Heritage and history of Roman Road, Bow, Globe Town

Photographs by Tom Keeling

Hay, horseshoes, and Trooping the Colour: a morning at Bow Police Stables

August 14, 2019October 25, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 33581 Views 1 Comment Features min read

The nuts and bolts of a place like Bow Stables are the same now as they would have been a

Exterior shot of Bethnal Green fire station on Roman Road

Photographs by Tom Keeling

Cultural heritage East End & Cockney Local Society

Behind the red doors of Bethnal Green Fire Station

July 27, 2019November 1, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 45917 Views 2 Comments Features min read

They say a busy station is a happy station, and if they’re right Bethnal Green Fire Station on Roman Road

Linda Calvey at the Blind Beggar pub in East London

Cultural heritage East End & Cockney Local Society

‘Black Widow’ Linda Calvey on the realities of East End gangster life

July 14, 2019July 15, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 61009 Views 0 Comments Features min read

Flowery dress. Red toenails. Bleached blonde hair. Linda Calvey, 71, doesn’t exactly scream East London gangster when we meet on

Margie Keefe aka the Grime Gran at her home in Bethnal Green

Bow Grime music Cultural heritage Local Society

Portrait: Margie Keefe, aka Grime Gran, nan to the grime scene

June 17, 2019September 1, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 61864 Views 0 Comments Features min read

Margie Keefe, 80, likes a bit of hustle and bustle, which is just as well given she’s the undisputed nan

Old sign of Henry Finkelstein on Roman Road

Cultural heritage East End & Cockney Local Society

Sign of the times: the mystery of Henry Finkelstein

June 12, 2019June 25, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 57324 Views 1 Comment Features min read

Two weeks ago a little piece of Roman Road went back in time. The shop front of No. 430, at

Bow Grime music Cultural heritage Local Society

‘Grime Kids’ book review – the inside story of a creative revolution

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 54139 Views 0 Comments Reviews min read

The rise of grime music is a story best told from the inside. That’s the ethos that underpins Grime Kids,

Outside Rhythm Division record shop in Bow

Bow Grime music Cultural heritage Local

Rhythm Division – the (140 bpm) heart of grime

April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 65056 Views 2 Comments Features min read

Ask anyone in the grime scene about Rhythm Division and odds are you’ll get an outpouring of beloved memories. During

Chris Kimberley and his dog, Skye, outside their home in Bow, East London

Cultural heritage Culture & communities Local Society

Portrait: The Cheeky Cockney on life after being a postman

April 1, 2019August 1, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 48178 Views 1 Comment Features min read

Chris Kimberley, 58, has a top speed of eight miles per hour. He navigates east London on a blue mobility

Photographs by Sophie Beagles

Cultural heritage East End & Cockney Local

Rediscovering Globe Town Market Square

March 26, 2019September 18, 2019 Sophie Beagles 44792 Views 0 Comments Features min read

At first glance, Globe Town Market Square may not match one’s expectations of an idyllic marketplace. Located between Morpeth Street

A protest at the Forum in Victoria Park during a 1954 docker strike

Cultural heritage East End & Cockney Local Society

The Forum at Victoria Park – East London’s answer to Speakers’ Corner

March 14, 2019June 19, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 37727 Views 0 Comments Features min read

Just about everyone has heard of Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, but few know there was a time when Victoria

Striking a Light by Louise Raw, book cover.

Cultural heritage Local Suffragettes

Striking a Light by Louise Raw book review

March 10, 2019March 14, 2019 Tabitha Potts 20240 Views 0 Comments Reviews min read

Striking a Light is a fascinating account of the Bryant & May match girls’ strike of 1888 (or matchwomen as

An issue of The Woman's Dreadnought newspaper

Cultural heritage Local Society Suffragettes

Written from life – Sylvia Pankhurst and the Workers’ Dreadnought newspaper

March 8, 2019March 7, 2019 Frederick O'Brien 15917 Views 0 Comments Features min read

You’d be hard pressed to find things Sylvia Pankhurst didn’t do during her time in Bow. When she wasn’t spearheading