The Secret Life of Streets (BBC Two)

[Nick Armstrong]

Pegleg

You really have devoted a lot of time and effort on these searches, which I shall enjoy going through this weekend. They will take a weekend to just skim through, but are deserving of all the time you've spent and more.

May I say how enormously grateful I am.

Seconded with an and a

Amazing work: looking forward to mining these riches (and from the previous Bermondsey episode)

[Pegleg]

Thanks for your encouragement. I did wonder if my posts where OTT, but I hope you enjoy exploring this story as much as I have. Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of this series, it's certainly revitalised my interest in London's social history.

You could say I'm time rich and cash poor, and now I no longer have the mobility to roam the library shelves the Internet has become indispensable. It never ceases to amaze me just what you can find if you have the time and patience.

But tonight is all about that special Victorian venue ….

[Anna]

And a belated thank you to Pegleg from me for his comprehensive list of links which I am working through. I now possess a copy of The Blackest Streets which I intend to start reading this weekend. I also noticed on Amazon a book called London in the 19th Century by Jerry White which looks interesting and I find my library stocks for future reading.

I was a little disappointed in the Arnold Circus programme, this was probably because I'd read about the background to the slum clearance before watching the programme and as Pegleg says: "the Boundary-Street Estate raising phoenix like from the rubble of the “Old Nichol” slum, with only a brief glance back in time. Jay and Morrison were never mentioned, nor were the various act of parliament that lead to the slums destruction" I felt that was a major omission but a most enjoyable series of programmes.

[Lateralthinking1]

Seconded with an and a

Amazing work: looking forward to mining these riches (and from the previous Bermondsey episode)

Wow. Yes indeed. Great stuff pegleg. I will be coming back to read this thread regularly.

I watched the Arnold Circus programme yesterday. Absolutely fascinating again. How typical that the 23 year old with great ideas should produce something that ultimately was unaffordable for everyone the project was intended to house.

The parts on Jewish London were very interesting - that theatre which only had Jewish performances and notices in the housing in both English and Hebrew. I hadn't realised quite how the culture had expanded beyond the families themselves.

More insights in the programme on what to me when younger were slightly mysterious squatters.

I thought Horace Cutler and the other 'before Livingstone' Tories came across a little better than I had thought of them before. Until now, I have thought of them as all bad.

I do like the subtle use of background music in this excellent series too.

[Serial_Apologist]

I thought Horace Cutler and the other 'before Livingstone' Tories came across a little better than I had thought of them before. Until now, I have thought of them as all bad.

Hmmm - one felt a bit of re-writing history with the guilt of hindsight with Mr Cutlass.

[Anna]

The parts on Jewish London were very interesting - that theatre which only had Jewish performances and notices in the housing in both English and Hebrew. I hadn't realised quite how the culture had expanded beyond the families themselves

Going through the census for the section of my family in Bethnal Green I found Hannah as a boarder at the Hebrew Girls Boarding School, Palestine Place, Bethnal Green. This surprised me as I didn't think the family were at all Orthodox and had drifted into Christianity.

However, I find, and I have to do more research, that the Hebrew Boarding Schools (for boys and girls) were founded by the London Society for the Promotion of Christianity amongst Jews and they existed to teach Jewish children trades. It seems (more checking required) they were founded by Scottish Missionaries and possibly the lure was 3 meals a day for the children who were now off their parents hands? As I said, another piece of the jigsaw to put together.

[Pegleg]

There was one distant relative in my paternal family who insisted there was a Jewish connection in the early 1800s, but they all lived on the South Bank and I've never found conclusive evidence for it. Yet there were plenty of biblical name amongst them (Benjamin, Joshua, Josiah, Rebecca etc.) and I have wondered about the historical pressures to assimilate.

As far as the Jewish community in Bethnal Green is concerned it's worth reading the relevant chapters from the various volumes and editions of Booth's "Labour and the Life of People: London".

Vol II 1891 Chapter IV Influx of Population

http://archive.org/stream/labourlifeofpeop02boot#page/444/mode/2up

Vol I 1891 Part 2, Chapter 3 Tailoring

http://archive.org/stream/labourlifeofpeop01bootuoft#page/208/mode/2up

Vol I 1891 Part 3 , Chapter 3 the Jewish Community

http://archive.org/stream/labourlifeofpeop01bootuoft#page/n577/mode/2up

Vol II, 1902 edition Chapters 1 and 2 Whitechapel and Bethnal Green pp 3-103

http://archive.org/stream/lifelabourofpeop02boot#page/n9/mode/2up

They are not always described in flattering tones.

The "Arnold Circus" programme did mention that one of Booth's researcher did some kind of ethnic breakdown of tenants around 1900 with one block, the Marlow buildings, found to have around 70% of people with Jewish origins. In fact, if you have the time to trawl the 1901 census and can actually find it, other buildings, for instance the Abingdon and Benson buildings, appear to have a high proportion of people born in Russia and with names that would suggest they were from the Jewish community. If the original slum dwellers missed out for various reasons, some members of the Jewish Community did benefit. Whether this was the source of resentment or animosity, I've no idea.

[Pipisme]

It was a really fascinating series.

[Nick Armstrong]

Good to see this programme nominated for best documentary at the BAFTAs today, even if it didn't win.

Wonder if there's another series - perhaps country-wide rather than just London - in the works...

[Serial_Apologist]

Having spotted the return of Pegleg, just thought others might like a reminder of this thread of almost a year ago, and the immense enjoyment in reminiscences it gave some of us.

Thanks again, Pegleg!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Having spotted the return of Pegleg, just thought others might like a reminder of this thread of almost a year ago, and the immense enjoyment in reminiscences it gave some of us.

Thanks again, Pegleg!

[Serial_Apologist]

I obtained the book of the series today, from the Royal Festival Hall bookshop. It's from BBC Books and comes at £8.99; I would have bought a DVD of the series, but where can one get DVDs as part of one's regular out-shopping trips for Christmas pressies, etc., these days? That place used to have a large DVD section where you could get just about any DVD of any popular TV programme series.

[Serial_Apologist]

London on Film - BBC4: Thurs 23rd Jan

8.30 London on Film
The West End. A rich mix of archive footage creates a colourful portrait of the capital's beating heart.

[Ferretfancy]

Going through the census for the section of my family in Bethnal Green I found Hannah as a boarder at the Hebrew Girls Boarding School, Palestine Place, Bethnal Green. This surprised me as I didn't think the family were at all Orthodox and had drifted into Christianity.

However, I find, and I have to do more research, that the Hebrew Boarding Schools (for boys and girls) were founded by the London Society for the Promotion of Christianity amongst Jews and they existed to teach Jewish children trades. It seems (more checking required) they were founded by Scottish Missionaries and possibly the lure was 3 meals a day for the children who were now off their parents hands? As I said, another piece of the jigsaw to put together.

Anna, do you know anything about the organisation called Jews for Jesus ? They have an office at the bottom end of Kentish Town Road with their name in big letters on the plate glass building facade. I presume they are also trying to convert jews to Christianity, but there never seem to be any clients when I go by on the bus.

[Nick Armstrong]

Interesting 'then and now' use of Friese-Greene's footage of London.

http://vimeo.com/81368735

(The arched entrance to Hyde Park is especially interesting to me - cars then, cycles now and my route to work each morning!)