East End Photographs and Drawings

[The Grave Maurice]

Quite right, Bun. It was the following year that England came to North America. I saw the Beatles in Toronto in 1964 followed by a wave of bands like the Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, Freddie and the Dreamers, etc., etc. My brother swears that he and I saw the Beatles again on their second tour in 1965 but, if we did, I've lost that memory somewhere in the mayhem. Of course, as they say, if you can remember the '60s, you weren't actually there. Still, the photo you found recalls the period nicely.

[Archaic]

Oh, Ken, I am so envious that you saw the Beatles in concert! If only I had a Time Machine...

I stayed at the Edgewater Inn in Seattle last spring, a lovely waterfront hotel famous for the Beatles and other rock stars having stayed there. Their slogan is "Fish From Your Window!" and there's a great photo of the Beatles doing just that. After they left. the manager cut up all the carpet on the entire second floor and sold it in 1" squares.

Their room is now The Beatles Suite. The suite was reserved (and about $1,000 a night) but I asked if we could just take a quick peek from the doorway... Gee, glad I asked! The hotel manager was from Croydon, and a really nice guy. We chatted about music, and ended up getting not just a "peek", but a private tour led by a hotel employee who was there in 1964 and met the Beatles!


Archaic

[Archaic]

What Is It?

I found this photo of a narrow court with cottages on both sides and thought it might be somewhat similar to Miller's Court, but I can't quite make out out what the large dark object against the center of the back wall is. (Where the two children are standing.) It almost looks like a furnace of some sort. I see a what looks like a drainpipe on the wall above it, though I'm not sure the two are related. I'm wondering if it could be a privy?

Is the line down the center of the court a sort of channel for drainage? It seems to be sloped slightly away from the cottages, but maybe that's just an optical illusion... everything seems to be at a funny angle in this shot.

Can anyone help?

Sorry the image isn't sharper. And no information was given as to location.

Thanks,
Archaic

[Rob Clack]

Hi Bun,

It's Providence Place c1909. I don't know what the object at the back is, but there's is covering over it.



Rob

[Carol]

Hi Archaic,

I'm wondering if the 'thingy' with a cover in the centre of the photograph is a costermonger's cart upended on its front side with the 'handles' forming the top part.

That's the best I can come up with!

I really love your photograph of Piccadilly Square in the early 60's. I've seen it many times just like that in the past. Just up from there in Charing Cross Road was Foyle's, the book shop. The best book shop in the whole world in those days. Can anyone tell me if Foyle's is still operating? The photo really captures the atmosphere of that part of London back then.

Love
Carol

[Archaic]

Thanks Rob, I knew you'd be able to help. That's a much better scan as well. Was Providence Place near the Providence Row Night Refuge?

Hi Carol. That's a good guess; perhaps it's an upside-down coster's barrow covered by a tarpaulin.

Don't know if you've seen this shot of Picadilly Circus, but it's a nice Victorian one...fun to compare with the 60's shot. You can see how the lovely old buildings have been plastered with huge neon signs!

(The Victorian image is courtesy of 'The Victorian Web', a great website.)

Best regards,
Archaic

[Roy Corduroy]

What a contrast in the two Piccadilly photographs. Thank you.

That's a much better scan as well. Was Providence Place near the Providence Row Night Refuge?

That's a good question. I first saw that photograph in Victorian and Edwardian London from Old Photographs by John Betjeman 1969 and it is also on the dust jacket of East End Point of Arrival by Chaim Bermant. It is from the London County Council Photograph Library, but there are slightly different descriptions at the Museum of London site and at Collage. MOL says a group of people on either side of an alleyway in Providence Place, Stepney 1909. Colage just says Providence Place, looking south, 1908.

I assumed if it is in Stepney, it is the Providence Place listed in the 1891 YourArchives as nearby Halley Street, a couple blocks behind St Dunstan's Church and a block south of Stepney Gasworks. There is another PP listed nearby Limehouse Causeway in that reg district.

Then there is a PP in Whitechapel reg district, nearby Williams Rents & Brunswick Place, both of which are nearby Back Church Lane.

I can't find any of the above Providence Places on a map.

But I can find one, just inside the City reg district nearby Middlesex Street. If some of both the MOL and Colage descriptions are true, and it is an "an alleyway in Providence Place" "looking south" then its not out in Stepney at all. Its right there off Petticoat Lane.



Middlesex to the right with the red lines. As you see, there are three alleyways off Providence Place, looking south.

Roy

[Archaic]

Providence Place

Hi Roy.

I tried looking up Providence Place in various LVP sources and found listings for ''Providence Place, Limehouse'' and "Providence Place, Poplar". I'm guessing that these two designations refer to a single location; however I'm not positive.

I also found this modern photo of a row of old Victorian buildings labeled "Providence Place, SE1" on Flickr (the image is copyrighted so I can't post it): http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddtmmm/5600480135/

Best regards,
Archaic

[Stephen Thomas]

Don't know if you've seen this shot of Picadilly Circus, but it's a nice Victorian one...fun to compare with the 60's shot. You can see how the lovely old buildings have been plastered with huge neon signs!

There's more to see than neon signs in this clip, Archaic.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4249424/comic_relief_billy_connolly_naked/

[Archaic]

Now that's 'Performance Art'- and he got a standing ovation too!

But where was the quick-thinking bobby with a police helmet? I half-expected a uniformed member of the Streaker Defence Task Force to dash out and intercept him.

Cheers,
Archaic

[Krinoid]

The only contemporary part of Gunthorpe Street is 'St George's residence' built in 1886. Also you could include the back of the White Hart and the building opposite, even though they have Whitechapel High Street address, they are in Gunthorpe Street.

Rob

Which builduing is the 'St George's residence'? anyone have a picture?
Mark

[Krinoid]

Page 105 of this thread seems to have pictures but I cannot find the site today on google maps looking at the street now?

[Roy Corduroy]

It's Providence Place c1909. [ATTACH]12690[/ATTACH]

Thanks for posting it up, Rob. This photograph captures what Chaim Bermant called the 'deluge' of Jewish immigration to the East End in that era. Thus it appears on his book cover.

I think it's not the locations near Stepney Gasworks or Limehouse Causeway. The photo is either nearby Middlesex Street (see map post 3007) or it's in the area below, where Booth described the Jewish residents of Brunswick Place and Provdence Place off of it to the north side.



In the Borough of Stepney in 1909.

[Krinoid]

Page 105 of this thread seems to have pictures but I cannot find the site today on google maps looking at the street now?

Is the builduing in question under construction or closed off?

[Rob Clack]

Which builduing is the 'St George's residence'? anyone have a picture?
Mark

Here you go. This is how it looked about 1990.



Rob