News, Wednesday 12 May 1897.
Lloyds Weekly News, Sunday 16 May 1897, gives some additional details.



Rob

[Limehouse]

[ATTACH]6550[/ATTACH]
"London, Westminster and Southwark - 1746": John Rocque

Red: Swallow's Garden, Parish of St. Mary Whitechapel

Thank you Septic. It must have been a much prettier place in those times.

[Andrew Firth]

Thank you Septic. It must have been a much prettier place in those times.

I was interested to see that Abel's Buildings on the right hand side of the map is actually two passages; the existing one heading south, and one heading off towards the east parallel with today's Chamber Street.

Every time I venture through Abel's Buildings, I always wonder to myself where the actual "buildings" were. Now we know!

It's a similar situation to Woods Buildings, the now closed off alleyway that crosses over Whitechapel Underground station, in that before the building of the railway, maps show Woods Buildings as having dwellings or similar on both sides right from the high street up to Winthrop Street.

All the best
Andrew