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 state was expanding, providing free health care and education. But not everyone benefited from the new opportunities and prosperity. Many East Enders still lived in poverty, overcrowding and poor housing conditions. The 1950s was a time of contrast between the old and the new, the rich and the poor, the traditional and the modern.
Housing Conditions in the 1950’s East End
Ben Brooksbank, CC BY-SA 2.0
https://creativecommons.org
via Wikimedia Commons
One of the most striking features of life in the 1950s East End was the housing situation. Many people lived in slums, tenements or prefabs unfit for human habitation. Some had no running water, electricity or sanitation. Others lived in bomb-damaged buildings that were still awaiting repair or demolition. The government launched a massive slum clearance programme, building new council estates and high-rise flats to replace the old dwellings. Some were modern and spacious, but others were poorly designed and maintained. Many East Enders felt a loss of community and identity as they moved from their familiar streets and neighbourhoods to new and unfamiliar places.
Entertainment and leisure in the 1950’s East End
Life in the 1950s East End was not all gloom and doom despite the hardships and challenges, and there were also many sources of entertainment and leisure for the people. The East End was famous for its vibrant street markets, such as Petticoat Lane, Brick Lane and Portobello Road, where people could buy and sell all kinds of goods, from clothes and food to antiques and bric-a-brac. The markets were also places of social interaction and cultural diversity, as people from different backgrounds mingled and exchanged stories.
The East End also had a rich music hall, theatre and cinema tradition, offering cheap and cheerful entertainment for the masses. Some popular venues were the Hackney Empire, the Stratford Theatre Royal and the Troxy Cinema. The East End also had its celebrities, such as the Pearly Kings and Queens, who wore elaborate costumes decorated with buttons and pearls and collected money for charity.
Social Issues and Movements in 1950’s East End
Life in the 1950s East End was also marked by various social issues and movements that reflected the changing times. One was immigration, as thousands of people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jamaica and other Commonwealth countries arrived in London after the British Nationality Act of 1948 granted them citizenship. Many of them settled in the East End, where they faced discrimination, racism and hostility from some of the locals. However, they also contributed to the area’s cultural diversity and economic vitality, bringing their languages, religions, cuisines and customs.
Another social issue was crime, as some parts of the East End became notorious for gangs, violence and corruption. The most famous gangsters were the Kray twins, Ronnie and Reggie, who ruled the underworld with an iron fist. They were involved in gambling, extortion, robbery and murder, but they also had a glamorous image and mingled with celebrities and politicians. A third social issue was feminism, as women began challenging their traditional societal roles and expectations. The 1950s saw the emergence of new types of women, such as the career woman, who pursued professional ambitions; the teenage girl, who enjoyed fashion, music and romance; and the rebel woman, who defied conventions and norms.
The Welfare State in the 1950s
The nuns and midwives at Nonnatus House are generally respected by locals, many of whom are pleased to get free medical treatment under the relatively new NHS system. In some episodes, however, you can see evidence of the transition into free healthcare. Some patients are suspicious of their “new-fangled” midwifery ideas, having spent many years having babies at home with no/little access to medical help, as they could not afford to pay for it in the past.
Call the Midwife and the East End
Covering the work done by the nuns and midwives based at a convent, Nonnatus House, in Poplar, the show takes us back to an East End that was soon to change.
Although Call the Midwife is a ‘feel-good’ show most of the time, it also tells us a lot about the social conditions in the East End after the war and before the liberation of the 1960s. The occupants of Nonnatus house were working at a time before birth control became common, dealing with up to 100 births a month. Many of these babies were born into already large families who were not living in the best conditions. The record number of children in the show for one family is 25!
The author of the original books, Jennifer Worth, had worked as a trainee midwife in the area, although she worked in a different convent in Whitechapel. The convent Nonnatus House is not a real location.
The East End was being redeveloped to repair the effects of the war, and parts of the area would have looked like building sites, but you don’t see that so much in the show.
The BBC’s Call the Midwife is one of the channel’s most popular shows. Set in the East End of London in the 1950s, this heart-warming programme gives us an insight into what life was like in the East End during this period.
The show casts middle-class young midwives, who grew up outside the area, to show us how bad these conditions could be. Most trainee midwives have not seen living conditions as bad as before, and many of their clients live in poverty and cramped housing conditions. For example, many women in the area had no running water or clean sheets for birth and gave birth in squalid and slum-like conditions.
You can still see the effects of the Second World War in the show, although these have probably been a little sanitised for TV. The area was bombed heavily in the war and had not been fully redeveloped by the 1950s.
Employment was sometimes hard to come by, and the welfare state did not always give all the needed help. In some cases, older people living in poverty did not know that help was available.
The East End’s population in the 1950s
Call the Midwife does show us quite a lot about local East Enders, and we see the traditional family values and close-knit communities that the area is well known for. This area has also historically been attractive to immigrants wanting to work in the UK, and although the show doesn’t cover this in detail, it does use one episode to highlight some of the problems this caused.
In one show, the midwives work with a young West Indian woman whose family recently came to London. This episode shows the racial tensions and bias that immigrants often face. The attitudes of locals to foreigners, especially if they were non-white, were often suspicious and racist. Immigrants often moved into poor areas with few facilities and were looked down on as second-class citizens, even though they lived in the same conditions as local East Enders.
Immigration in East London during the 1950s: A Remarkable Decade of Change
The Post-War Landscape of East London
The 1950s marked a profound shift in the demographic landscape of East London, a period etched in the annals of history for the significant wave of immigration it witnessed. As a district known for its dynamic character and enduring resilience, East London transformed into a cultural melting pot, welcoming people from across the globe who sought new opportunities and a fresh start in the wake of World War II.
A Call for Labour: The Beginning of Mass Immigration
As the city rebuilt from the rubble of the war, the need for a labour force to fuel the burgeoning industries, particularly in textiles, manufacturing, and docks, was paramount. The British government, in response, encouraged immigration from its colonies and the Commonwealth, leading to an unprecedented influx of immigrants, notably from the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent.
The Windrush Generation: A New Chapter in East London
In the early part of the decade, the Windrush generation, named after the Empire Windrush ship that brought the first group of West Indian immigrants in 1948, began establishing their homes and communities in East London. They brought vibrant cultures, music, and culinary traditions, contributing significantly to the socio-cultural tapestry of the district. From the pulsating beats of reggae echoing in the streets to the tantalising aroma of jerk chicken and curries, East London began to hum with an enriched multicultural vibe.
South Asian Immigration: The Transformation of Brick Lane
Simultaneously, immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, primarily India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, began to arrive in substantial numbers. Brick Lane, famously known as ‘Banglatown,’ saw a remarkable transformation, becoming a hub for curry houses and sari shops, offering an authentic slice of South Asian culture in the heart of East London.
Challenges and Tensions: The Notting Hill Riots of 1958
Immigration during the 1950s was, however, not without challenges. The sudden and substantial influx of immigrants sparked tensions, leading to societal unrest. Though not directly in East London, the infamous Notting Hill riots of 1958 served as a poignant reminder of the prevalent racial tension during that time. However, the resilient spirit of East London’s communities and the gradual acceptance and integration over the ensuing decades helped create the diverse and vibrant East End we know today.
The Legacy of the 1950s Immigration in East London Today
The 1950s in East London was a decade of change and adaptation when the waves of immigration reshaped the district. From the heartwarming tales of community spirit to the struggles against discrimination, this era was pivotal in shaping East London’s rich and diverse history. The immigrants from this period and their descendants have left an indelible mark, making East London a unique testament to multicultural Britain.
Understanding Today: The Impact of the 1950s on Modern East London
As we delve into the past, we understand the present better. The story of immigration in East London during the 1950s is more than a historical account; it’s narrative of resilience, adaptation, and cultural fusion. The legacy of this period continues to reverberate through the streets of East London, reflecting the district’s enduring spirit and multicultural heritage.
For more fascinating stories and in-depth accounts of East London’s past, please continue to explore our website, your trusted guide to the vibrant history of East London.
Conclusion: A Decade of Transformation
Life in 1950s East London was a decade of transformation for the area and its people. It was a time of change and contrast between old ways of life that were disappearing or evolving into new ones that were emerging or developing. It was a time of hardship but also hope, a time of struggle but also an opportunity, a time of diversity but also unity.
I was born 1952 living in Fawset estates on Clapton road by Springfield park. I went to school 1956/ 57 Tyssen school. Anyone attend that school let me know. Peter
My Great Nan – Margaret Godfrey Nee Devonald Nee Greenwood lived at 27 Shackelwell Row, from 1940s until 1970 when she died her 2nd husband was called Big Daddy his name was Charlie Godfrey my uncles remember visiting their nan and she would spend time in the pub on the corner must be shackelwell arms.
My Nan came back from Rugby after being evacuated and bombed out of Hackney in 1950s when children all left and moved to number 26 Shackelwell Row until she was offered a flat in Wilton Estate. The old nan stayed on i believe that it was a slum area until it was knocked down and re built
I love to hear more from anyone who remembers shackwelwell row
Ah, Call the Midwife — poverty made palatable for the benefit of impressionable viewers who want nothing more than the warm milk of sentimentality to lull them into lucid slumber. Reality rarely sells.
Poplar was sublimely interesting for a child growing up after the war, but the price for this dubious fascination was a painful longing for escape from those desperate environs. Some never did.
I confess to having never seen nor heard of hordes of Raleigh-riding midwives hurtling toward the verminous structures crumbling in that desolate grayness. Perhaps I was too busy huddling before the coal fire, inhaling the poisonous fumes of poverty and wishing that I had been born into the lazy royalty which insisted that we, the common masses, should simply Keep Calm and Carry On.
Sod the Midwife.
As a medical student I rode with midwives to peoples homes. But nothing as exotic as a Raleigh. More likely a battered old bike with a flat tyre. I don’t remember any street lights much but we all felt safe. The poverty was terrible but the nobody had any money after the war.
I was born in Mile End hospital in 1949 and lived in Stepney. My mixed race parents were new immigrants from Copenhagen, Denmark and Lagos, Nigeria and could only afford the slum we rented which had one bedroom and a living room plus a kitchen with 1 cold tap. The toilet was in the cobbled yard and the bath was a bus ride to Limehouse Public baths. A bath cost 6 old pence (2 1/2p new money) for a small piece of soap and a bath, which I shared with one of my parents.
These poor East London post war living conditions were enough to freak out my mother who was brought up in a detached, centrally heated, double glazed house in the suburbs of Copenhagen, hence her taking me to live in Denmark for a period of time.
Our Stepney house was in a street called John’s Place just off Sidney Street (where they had that siege). Our lighting was gas as there was no electricity and street lighting was also gas, which was lit and extinguished each day by the gas board.
My mother worked as a seamstress in the rag trade which is still busy today along Commercial Road. Just around the corner was my playground which was a huge bomb hole. My only friend was a child called Michael (Danny La Rue’s nephew) but he wasn’t famous then. We left the East End when I was 4 after my father bought a new build in Rainham Essex. The slum was pulled down over 50 years ago and they built some modern slums for rent in its place.
It’s really interesting to read about the 1950s and how different it was for me and my husband in The 1969s. We moved to Rhondda Grove opposite mile end tube station and live in the ground floor flat at the end of the road which belonged to the Coopers Company School nearby. It was a new building with three flats for teachers from either Coopers boys grammar school or Coborn girls school. The flats had all mod cons and were fantastic for us to move into when we married in 1963. David taught at Coopers and I taught at Malmesbury Junior School. We loved being part of a lively friendly community- lots of different nationalities…. but we couldn’t afford to buy a house in London so after our son was born in 1966 we moved to Cornwall.
Ann Hedley
Hello I used to live in providence house buildings during the 1940-1950s – great days. Everyone the same no money no cars, no debts. plenty of fun, home made scooters, bicycles, Knock down ginger, hanging on back of lorries, swimming in lime-house pier, bon fires, Victoria park, Poplar baths, Chrisp street, Troxy, Pavillion. Lenny West
Leonard , We also used to hang on the back of lorries We used to get them when they slowed down at the moors arms in Devons road , We were all skint but very happy, We used to go swimming fro stink house bridge
Bill, can you remember the name of the biscuit factories?
Janice . Sorry for the delay in replying , But I think it was Crawfords biscuits company
Hi. If you mean the one off Chrisp street, / ans near Burdett road flats, it may have been caller Excelsior, ( spelling may be wrong) I lived in Matthews house, surnamed was Holland.
Ruth
I was born in 1954 in the Stepney Maternity Hospital in Commercial Road. We lived in a room in Gough Grove before moving into a house in Canton street, where we lived with extended family. My grandad, 2 aunts and a uncle as well as my own family of 4. I went to mayflower and remember my friends , ShelleyKing; Gillian Farmer andElizabeth Tarr. We shopped at crisp street market and took baths at the poplar baths. If you remember life at Mayflower I would love to hear from you.
Hi Ruth, I went to Mayflower, my name was then Tina Scourfield, (Christina) Shelley King and Gillian Farmer were in my class. I lived in Lindfield St, where the Sussex Arms was on the corner. We also lived with my Aunt in the old derelict houses, with my Nan, Grandfather, another aunt & great grandmother lived about 8 doors away. We had a tin bath in the yard which was put in front of the fire every Sunday afternoon, whether we wanted one or not!
Be lovely to hear from you.
Take care, Tina. X
Does anybodt remember knapp rd school . I left there in 1951 , I used to live in sumner house about 200yrds from the school
does anyone know any of the coal men in the east end. my mum was born in 1932 and lived there with her nan. mum’s name was jean rose her mum annie rose charlie rose her uncle was a coalman they had to move during the war in and around the east end canning town stepney poplar shoreditch. where i was born in 1954 living in clifton buildings. of course they had stables there. anyone any info that can help me to look for my family.
Grocers was the coal man we used, use to call to us on friday night for his money
Hi Well I lived in the East End in the 1950’s and the tv show depicts life as it was in the 1920’s 30’s and transposed it to the 1950’s yes there were slums with loo’s out in the back garden and many did not have a bath,but people kept themselves clean with hot water in a tin bath,I was born in the London Hospital at Whitechapel ,kids used to play in the street or on bombsites of which there were many,but we all went to school I went to Sir John Cass foundation school at Aldgate ,as for cockney rhyming slang,well nobody I knew went around talking like that maybe just one word would enter a conversation,thats all,the show is a fraud,by hey people like it so watch it ,I do not.
Hi Brian! Thank you for you comment. Have you read the book? I am interested that no one really spoke with Cockney rhyming slang but what do you think of the accent of the characters in the tv programme? Do you think their accents as ‘Cockney’ are authentic?
Grace.
P.S. If anyone else has any opinions about the accent I would love to know!
Hi Everyone, to start with, I was born in East London Maternity Hospital, in 1954. My Brother in 1947 in Bethnal Green. We lived in Currie Hse near Blackwell Tunnel, but Mum hated living in a flat, and we moved to Lindfield St, and moved in with my mums aunt, about 5 or 6 doors from my Nan, Grandfather and Nans stepsister Rose. The houses were very big, Victorian style and run down, (slums) although as a kid you didn’t see that. There was no bath, tin bath hanging on the back garden fence. Bath-day was Sunday afternoon, in front of the open fire. The only heat in the house. No hot water just a cold tap sticking out of the wall, so mum used to boil the water in large saucepans to fill the bath. Our toilet was in the back yard. As Brian said not many people used rhyming slang as a matter of course, but now and again it was used, my brother still uses some words, and now and again so do I. Crisp st, market was a short walk and that’s where you heard most slang. I loved it and still wish I could turn the clock back now and again.
Hi, I have been reading all these comments are they’re so interesting – I have watched the series right from the start and I am currently reading the book. I am doing my degree at the moment and I am writing an essay on the representation of Cockney as a dialect in the book and the TV programme. I was just wondering if you anyone had any thoughts on the accent used in the book and TV programme? I would be really interested in your responses, especially as so many of you have grown up there.
Thank you,
Grace
Hi, I quite often laugh at the accents of the actors in the programme. I was born in 1955 in the East London Maternity Home (as my mum called it) and raised in Columbia Road. Apart from Cliff Parisi, the accents are pretty dire. “Cockerny” … Dick van Dyke is not far behind in the cringeworthy stakes. 🤣🤣🤣
My partner was Paul Davis and was born in Robin Hood Gardens which backs onto and overlooks the northern ends of the Blackwall Tunnel in 1972. He says he was a home delivery by nuns. Not sure how he knows, guess that is what his mum said to him afterwards.
Whilst I do not have the knowledge of living in the east end in these times (I came to live there much later in the late 90’s/early 00’s), I am old enough to remember my own childhood of the sixties in Camden Town. There on the first floor of a three storey tenement building we didn’t have a bathroom. We did have a inside toilet off the scullery which would now be called a kitchen and we spent most of our time in what we called the kitchen which would today be called the living room. We also had a front room or parlour which was only ever used when we were entertaining or at Christmas (although I did often sneak in there to play).
Bath night was always Friday with a tin bath in front of an electric bar fire in the kitchen (living room) with Budgie (a TV show of the time) on the black white TV in the corner. First me then after I had been sent to bed, mum and dad all in the same water topped up with fresh pots of water off the gas stove. Before this I have vague memories of sitting on the edge of an enamelled draining board with my feet dangling over the edge into a big Butler sink with a big tap sticking out of the wall and a gas geyser for hot water (instantaneous gas fired water heater with a swivel spout).
Thinking back it would only have taken a bit of a splash from me onto the bar fire to cause a major fuse to blow and possibly electrify me. Later on we used to travel to my nans in East Dulwich every Sunday for lunch, a bath and a tea of cockles and dripping sandwiches followed by Angel cake.
When we moved to Peckham to a large house where there was an outside toilet and a tin bath. Dad and grandad installed a proper bathroom with an inside toilet on the first floor of the rear addition, partitioning off the bedroom to form a smaller bathroom, corridor and bathroom. Sheer luxury that was! Dad kept the outside toilet and it came in useful in the summer when we played in the garden.
It was good to hear so many Americans being interested in the old ways in good old blighty and I think it is important that we remember how it was in our time to tell those that come after us. I remember listening for hours intently to my dad, mum and grandad about how it was when they were young. TV shows, drama and documentaries remind me of those stories as well. I find that now I am approaching my senior years that I seem to be turning into my dad and my grandad. I am happy about that because they were two honest (almost) blokes that had lived through what is now to us history. Me too now for those younger ones that also have an interest in the past. So don’t keep your stories to yourself, let everyone know.
A very good book in this regard is “Constance Street” in the East End. I also enjoyed the “Sisters of Battle Road”. Look them up and read or listen to them on an audio book. I recommend the audio book myself as it seems to bring them more alive especially if the narrator does the voices as well. I like these because they tell the story of ordinary people in exceptional real life historical circumstances. I hope to write my own story one day against the background of our more recent history, when I get the time.
People in America and else where, whilst history is history wherever it is, it has much greater relevance if you have either experienced part of it yourself or know someone that has or you know well where it happened. So whilst I am also very interested in other histories of other countries, I am always looking for that link with me and my world. That is unless I can go there and get immersed into the places where that history came from. A good historical factual story is a good story wherever it comes from.
Moved to Tetley st Poplar in 1953 and NEVER felt that we were underprivileged ,simply because we had a sense of humour based on poverty and future events, Ended up in Ontario Canada and am a proud Canadian with lots of $ to confirm the greatest country in the world ,BUT the Best memories are of Poplar East End -Long may it Live !!
We lived in Rhondda Grove opposite Mile End tube station from 1963-66. Dr Depla was our fantastic doctor who left the survey to visit me at home when I had a panic attack having visited my husband in Mile End hospital after he had had an operation for a detached retina. We’d only been married for 18 months.
Hi Ann, hope you are well. Just scrolling through and saw your message. My dad was Dr David Wright who was Dr Walter Depla’s partner in Burdett Road. Dr Depla was my parents best man at their wedding. My dad died some years ago (2008) and Walter died a little before that but they stayed best friends for ever and the families are all still in touch. They were lovely local GP’s and I remember all the lovely presents we use to have as children from his grateful patients. I also remember my dads surgery which was surrounded by bomb sites and the seamans mission he use to visit. He use to deliver coal to his frail elderly patients. Sarah Roberts
Hello Sarah Thankyou so much for your message. I’ve just read it to my husband David and he said Dr Wright! Such an impression they made and wonderful doctors. As it happens we are in Hong Kong visiting our eldest son who was born in Mile End Hospital. We moved to Cornwall in 1966 after he was born but I came back to Mile End for our daughter’s birth in 1967! A Londoner at heart…. David is 80 and I have just turned 79- we are doing very well and belong we think to the most fortunate generation. The NHS at its best, excellent education and no worries about jobs, both being teachers of one kind or another. Our children, 3, the youngest we adopted have and are flourishing as are our two grandchildren here in HK. Thank you so much for your message. We still think the NHS is wonderful but really worry for the stress on all the workers in the current climate. Very best wishes Ann Hedley
Hello my name is Steve Chapman we lived in Maplin Street Mile End Mum, Dad and four kids. I was born in Est End Maternity on 1954. Dr Depla and Dr Wright were our doctors I can still see the surgery In my mind. They were so lovely I can remember once Dr Depla called round un announced and said to Mum “ I thought I would call by and see how all the little Chapmans were” he sat in our front room with a cup of tea a real friend of the family. Two lovely men who really cared for us and all their patients and were held in great esteem and with great affection by all of us fortunate enough to have been on their books.
Steve
I worked at their surgery in the 60s and remember both
Walter and David very well. I worked with David Wright at Mile End Hospital in the Skin Clinic and Out Patients when I was a Staff Nurse there. I trained at Mile End as a SRN.
I would live to stay in touch.
Spelling error – love not live.
(My name then was Brenda Grass)
I am from the United States, and live in Meridian, Mississippi. I was born in 1963, and now I am 55. I loved reading the blog, but also all the comments from the other readers. I have loved history and period pieces my entire life. I started watching Call the Midwife on Netflix, after watching a season on PBS. Thankful for Netflix, for the simple reason I was able to watch every season (series) over the course of a few weeks, and caught up with my local PBS station. I look forward to the new season.
The past two years I have been watching PBS, and all the British shows it offers from the BBC, possibly other stations in the U.K. I watch everything from the Great British Baking Show, Victoria, The Six Wives off Henry VIII, Endeavour, Father Brown, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mystery’s, Sherlock, Death in Paradise, As Time Goes By, Waiting for God, and so many more. I hope I got all the titles correct. Suddenly, I started becoming obsessed with everything British. My ancestors came from England, Scotland, Ireland and France. I wish I could at least go to England and Scotland someday. I so enjoyed your stories of growing up in the East End of London. Both my parents were born during the Great Depression of the 1930’s; my father in 1936 and my mother in 1935. They were born into big families.
In my father’s family there were 10 boys and 1 girl. In my mother’s family there were 12 children. Having large families were very common before the use of birth control. This past Christmas, we had Christmas Crackers, something I had never heard of till I started watching British television. I even started drinking tea. I recall my paternal grandmother drinking hot tea, with milk and sugar, allowing me to have a sip from her cup. I have mine the same way. I wish the U.K. was driving distance, I would be there tomorrow, but it’s not, of course. My maiden name is Burnside, and was told the Burnside’s came from Scotland originally. My mother’s maiden name is Dean. I hope you all don’t think me foolish, but I just wanted to share this with you all. Hopefully, one day, I can make some memories of my own in the U.K. Be blessed. — Denise
I know this is a cliché but “you took the words right out of my mouth!”
If you ever have the chance to travel to England, look me up, I’d love to be your travel partner. By the way, I’m a 50ish widowed female who has never been out of the US. Grew up in the southeastern US to be exact. And I’m still here…. Lol!
Best wishes to you!
Bless you too x I enjoyed reading your post .
Lovely to hear your thoughts.
Thankyou. You must watch The Durrell’s that’s also fine British TV
Regards Ruth UK
Well I have watched a couple of episodes of Midwife,and it is in my opinion mostly fiction,born in Whitehorse Road Stepney we lived in a ancient house but had gas and electricity and hot water came from a geyser,we did not have a indoor loo or a bathroom,by the 50’s when this show is supposed to be set,there were still bomb sites these were still about into the 60’s I never did see a road in the 50’s with washing hanging across it,there were coin operated laundry shops,by the 50’s the NHS was up and running and I never saw dirty unwashed kids unless it was at a weekend and we had been playing on a bombsite or down the cut,we even went down a bombsite opposite the Popular baths it was deep and had water in it and was full of newts,us kids had bikes or had scooters some were made of wood and had ball bearing wheels,London never did get much snow and the 50’s was no exception,we of course had the smog,caused by people burning the oil soaked wood that used to be in the tram lines,we used to go to saturday morning kids pictures at the Troxy or the Ben Hur a flea pit cimema,the trouble is with the show is it is set in the 50’s but strays into the 30’s for effect in my opinion.
Was the Ben hur , Just off ben Johnson road And if it rained you sometimes got wet
It’s great to hear all your stories. I just started watching Call the Midwife. As a retired nurse in the USA ( I worked in hospitals and did Home Health with elderly) it warms my heart of these stories. I was born in 1954 and had a great childhood but did not live poorly. I have had a bad experience with Nuns either only good. So I love the Nuns and the midwives of the series how loving/ mostly non judging! My desire as a nurse was not to judge but to love and do my duties. So I laugh / cry/ my heart melts for the people. I just became a Grammy so all these births bring happy tears!
Hello!
I’m Andrea from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I came across this blog while I was doing some research related to midwives in the 50s and 60s.
I’m an illustrator and I’m taking part in a contest promoted by the AOI (Association of Illustrators) and the LTM (London Transport Museum) called “Poster Price for Illustration 2019”.
I need to do an illustrated interpretation of a London story. It could be real or fictional, but it must capture a narrative in a single image inspired by London’s history or contemporary city living.
If I win my work will be issued at the London Transport Museum and also displayed on the London Underground.
I chose the East End London of the 50s and 60s, trying to show how people lived in Poplar and how St. Frideswide’s Mission House and the midwives helped them.
If anyone lived there at that time or have a family member who lived there could give me some tips or information to help me with my project I would be very grateful!
Thank you a lot in advanced.
1936 Born in Boston St just opp Warner place very close to the QE Childrens hosp in Hackney road .We were a big family as most were in those days people called us Fletcher but our name was Thatcher Dads name was jim his dads me was also jim and of course my name is jim,Evacuated to the Country bedfordshire aged two returned when I was 11 (which I hated ) we moved all over the place we lived in the flats in Goldsmith Row also 359 hackney road and the flats in Upper clapton then in dagenham essex, then back to Hackney road ..go married ended up in some flats there moved to bow ,,there for some years then went to Milton keynes.. a stones throw from where I was evacuated my heart was still in the countryside then out to the country to a village in Northants
I too grew up in Poplar before moving ‘Up’ to Dagenham lol…. I was born in 1957 in st Andrews hospital but my mum talks fondly of the local midwives…. Call the midwife has led too many Sunday night phone calls and lovely warm memories of a different era…
I remember like others being taken to Chrisp St and ‘Raffie’ Rathbone St markets….. mum still talks of my first christmas present a second hand childs telephone exchange from a stall on Chrisp st…
I’m sure my uncle Bill (Lammin) was married to Ivy Barwick…. I’m a Bell but family were Lammin, Edwards and Bells – Orchard House originally
My dad’s sister was Ivy Barwick; married to Bill Lemmon. They had 4 daughters.
Hi just read your comments, my mum was a barwick(Mary) lived on Chrisp st
My nan was from the east end and she was a Bell before she became a Marriott. Her name was Ruby Bell, wonder if it’s any relation to you.
My dad was a GP in Burdett Rd in the 60’s. His name was Dr David Wright and his partner was Dr Walter Depla. He also use to have surgeries at the Seamans mission and worked with nuns somewhere in the area. He trained at the London Hosp. I remember visiting his surgery as a very young girl and it was a big victorian building withbomb sites all around it.
He was my doctor as a boy
He was also my doctor.and Dr ,depla.
Also down in Hainaut where we moved from Burdett rd and they were there too.
Dr Wright was my doctor in the 60,s. I was a child then and lived in Turners Road Bow. The surgery was in Burdett Road.
Remember them both well … also in Hainault surgery
I don’t know if anyone out there can help, my Aunt Lilly and uncle Mike Priceman lived in Moody street, Whitechaple late 50’s early 60’s, we are looking for a girl called Valery who lived in “The tenants” flats around the same time she used to play with my cousin Lesley Booth who was looked after by Lily & Mike not sure what Street the Tenants Flats were on, also Ashfield Street or Moody Street, But it’s most important we try and speak to Valery(surname) unknown, my email address hardiejackie@aol.com, we do know Valery mum was called Nell, Dad Barny / Michael
I was born in the east end Bethnal Green in 1956.I remember having a friend called Pat Greenwood she lived with her mum and her Nan and Grandad in Canrobert Street.I can remember going to Teesdale Infant school.It`s so nice to look at old photos of your child hood.
Hi I was born in 1956 and lived in Claredale House, Teesdale Street, and went to Teesdale School.
My maiden name was Jennifer Davis born in June 1956 if born later you may have been in a year below
Call the midwife brings back loads of memories of my childhood. I was born in 1952 in Poplar. Both my parents were one of thirteen children. My mothers family originally lived in tenement buildings, until my grandparents ran a shop with accommodation. My fathers parents lived in terraced housing. Both sets of grandparents had outside toilets, I remember a long wooden seat, like a bench, (in my nans toilet) with a hole in it, and a boiler, heated by coal, in the out house, out the back, where the washing was done. I remember collecting tar-blocks from the roads, to burn in the boilers, the smell of the clean washing, my Nan using the mangle and hanging out the washing in the garden. I lived in Poplar with my parents and sister, above a shop, until 1971. We had an outside toilet and baths in a tin bath in the kitchen every Friday night. This was heated by pots/buckets of boiling water and was topped up with more hot water after each person had their bath. We had an oil fired heater. We moved down the road in 1971 to a maisonette with all mod cons. I married in 1972 and moved into my own house with an outside toilet, no bathroom, heating or hot water.
Playing on the debris at the corner of roads where houses had been bombed and knocked down after the war, and in bombed out houses that still stood neglected but in tact, swinging on the bars at the top of lamp posts and playing out in the streets with my friends everyday, are great memories. We used to build big fires on bonfire night, make guys to burn and collect pennies to buy fireworks. We would go to the off license in the evenings to buy niblets and cream soda and sit and eat them on the steps of friends houses. We used to go up to Chrisp Street Market at weekends and in the school holidays, or walk to the island (Isle of Dogs) across the two bridges, then use the subway to go Greenwich Park. I liked going to the local dairy to get bottles of fresh orange juice and to the Farfame? factory at the end of the road to buy broken biscuits. I remember the new clinic that was opened in East India Dock Road where my mum used to take my baby sister, and seeing nuns walking in twos. I remember the processions every year down East India dock road where all the girls were dressed in beautiful white dresses. I had a fantastic, carefree, childhood which I shared with my many cousins, aunts and uncles and friends.
Hi Jean
Ally of what you said rings bells of what my mum told me. Do you remember the “Barwicks” that lived on Chrisp st?
Hi my mum was a barwick( Mary) from chrisp st
Jean, your name rings a bell, as does some other things you have mentioned. Where did you live?
hi jean
i was born in st andrews hosp – devons rd in 1950. i did exactly what yoy described what memories eh? COYI.
I lived in one of those slums, 85 Lindfield St, Poplar. Toilet in the Garden, tin bath hanging on back garden fence. No central heating or hot water just a cold tap coming out of the wall. We lived in the same house as my Aunt and my Nan and grandfather, another Aunt and Great Grandmother lived at No. 94. It was ver cold in the winter the windows would ice up inside! But it was Happy timesI went to Mayflower School Poplar. Then onto Langdon Park secondary.
I lived in no 84 lindfield st ian hender
I was born in the east end in the 1950s. My 3 siblings and I, were all born in hospital. We lived in a flat with central heating etc. I know some friends and family lived in terraced houses, which were referred to as ‘slums’ and were eventually demolished to make way for more flats. Personally, I would have liked to live in one of the so called slums. No, my memories do not match the desperation and poverty depicted in the programme.
Nor do mine. Especially when it was depicting the 60s. I was born in 1948 and lived in Canning Town.
I was born at home in Stepney in 1956 and have always wondered if a midwife from nonnatus house delivered me unfortunately my mum has now passed away so I cant ask her , she would have loved to have seen “call the midwife” don’t know if there’s a way I can find out ?
I believe Nonnatus House is a fictionalized place based on another–just go to the Call the Midwife website to read all about it.
You were probably an NHS baby. I was, born in 48.
My mum was born and lived in Chrisp st in poplar with her mum and dad and seven siblings.1929 was the year my mum was born. To watch call the midwife makes me think so much of my mum who I lost in 2015 and am struggling. She did everything thing for us and I miss her terribly
My nan lived in chrisp street and had several children we are currently on ancesty and believe a relative was one of the a real life midwifes that the story is based on. Dad loves it too for that same reason. Wouldnt suprise me if she knew my nan or grandad by grandad owned the barbers
Hi gemma. My mum’s maiden name was Barwick and there was 7 children as well. My grandad worked in the dock. Please find out if they knew each other. My mum’s name was Mary and her sisters and brothers were : Tommy, pasty,Johnny, Peter and Julie and Elsie.
Bet my dad would love to chat to you. My nan gradad lived chrisp at and relatives were midwives in 1940 1950
My mum’s mum was called Ann and her dad Thomas. It would be great if they knew each other. Unfortunately I only know some things as my mum and dad have both passed away. Look forward to hearing from you x
I quite agree margeret about the midwife my mum and dad lived in martin st stratford we had an outside loo but electricity and clean water,my dad was the paper man on the corner of stratford station for many years,he used to hang out of the window watching people go by to work, I had a great childhood and freedom to play on the streets until dusk happy days.
My husband has asked me to help with a novel set in Chichester and East London. The hero and narrator grew up in Chichester. In around 1967 he graduates from McGill University in Montreal, Canada to do an internship/residency? in East London and ends up living there and working in a clinic. He and his wife, a teacher, become involved in the local community on their return. The book is written as he prepares to retire and looks back on his life. My husband is a retired physician and psychiatrist whose patient charts I used to transcribe. His writing is still too much like patient charts, without character development, attention to setting, etc. Might you be willing to be a local contact to help us out? We have just finished watching a season of Call the Midwife on American PBS!
I was born and brought up in the East End. The book “Call The Midwife” appears to be more fiction than fact.
All my siblings, my cousins from my large extended family, my friends I went to school with, were all born in the hospital. The majority of families had on average 2 or 3 children, and this was before the birth control pill.
Every family I knew had running water and electricity. Even my parents generation had electricity. Perhaps there was a very deprived area in Poplar that for some reason had no running water or electricity, and families of 24 children, that was not my experience. I dont think much research has been done on this story, and although perhaps entertaining has been accepted as a true account of life in th East End in the 50s.
I would like to add that I am also a registered nurse with midwifery training (1969)
I just read an article that talks with the nuns that the show portrays all 7 of them say the show is spot on with the way life & the community was back then in the East End.
My mum’s sister wanted to be a nun and use to go up and stay with them till she passed away aged 15.
Margaret, we lived in Poplar which I mentioned above, there was only me & my Brother, there were only my mum and my Aunt in her family, but my Dad was 1 of 7, but to be fair my Dads mum died in child birth, an the baby girl died too, another aunt on my dads side had 7 also, but another aunt had 11. So I think it did vary, but I must say I have never never heard of a family of 24! Even in our bombed out St, we had electric but we still had gas mantels on the wall.
Tina Staines nee Scourfield
Yes, I think it is more 1930s. I was born 1945 and raised in Aldgate. Went to Fairclough St Primary (changed name to Harry Gosling), then Coopers’ in Bow. Much of the background is of an earlier period. Never saw laundry hanging in the street. London Hospital was not Royal London until much later and where are all the bomb sites?
For all that a great nostalgia fest.