Spitalfields – slightly weird

10th June 202111th June 2021

Afghan Dresses and Graffiti at Brick Lane

Weds, 2 June, 2021

I really am getting out more. I’m more relaxed about how much my knee hurts while I’m out there and how much it will hurt later! That doesn’t mean I’m actually relaxed, but compared to a month ago, yes. As well, the rain and very dreary weather has pretty much eased up. We even have a sort of intermittent heatwave (which is actually a paradox). Standard moan – yeah, the flipping mask, the crutch, the bag or two, the camera, the phone, the juggling of the whole damned thing makes walking a challenge, and taking photos even more so. I take my photos in a hurry, I see things I just know stopping for to do my juggling act won’t cut it…I think to myself, if only I could just take these photos with my eyes, with my voice…and, you know what, there probably is an easier way and perhaps I need to explore that – or at least figure out why my Huawei phone doesn’t allow me to voice-activate with ‘Smile’ or ‘Cheese’ like my LG phone did. And that’s that! Krish bought me a Gimble, look it up. I know there are great opportunities with it, but I fret about how to use it and how to hold it and how to carry it around. Hmm.

I’d love to get out of my comfort zone a bit with these journeys, see somewhere or something new. At the same time, this is what I can manage, so accept the same old territory. I really do see new things, or old things with new eyes. It helps. For now, at least, I’m treading the same ground.

Anyway, I finally saw the Afghan dresses – fewer of them were displayed than I expected, but I saw them last Wednesday on the hottest day of 2021, at 27C. I went with my friend, Christine.

Bakers sculpture at 12 Widegate Street — Above Honest Burgers at 12 – 13 Widegate Street, there are four glazed sculpted panels showing the various stages of baking bread – installed in 1926. They mark the location of the Nordheim Model Bakery, which rustled up beigels and other Jewish delights for those who lived in the surrounding alleyways and beyond

Kings Stores pub, 14 Widegate Street, is named because it was the site of a huge munitions store under Henry VIII. In this area is Artillery Street and Passage, as well as Gun Street

Inside Townhouse at last, we asked to see the dresses and went through to the small gallery building at the back – it’s the size of a small living room. The exhibition was smaller than expected, but the dresses were lovely. You can read what inspired the exhibit and the dresses’ owner here. I enjoyed seeing the ideas the dresses’ creators had. The mirrors, embroidery, extra braiding and stitching. I mentioned to Chris, it reminded me of the shirts I’d made Jimmy (my first real boyfriend) when I had no idea how to make clothes, but pieced them together in shapes, creating curves with my stitches and not my scissors. You could buy these pieces. They ranged around £250-350.

Townhouse interior — Townhouse is a lovely store with antiques and crafts, Fournier Street

Continue reading “Afghan Dresses and Graffiti at Brick Lane”

27th May 20213rd June 2021

The days and the weeks and the months and the years go by…

Thursday, 27 April, 2021

No, it’s not really that bad. It’s not actually bad at all. I was somewhat inspired by a blog post, whose site I’ve now forgotten but I should find it, filled with all the wonderful silver linings of these past fifteen (?) months. I could seriously relate to almost all of them, and those I couldn’t relate to I’m quite sure I could substitute something of my own. Fair game!

Guilt still haunts me when I don’t blog, even though hardly anyone reads it anyway. What’s that about? Asserting my existence, emptying my mind, creating memories with words and photos, increasingly photo-derived words these days.

There’s drama outside my window, as always. Constructions big and small, the sly drug-related (?) encounters, doggie adventures, a brave daytime fox, budgies on the tree, crow attacks, the daily Ming Hai routine – we call her Ming – of opening the shutters at noon and closing them again at 10pm (Krish promises the empty air that he will go help her, even clean her little takeaway domain), and the traffic…with the advent of LTNs (low traffic neighbourhoods) schools reopening, road closures, and construction, both roads in either direction can be crammed with vehicles while we pedestrians pray for a break so that we can cross. This week I think we are back to pre-pandemic sights and sounds, just add the masks and that’s it.

And I’ve loved watching the tree slowly bud, unfurl its leaves and today it’s harder to see the shops and road opposite. Under threat of eviction, I cherish the whole thing. This is surely my last year here in this spot.

Tree phases — The tree from early April till late May

We’ve had a miserable week or two in terms of weather. Darkness, high wind, rain, hail…with only the occasional bright spell. This morning I woke up to a lovely blue sky and luminous day. I’ll take it.

Walking is still a problem for me. Friday I’m going to a physio appointment. In the past these have been useless, but I’m an optimist. I hope they have some answers, even for a temporary fix. I do walk but it’s painful, and that’s a whole other blog. I miss enjoying walking.

Meanwhile I’ve made a list of places to visit nearby with my camera. I can set aside my physical difficulties to gain some emotional perspective. It’s not just the weather that will be brighter.

Krish is still visiting Guy’s Hospital, but the schedule is now lighter and longer. Lighter is almost a play on words, since he is now having light treatment – a long journey for two very short sessions. The last time I went I had a nice little walk and rest while waiting for Krish to get his second vaccination. Longish story and includes my trip to Eataly, so how about a short blog on that? Stay tuned

Christine, who is a new friend – the one who came to Brat with me – came to Spitalfields with me. I wanted to see an exhibit of Afghan wedding dresses at The Townhouse, but we found it closed. I texted the owner, who apologised for her site being outdated, and she gave me the correct hours, so we’ll try again soon. Meanwhile, we had lunch and I took a few photos. I’m not going to lie – juggling a camera (phone or digital) and a crutch, a mask, a coat, and a shoulder purse is pretty much an Olympic event. This means either fewer steps or fewer photos, and often both.

Townhouse - antiques and gallery — Townhouse was closed. In the window a lovely cut out for the Bethnal Green Mulberry appeal (one of the very few wins for the area)

Fournier Street with the Ten Bells at the corner. On the side I’m standing is Christ Church. I love the old shop signs over the new shop frontages

My snack lunch at Spitalfields Market — We had snacks at Spitalfields Market. I had eggplant – too generous for a side, and soup dumplings which had heavy-crusted bottoms. Too much for lunch so I ate half of each box and brought the rest home

Dan Kitchener's Spitalfields Geisha — After swiftly passing one of Dan Kitchener’s geishas on Commercial Street by bus many times, I managed to get a photo while waiting for my bus home

31st August 202015th September 2020

The different sides of Whitechapel

Monday, 31 August, 2020

We wanted to walk around Whitechapel again. The area is very dense and has some heavy contrasts. Here I’ll give a warning: There are many, many photos and I did this walk two weeks ago. I no longer remember where each part belongs or what I was thinking about when I took the photos. I may have to juggle things about but I know I won’t get it completely right.

What matters, though, is that our walk took us through the older areas of Spitalfields, through some parts of Whitechapel that my grandparents – and even my parents – would have a hard time believing, and into some areas where the stark, modern lines struck a strong contrast with the old, sometimes converted, warehouses and factories.

To me, it was a typical Whitechapel adventure, where anything was possible, where the past and present cooperate and compete, and where the future can only be imagined. There’s a little bit of history, but not too much or my brain will hurt, and as much everyday thinking as I can muster along the way.

Map of Whitechapel walk — A wildly inaccurate map of where we walked

Our first overground train ride — We hadn’t taken the Overground since lockdown. The new trains were operating, the carriages were quiet and masks weren’t always apparent. It’s less than ten minutes from Hackney Downs to Liverpool Street Station

Keeping a safe distance and staying where you need to be, at Liverpool Street Station

It's rare to see Liverpool Street Station so quiet on a weekday — It’s rare to see Liverpool Street Station so quiet on a weekday

Venturing into Spitalfields. The building sign says 1682. It’s Ottolenghi at Artillery Passage and it had been closed temporarily for weeks

From Middlesex Street, the old and the new. Middlesex Street is the main road for Petticoat Lane

Paste ups as always — I didn’t photograph street art on this walk.This is an oldie but goodie

Toynbee Hall, built in 1886 to serve the poor of London’s East End

The Old Streets of Tenter Ground. Built by the Flemish weavers, the Huguenots who fled Belgium in the 17th century. Here, newly woven cloth was stretched taut to flatten on an open field. When the Huguenots left, housing was developed in 1829 and the Dutch Jews (The Chut) moved into the area

The Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor, Brune Street, *(5662 -1902)*

Brune Street Estate — London County Council Holland estate built between 1927–1936.

Houses where some of my ancestors lived are now finally gone. They were appallingly decrepit for years, a real eyesore. Now they’re gone, I feel quite sad

Finally, we got to Whitechapel High Street, at Aldgate East Station. The scenery changes dramatically.

Continue reading “The different sides of Whitechapel”

22nd July 202023rd July 2020

Summer in the City

Sunday, 19 July 2020

On Sunday morning, Krish brought up the idea of getting on a bus and going somewhere. He said maybe it would be quiet on the buses and we could wander around The City on a peaceful day. The City is dead out of office hours as a rule but surely now it would be even deader. I thought about it for a little while and then said yes, let’s go.

We took the 242, which goes along Kingsland Road, then turns down Commercial Street at Shoreditch High Street Station. We sailed past a very splendid new Dan Kitchener geisha art piece but stayed on until we went one more stop, where the crowd – if there is one – will have dissipated. And out we got.

We walked back a little bit to Christ Church, where I’d seen a cattle trough. I’ve taken lots of photos of the church but this time it was the trough and drinking fountain that caught my eye. The church itself was the first of three that Hawksmoor built between 1714-1729 and for me, it’s the landmark that dominates the area.

The trough and fountain are lovely. They were put there by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, set up in London during the 19th century to provide free drinking water.

a drinking fountain and cattle trough installed by the Metropolitan Cattle Trough and Drinking Fountain Association.

A drinking fountain and cattle trough outside Christ Church, Spitalfields — A drinking fountain and cattle trough installed by the Metropolitan Cattle Trough and Drinking Fountain Association outside Christ Church, Spitalfields

Red phone box — There aren’t so many red phone boxes left and most have no phones inside or are used by the homeless. This one is pretty derelict

Art at Christ Church, Spitalfields. These two have been here a long time undisturbed

We decided to get off the main street to head towards The Gherkin. I’ve walked along Toynbee Street many times but never past Middlesex Street. We saw very few people, but there were a few stalls set up at the top near Commercial Street.

Mambow facade on Toynbee Street — On the old and crumbling street, Mambow restaurant was a very pretty sight

Past Middlesex Street, Old Castle Street — Past Middlesex Street, Toynbee Street becomes Old Castle Street and the new is crowding out the Old. Along here are some buildings belonging to the London Metropolitan University

Old Wash Houses — I had somehow never seen the facade of these old wash houses. They were originally Whitechapel Public Baths, built in the 1850s, and now housing the Frederick Parker Collection

Continue reading “Summer in the City”

12th February 2020

Not tired of Brick Lane but what’s the future?

Wednesday, 12 February, 2020

One day I will be tired of Brick Lane. Not yet, though.

On Friday, 31st January, we thought of walking down Hackney Road that day, taking the bus from Pembury Circus and wandering down – our eventual destination the cash and carry Bangla Town by Hanbury Street. From the bus, though, we noticed so much construction that the street suddenly seemed less walkable. It wasn’t roadworks but a number of new building sites in various stages of construction. What this means is the street art and curious buildings were disappearing.

So we stayed on the bus to Columbia Road.

Some parts of Hackney Road are unchanged

Perhaps another day I’ll brave Hackney Road again and see what’s left. That day opened my eyes to the increasing disappearance of the old, a microcosm – or not so micro – of London itself.

From Hackney Road we decided to walk over to Brick Lane by the back streets, taking note of all the changes and contrasts along the way.

New and old face each other in the Shoreditch back streets

Quiet Shoreditch is close enough to the bustle

From here, it was a less familiar view of Boundary Estate, from its easterly edge. Built as the nineteenth century merged into the twentieth, it’s stayed the same in appearance but not in its culture.

Boundary Estate is instantly recognisable – with its red brick

Still Boundary Estate - looking towards Arnold Circus — Still Boundary Estate – looking towards Arnold Circus

Once past Boundary estate, it’s time to head over to Brick Lane. The streets here are mostly unchanged but there are signs of the future – construction sites and hoardings – and shops at the top, quiet, end of Brick Lane before you hit Bethnal Green Road are getting smarter. The hipsters are very firmly in place. How will it all look in ten, or even five, years?

The lesser known top end of Brick Lane – very quiet

Way too busy at Brick Lane Beigel – the salt bagels were selling out

From Brick Lane, regeneration is so close

I may have said before that I’ve noticed a new phenomenon at Brick Lane. In most cities I’m familiar with, the ethnic ghettos are expanding. When I lived in North Beach, San Francisco, Chinatown was a short walk away. In more recent visits to North Beach, Chinatown has crept into its streets. In Toronto, Little India has started to creep along Gerrard Street so that you no longer have to go into its centre to find Indian culture. Brick Lane is changing in a different way – instead of exploding, it’s imploding. More and more non-Indian cafes and shops are opening, mingling with the Bengali and Bangladeshi businesses and threatening to overtake them.

What will happen next? When will the current residents move on, as the Huguenot, and then the Jewish immigrants have done? Where will they go? And will they be pushed out, priced out, or will they too climb out? Meanwhile, there’s still time to look around.

Cake on Brick Lane – encroaching on the curry houses today

Sclater Street - demolition and hope — Sclater Street – demolition and hope

One of Dan Kitchener's geishas on Brick Lane — One of Dan Kitchener’s geishas on Brick Lane – aging

Once it was only Sundays that Brick Lane was busy. Then Saturdays started to become busier. Walking along that Friday, the street wasn’t so quiet. Continue reading “Not tired of Brick Lane but what’s the future?”