East End Photographs and Drawings

[Andrew Firth]

Lechmere, that's exactly the sort of thing that appears to have existed outside the Wentworth Dwellings. Basically, it was a way of letting daylight into the basement level rooms. The recesses do appear on old Ordnance Survey maps, but sadly not, as far as I'm aware, on any old photographs. It is usual to have old photographs showing views of the market stalls on Goulston Street, but these stalls obscure our view of the ground and basement levels of the dwellings.

Incidentally, my estimation of the depth of the recesses in my montage is wrong. I'll post an amended version here shortly.

All the best
Andrew

[Andrew Firth]

And here it is....



All the best
Andrew

[Lechmere]

I was sniffing around there this evening.
On the basis of the wider recess, I went to Leopold Buildings, Columbia Road E2, built in 1872. I knew they were flats with basements. In the mid to late 1980s these were in a very bad state and nearly all were vacant. They have since been done up, with new stair wells and access from the rear.
Imagine no bay windows and the access not via steps, but straight across from street level.
I couldn’t see that this sort of arrangement could have been in place at Wentworth Dwellings. Far too wide for a market (the stalls would end up in the middle of the road) and it would surely show up on the pictures.

[Lechmere]

Then I checked out Bedford House, Wheler Street E1. This is just across from the old Commercial Street Police Station. It was built in 1894.
It is a nice looking building but seems not to be occupied. It used to be a Quaker institute of some sort.
A description can be found here:

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-206583-bedford-house-formerly-the-bedford-insti

There is a narrow basement level visible at the rear. This is more like Wentworth Dwellings I think.

[Lechmere]

Checking the frontage of Wentworth Dwellings, I sussed out that the recess must be much narrower – the width of the black tarmac immediately in front of the building, aligning with the protruding wing at the northern end of the building. But would the recess be demarcated by upright railings?

[Rob Clack]

Here's the southern corner of Wentworth Model Dwellings from the 1970s showing the recess and the railings.



Rob

[Lechmere]

I found this alternative at Wilkes Street. I tend to think that it would be similar to this at Wentworth Dwellings.
The contemporary photos shed very little light on the subject. But the close up photo in the Casebook archive I think is suggestive that there are not upright railings. There would have been a drop from street level of about 8 feet. With a fully open recess this is quite a chasm.
The Bedford House recess is shallower (probably four feet) as unlike at Wentworth Dwellings the ground floor is a few feet above ground level. But the recess has a caged top above the railings to keep out larger items of debris and no doubt also for health and safety reasons. I strongly suspect this cage is a much later addition.
The significance is that a flat covering such as at Wilkes Street would not impede pedestrian access to the front of the building so much. The upright variety such as at Bedford House puts more distance between the graffiti and any passers-by, indeed any passing policemen prior to discovery.
Any ideas?

[Lechmere]

Clunk! I haven't seen Robert Clack's photo before!
When were the shops put in? In the photo the basement windows reach above street level, implying that the ground floor flats are above ground level. Does this mean that when they were converted to shops, a new floor was put in as access is straight in from street level, reducing the height of the basement and so making the basements redundant?

[Monty]

Lechmere,

The shops were put in during the 1990 rennovations.

Rob, Andrew and myself discussed these ecesses when we all last met up in Goulston street few months back. It is my belief that you can still see the 'footprint' of the recesses today (unfortunately I havent a good enough photo to post).

Monty

[Monty]

Ah yes, a sort of porch or verandah like frontage? I was looking the other day. Would I be right in saying the damaged wall at the right hand corner and I think the different tarmac or flooring surface along the front of the building are traces of this?

Sorry Lechmere, I missed this.

Yes, Im in agreement with you.

Monty

[Andrew Firth]

Here are a couple of shots from last April's London Job. These photos show the same corner of the Wentworth Dwellings that appears in the picture that Rob posted. You can also see the dark strip of tarmac which is where the recesses were.





All the best
Andrew

[Lechmere]

I found this - I can only post it as a link as it is a copyrighted image it seems

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/3422300/Hulton-Archive

The recesses are protected by the corrugated iron.
The shops may have been put in at the far southern end in 1990, but the 1970s picture shows a shop. There are those elaborate cornice type things between each shop. These must be an old feature. I am going to check where these cornice or butress things end.
I took a picture tonight of the last (most southerly) shop and the entrance by it. These are the ones in Rob Clack's picture but from the opposite direction. They are aligned a bit differently to the rest of the parade.
I actually took the picture as I was looking at the black bricks but that is another story... ugh I can't compress it enough to load it for some reason.

[Monty]

The wall you mentioned Lechmere, this is it on Robs photo.

It gives you an idea of depth.

Have you been to the rear of the dwellings?

Monty


PS Thanks Andrew. That Guy looks dodgy on the left.

[Monty]

Probably seen numerous times before but here is the entrance to 108-119 Wentworth Dwellings, as seen in the documentary showing Stephen Knight and his wonderful theory, Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, 1980.

The black brickwork can clearly be seen and you are right Lechmere, shops in, reccess filled in.

Monty

[Lechmere]

Compressed picture...