Traditional Cockney Pie and Mash Recipe: A Taste of East London at Home

Cockney Pie and Mash is a traditional East London dish featuring a minced meat pie served with mashed potatoes and a parsley sauce called “liquor.” Here’s a recipe for each component of this classic dish: Minced Meat Pie: Ingredients: Instructions: Mashed Potatoes: Ingredients: Instructions: Parsley Liquor: Ingredients: Instructions: To serve, place a portion of mashed … Read more

Match Girls Strike at Bryant and May Factory: The 1888 Uprising for Workers’ Rights in London

During the 19th century, the match manufacturer, Bryant and May, was one of the leading employers in Bow in the East End of London. Although playing with matches is, as we all know, dangerous, at that time, just making matches could be deadly. Most people working in the factory were women, known as match girls. The … Read more

The DLR (Docklands Light Railway): How a Modern Transport System Transformed East London | East London History

East London has transformed remarkably in the past few decades from a neglected and rundown area to a vibrant and prosperous hub of business, culture, and innovation. One of the key factors behind this change was the introduction of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), a modern and efficient transport system that connected the East End … Read more

Free Museums in London

Visit the Top 5 Museums in London London is one of the most famous cities in the world, and it boasts an impressive range of excellent museums. If you are planning a trip to London in the near future, try to visit one of the five best museums in the city, all of which are … Read more

The Sinking of The Princess Alice

The Princess Alice Drawing

A tale of a pleasure trip on the River Thames from London Bridge that turned into a terrible tragedy that shocked the nation. The text is taken from a book passed down to me by my grandfather called: Fifty Great Disasters & Tragedies That Shocked The World. Published in the opening years of the 1930s … Read more

MacDonald Syer Ltd – 1949 Margate Kent.

How MacDonald Syer Electricians Helped London Survive WW2 MacDonald Syer Ltd was a lift engineering and electrical business based in Calvin Street, Shoreditch, East London. The company was founded by John MacDonald and William Syer in 1908 and became one of the leading contractors in the city. But what many people may not know is … Read more

Coventry Road Ilford Essex

Coventry Road is a street in Ilford, Essex, that was part of the Clements estate, a large area of land that was developed for housing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Clements estate was one of the factors that contributed to the rapid growth of Ilford as a suburban town. The History … Read more

London Police Officers – Old Photos.

I’ve just started to go through my old photo albums and scan in some of the more interesting London images. What I Know About This Photo. The chap standing on the left is my grandfather’s step-father. He was one of the founders of the Met Police’s flying squad. A highly trained fast response police driver. … Read more

Henry VIII and East London History

If you walk past the BSix Sixth Form College building in Hackney’s Clapton area, you may not notice anything too unusual about the site. But, this was once the site of one of the most impressive Tudor homes in the East End and, at one point in time, it was one of the royal palaces … Read more

History of Bow Brewery

The East End of London has been home to many major breweries over the years and even to a couple of distinctive types of beers. In the 19th century, the Mann, Crosman and Paulin’s brewery in Whitechapel created a beer that is held to be the daddy of the modern brown ales that are still … Read more

The Battle of Cable Street East London

Battle of Cable Street

In the 1930s, one narrow East End street, Cable Street, became the location for one of the most famous anti-fascist clashes in England’s history. On the day, local residents fought against the fascist and anti-Semitic principles of Sir Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirt followers. The Battle of Cable Street has become a celebrated anti-fascist event. … Read more

Billingsgate Market a Brief History

A bowl of cockles and mussels.

Now located in the East End’s financial capital, Canary Wharf, Billingsgate is one of the capitals’ best known fresh produce markets and its oldest wholesale market. Held to be the leading inland fish market in the country, Billingsgate has a long history, dating back to the 1400s, if not further. Billingsgate’s Early History Historically, people … Read more

The Origins of London East End Street Names

The East End of London holds countless intriguing stories of its past, offering a fascinating glimpse into the area’s rich history. Some of the most captivating tales are hidden within the origins of the street names themselves. Let’s delve into a few lesser-known yet equally captivating street names that will provide you with a unique … Read more

History of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry

Replica of the Liberty Bell.

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is one of the most famous manufacturers of bells in the world. The foundry was located in the heart of the East End, the foundry is also the oldest manufacturing company in Britain, according to the Guinness Book of Records. It has made some of the best known bells in the … Read more

London’s East End and The Blitz

London Underground Air Raid Shelter

During the Second World War, the Germans started a range of strategic bombing missions across Britain. The worst of the bombing raids came to be known as the Blitz. This is an abbreviation of the German word “blitzkrieg”, or lightning strike. Starting in 1940, the Blitz devastated many major cities in the country – London … Read more

V1 and V2 Rocket Attacks in East London

In the early years of the Second World War, bombing raids tended to use traditional bombs and incendiary devices, and these were used significantly in sustained attacks during the Blitz, for example. However, the Germans developed new technologies later in the war and created the V1 and V2 rocket or flying bombs. These were long-range … Read more

Life in 1950’s East London: A Time of Change and Contrast

The 1950s was a decade of significant social and economic change in London, especially in the East End. The area had suffered heavy bombing during the Second World War and was undergoing reconstruction and redevelopment. The population also changed as new immigrants arrived from the Commonwealth countries and settled in the East End. The welfare … Read more

The East End Dwellings Company

East London Housing 1950s

Housing has been a historical problem in London’s East End. This was once always a heavily populated area, with workers living there to be close to their jobs on the docks and on industrial sites. There was often a lack of decent housing, which together with the relative poverty of the area, resulted in many … Read more

The Ragged School Museum

The Ragged School Museum

The Ragged School Museum is located in Mile End, close to Mile End Park. The building was originally the largest of London’s free schools for poor children, known as the Copperfield Road Free School. It is a museum that is a great visit with kids (you can show them how lucky they really are!) but … Read more