Local news and culture magazine
It’s the Biblical metaphor! It is all about neighbourhood dining, about this idea of everyone getting together and sharing delicious hearty food that isn’t too fancy, that you just want to tuck into.’
From the vibrant days of the exploding local pub culture to driving around the who’s-who of East End celebrities (‘Barbara was very nice and chatty, but she was very drunk,’ he says), it becomes clear that the story of Phil Price is the story of the East End itself.
In a survey of the church in 1900, he commends the ‘good people of Bow’, for not listening to outside experts to modernise the church, as he believed its 14th century medieval architecture should be maintained as is.
‘There has been, rightfully, a lot of focus on supporting local businesses during the pandemic. And I realised that more people were discovering what’s in their local area over lockdown as well as they were exploring their neighbourhoods more now.’
‘I picked the inside of the Mary le Bow church because the Bow Bells are the iconic association with this area. And when I started researching historical people that we could include, I wanted to find someone who helped alleviate poverty because that’s what so much of the local history of this area is about.’
Flipping through those pages, he shares a realisation he had recently. ‘Actually, these prints ended up being a strange lockdown diary of sorts. Because I can remember little things I did the day I made each print.’
Is social media and online marketplaces – the same reason why sales are being driven down, actually been a lifesaver for these businesses? Or is it a double-edged sword?
‘You need the people doing admin, running the day-to-day activities. They’re glue that holds together a movement,’ says McChrystal.
‘I just really want people to know that this is an inclusive, family-friendly place and being attached to the brand might hopefully make people realise that.’
‘For the longest time, it felt like no one was listening. I was trying really hard to show being zero-waste is possible. Then suddenly there was an episode about waste on Blue Planet and then suddenly it was everywhere.’
Despite the wider forces in the world working against the hospitality sector, Sayliss is keeping a cool head and her eyes fixed forward. But with so much responsibility for a young person, do these worries keep her up at night?
The circular patch of Three Mills Green by the historic Clock Mill is the site of a public art installation that is historic in its own right. It is one of the first few sculptures of a black woman in the UK and the first such statue by a black artist.
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