East London is a visually interesting place, and happens to be blessed with a plethora of excellent photographers. Every day I share one image with you that I think captures some aspect of East London perfectly.
This one is something of a puzzle. If you don’t recognize it, take a peek here for the answer. The D6 bus goes past here regularly…
Smack dab in the middle of the Columbia Road Flower Market stands what can only be described as the trendiest cake shop in all of London; Treacle.
In a sort of campy homage to the British post-war urban tea house, Treacle makes no chintzy pretensions to ‘proper village tea’. This is proper East End builder’s tea, lemonade and ginger beer, and loads of outstanding, basic British baking.
Inside the simple shop (some would say drab, others unpretentious or frugal) you are suddenly adrift in a sea of sugar-driven bliss. Cupcakes in three sizes, three flavors (vanilla, chocolate and lemon, naturally) and a never ending array of sprinkles. Oh, and then there’s the layer cakes…
If you are a bit confused about what sort of place you may have stumbled into, there is a helpful sign:
This is a tea shop, please do not use the C word”
East London is a visually interesting place, and happens to be blessed with a plethora of excellent photographers. Every day I share one image with you that I think captures some aspect of East London perfectly.
Today’s image is taken from the city center, looking out towards East London, which has all but disappeared behind the tower that now dot the London skyline.
1. No One Wants It Sold, Except The Developers
The problem is that the local council are trying to sell it off to first one developer and then another. First Wal-Mart came calling, but backed out due to a huge outcry from the local populace. Now a new plan is afoot it sell it to another developer to build an 18 story tower block and 370 executive apartments in place of the market and pub next door.
2. It is A Gold Mine
You can find everything from rolls of colourful sari material to stacks of shiny cooking pots, baskets of apples to crates of raw fish bones. Queen’s Market is an important centre of employment as well as bringing millions of pounds into the local economy. It exudes entrepreneurial spirit, tolerance and good humour.
3. Fresh Affordable Food Matters
140 stalls, kiosks and shops sell the most diverse selection of foods anywhere in London, at prices that everyone can afford.
4. A Market Is About More Than Vegetables
It has been in existence for over a century and is the heart of a vibrant community that draws in people from across London and beyond. Famed for its affordable and culturally appropriate produce, it is much more than just a market, it is a living information exchange and a communal space.
5. The Council Is Playing Dirty
The Council’s plan seems to be to withhold services from the market, letting it fall into disrepair until traders leave in disgust and there is no one left to oppose their scheme. This must not be allowed to happen. Queen’s Market is truly one of London’s treasures.
What To Do?
Raise your voice. Visit the Friends of Queen’s Market to:
East London is a visually interesting place, and happens to be blessed with a plethora of excellent photographers.
This photo, entitled “Canary Wharf Reflections” comes from kayodeok’s photostream on flickr, as did yesterday’s picture.
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The delegates planning next year’s international Toy Library Association conference in Paris came from across the globe, from France, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and South Korea, to look at the new Tower Hamlets Toyhouse centre.
They saw how it runs a cross-section of services from the centre, opened at St Paul’s Way, Bow Common, in November, only to discover the East End has the greatest number of toy libraries in the world!
The services include the Home Visiting mobile toy library, Early Years soft play, Burdett toy library including a ‘boom, bang, bees’ session, two baby clinic ‘play and Information’ sessions and special soft play.
East London is a visually interesting place, and happens to be blessed with a plethora of excellent photographers.
This photo, entitled “Gathering Storm” comes from kayodeok’s photostream on flickr.
Rick Castro takes you on a frenetic, music-video style tour of the texture of East London.
Ham, over at London Daily Photo has an excellent post up about the Manor Park Library, created by Andrew Carnegie, one of more than 2,500 he set up world wide.
Books. That word alone gives you warm thoughts. But imagine a world without Andrew Carnegie. His rags to riches story is the stuff from which fables are made. And having made his fortune, he set about to give it away. Which is why there were 2,500 free public libraries created worldwide.
Read more at London Daily Photo.
Too little, too late! After almost two years of meeting with plot holders and repeatedly promising to carefully move this 100 year old community to a suitable site before eviction the London Development Agency (LDA) now say they haven’t made any ‘promises or commitments’.
These much filmed and photographed picturesque garden allotments have been passed down from generation to generation over the decades. Founded by philanthropic aristocrat Major Arthur Villiers before WW1 they have been feeding over 150 local East End families ever since. The sensible solution would be to leave the plots where they are and make them into an uniquely British feature of the London Olympics. Yet relocation is all the Olympic Authorities have been prepared to negotiate on so far and even this they seem incapable of achieving.
Manor Gardening Society have had enough of broken promises and delays. They issued Judicial Review proceedings against the London Development Agency yesterday (Friday 27th).
John Matheson, Chair of Manor Gardening Society said “We have been meeting every month with the LDA for the past two years at great cost to taxpayers. They have consistently promised us that we would be relocated before we were evicted from the current site. Now that they have run in to trouble with their planning application we are being hung out to dry and the LDA are refusing to honour that promise. These allotments represent a haven for local people (not ot mention flourishing wildlife) coping with harsh inner city life, many of them pensioners. Some of our members have been growing their own food here for over 50 years. If the authorities are serious about making these the greenest Olympics they are going about it a very funny way.”
Phil Michaels, Head of Legal at Friends of the Earth’s Rights & Justice Centre said: “This is an important case about broken promises and local communities. The LDA made clear and consistent promises to the community that their allotments would be relocated so that they could stay together. They have now decided to break that promise. Public authorities must deal honestly and straightforwardly with the public. That is particularly the case where they are proposing to break up communities and take away their land. If the authorities are not willing to honour their promises then the Court has to step in.”
Baroness Miller expressed her concern about the plight of this national treasure in the House of Lords on Tuesday during a debate about Olympic land acquisition.
Note: The allotment holders are represented by solicitors at Friends of the Earth’s Rights & Justice Centre and leading public law barristers Nathalie Lieven QC and Kate Olley (both of Landmark Chambers).
