East End Photographs and Drawings

[Archaic]

Video: 'Growing Up In the Jewish East End of London'

Hi everyone. I came across a series of videos on YouTube titled 'Growing Up In the Jewish East End of London' that I don't think have been posted before. They offer one man's very detailed memories of his East End childhood in the 30's, 40's, WWII and its aftermath. I found them very interesting and thought others might too.

Growing Up In the Jewish East End of London, Parts 1-4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPbJ8EAfj1k
Enjoy,
Archaic

[Stephen Thomas]

Hi everyone. I came across a series of videos on YouTube titled 'Growing Up In the Jewish East End of London' that I don't think have been posted before. They offer one man's very detailed memories of his East End childhood in the 30's, 40's, WWII and its aftermath. I found them very interesting and thought others might too.

Growing Up In the Jewish East End of London, Parts 1-4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPbJ8EAfj1k
Enjoy,
Archaic

My my Archaic, what a nice chap and what a piece of social history.

I experienced some of that stuff.

The kitchen table cum bath was an eye-opener, though.

[cappuccina]

Thank you so much for positng this, Archaic...My relatives experienced the American version of this (at the same time) on the Lower East Side of Manhattan...

[Archaic]

Oral History

Hi Cappucina and Stephen, very glad you enjoyed the Jewish East End videos.

When I was a kid I spent my summers in NY talking to my grandmother's elderly neighbors who told me about growing up in NY City in the early 1900's... some were Jewish, many were from immigrant families.

One neighbor was 103 and my own great-aunt lived to be 107 and both had great memories, which fascinated me. My aunt actually remembered when the Statue of Liberty was being assembled, because along with thousands of other American children she helped collect pennies to pay for erecting it! I wish I had filmed her telling her stories... Glad that man on YouTube filmed his and shared them with us.

Cheers,
Archaic

[Rob Clack]

Some photos I took yesterday. I've been playing around with the photo stitching again.

Mitre Square








Goulston Street and Wentworth Street



Rob

[Rob Clack]

And a few more

Commercial Street


Duval Street from Commercial Street


and Durward Street


Rob

[Andrew Firth]

Some photos I took yesterday. I've been playing around with the photo stitching again.

Rob,

Absolutely brilliant! Particularly the second one of Mitre Square; I love the skewed perspective on that one.

All the best

Andrew

[Rob Clack]

Thanks Andrew, they are a bit trial and error at the moment until I get use to it.

Regards

Rob

[Suzi]

Blimey this stitching thing's interesting!!!!............ Great stuff Rob xx

[Stephen Thomas]

Blimey this stitching thing's interesting!!!!............

Innit, Suzi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_stitching

[Stephen Thomas]

Stephen, I found some really cool material on that East London History site you provided; thank you.

http://eastlondonhistory.com/index-of-all-the-features/

You're welcome Archaic. Did you check out May Flack?

What a woman.

[Archaic]

The Mystery of Rodinsky's Room

Hi Stephen. I just looked May Flack up now, thanks for pointing me to that.

When I went through your East London History links I was just following my nose...I ended up reading about the old Jewish area of Whitechapel, and got interested in "Rodinsky's Room". In 1969 a man named David Rodinsky left his room at 19 Princelet St and simply vanished. Some said he was a genius Talmudic scholar who spoke several languages, others assumed he was mentally ill... but no one noticed when he disappeared and probably died.
In 1980, they discovered his still-locked room with everything just as it was when the occupant vanished in the late 60's. It was like a time-capsule. An author became fascinated and wrote a book called 'Rodinsky's Room'.

I don't know which are the original East London History links I followed to find this subject, but it had to do with the Museum now at 19 Princelet St and the old Jewish center. You can visit them today; maybe some members already have.

Here are a couple of articles about Rodinsky's Room:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/1999/may/22/books.guardianreview9

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:GGZE7JIaOGUJ:www.nytimes.com/books/first/l/lichtenstein-room.html+Rodinsky%27s+room&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Cheers,
Archaic

[AdamWalsh]

Went in to Dirty Dicks on Bishopsgate yesterday for a couple.......really nice place and pleasingly quiet for such a busy day outside. Never been before - will go back. Outside The Ten Bells Ive never seen it so busy so skipped that and tried The Golden Heart (which I also had never been to) - not sure Ill be going back! Angry lonely lady behind the bar - packed - messy.......still there you go.

[tnb]

Went in to Dirty Dicks on Bishopsgate yesterday for a couple.......really nice place and pleasingly quiet for such a busy day outside. Never been before - will go back. Outside The Ten Bells Ive never seen it so busy so skipped that and tried The Golden Heart (which I also had never been to) - not sure Ill be going back! Angry lonely lady behind the bar - packed - messy.......still there you go.

Dirty Dicks is nice, can't say I've ever been in the Golden Heart though - although after your write-up I don't feel I'm missing a great deal! The Shooting Star in Middlesex St where a few of us met up last weekend was nice too, bit cavernous when empty though. But still my favourite pub in the area is the Hoop & Grapes in 'Butcher's Row', Aldgate; there's a tiny little boozer in Royal Mint St called the Artful Dodger too which I really like, although to be honest I couldn't tell you quite why.

A few photos from my sojourn last week:

1) Outside the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road; evidence of the Great British spring weather visible on a particularly nice part of the railings.

2), 3) and 4) Brady Street Jewish Cemetery (one for Suzi first!)

5) and 6) The lovely (and now seemingly out-of-place) Victoria and Albert Cottages, Deal Street, off Hanbury Street.

[tnb]

And a few more:

7), 8) and 9) A few views of Dorset/ Duval Street; a helpful cone marking the rough spot of Room 13, Miller's Court.

10) Dorset/ Duval Street again - one for Andrew Firth.

11) Not Swallow Gardens (more's the pity), but nevertheless a similar archway (two to the left of SG) on Royal Mint Street looking out onto Chamber Street, giving some idea of the rough length (although not the restricted width) of the former.

12) Princelet Street, last Saturday night. A crouching John Bennett just out of shot.