history – and so she thinks

After The Party by Cressida Connelly

admin — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 16:32:29 +0000

The female experience of Fascism isn’t one we’re used to reading about. And particularly not in a way that whilst not painting the political philosophy in a sympathetic light exactly, does explore how a young mother could become swept up in it all. In Cressida Connelly’s After The Party, it’s 1979, and Phyllis Forrester takes us back to the summer of 1938, when Oswald Mosley visited the parties at her sister’s house, and everything changed. Believing that the only way to prevent another war was to follow the Leader, she and her family become sucked into the party, with devastating consequences. Years later, with prison sentences under the belt, she wonders if she can ever be forgiven, and if she can ever forgive.

Connelly writes with detail and perception, painting a vivid picture of both the English countryside and the people who live within it. Her research and attention to history is impeccable, and the novel explores an element of the events of the past that we often forget – real people were involved. The movements we loathe were not all made up of evil people, but ordinary individuals. Phyllis Forrester was just one.

Looking up for the spirit of Spitalfields

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:13:59 +0000

If you’re anything like me, or indeed 97% of London’s population, you spend the majority of your time whilst wandering the streets either looking at your phone, watching your feet to make sure you don’t trip over any remains of last night’s chicken wings or discarded copies of the Evening Standard, or staring daggers into the back of the dawdler in front of you. What you don’t do, is look up. Up, beyond your eyeline, to see some of the parts of the city that we so often miss. Up there, beyond adverts and hoardings, hustle and bustle, are icons and information about the history of the city. It’s spirit if you will. And that’s what Katie, who runs Look Up London, is showing us on this Sunday morning, encouraging us to lift our gaze and look up to learn more about the spirit of Spitalfields.

Katie is an engaging guide, her enthusiasm for the city fluently conveyed. She’s clearly done her research, having been blogging about London for the last three years, and she imparts enough knowledge to educate and interest us without it being overwhelming. ‘On a mission to reveal the secrets hidden above your eyeline’ she runs walking tours around the area.

‘There are three things to remember about Spitalfields’ she tells us. ‘Radicalism, immigration and industry. Sitting just outside of the city walls the East End has always been a place where the rules and regulations of the financial and government stronghold doesn’t quite stretch. It’s something that is represented by Kenny Hunter’s Goat sculpture that stands at the entrance to Spitalfield’s Market; the goat being a somewhat wayward creature that doesn’t follow the crowd, unlike sheep.

Taking its name from the fields around the hospital – ‘spital – the area has seen huge changes, the economic ones accelerated over recent years. Street names like Gun and Artillery give clues to Henry VIII’s selling of the area to convert to army barracks. After the immigration persecuted Huguenots in the 17th and 18th centuries, the area became home for the fabric and textile industries, particularly silk weavers. This was due to large attics and airy light rooms available at the top of buildings on streets such as Fournier Street. Waves of Jewish communities fleeing Russia moved over in the 18th century, and many street signs are still written in both Yiddish and English. Today it is home to a large Bengali community; Brick Lane famed for its curry houses.

There’s plenty of clues to what the building that are now trendy pubs and coffee shops once were. The A Gold store in Brushfield Street was originally opened in 1880 by Amelia Gold, and the original shop front can still be seen. The signs of a bakery are found in the form of Philip Lindsey Clark’s Sculptures in Widegate Street. Frying Pan Alley is so named due to the frying pans hung outside by the ironmongers who used to operate there. We look up to see what some of them might have been before – warehouses, weavers, pubs, and the art deco Mayfair cinema.

One of the most fascinating buildings was built on the corner of Brick Lane and Fournier Street in 1742. La Neuve Eglise was a Huguenot chapel, then in 1809 started to be used by missionaries as The Jews’ Chapel, where they promoted Christianity to the expanding Jewish population, before being adapted as a Methodist Chapel in 1819. Then in 1898, the building was consecrated as the Machzikei HaDath, or Spitalfields Great Synagogue, and most recently in 1976, to serve the expanding Bangledeshi community, it was adapted again as the London Jamme Masjid (Great London Mosque). The fluid and ebbing nature of the area is something that fascinates me. How people make a place their own but with echoes of the past.

It’s hard to imagine now with all the glass buildings and money dripping from the surrounding banks that Spitalfields was once one of the poorest areas, up to twenty families houses in each building and the slums being no go areas for many. The decline of the textile industry in the 19th century led to a poverty-stricken, over populated area with little work available, where drinking and prostitution were often the only escapes from a troubled life, and crime ran rife. These were the days of Jack the Ripper, and the Ten Bells pub on Commercial Street, where victim Mary Kelly drank, still stands. We see the Jewish Soup Kitchen in Lehman Street, and the Providence Row Night Refuge.

One of the most striking things is the echoes of past years that run through the threads of the story. Immigration from refugees fleeing conflict, tension between communities, concern for jobs, and steady gentrification pushing workers further out to the suburbs continues. We finish up in Altab Ali park, named after a 25-year-old Bangladeshi clothing worker of the same name who was brutally stabbed here in 1978. It prompted mobilisation and protests and a coming together of communities, and despite ongoing friction this has been repeated over recent years. Along the path down the centre of the park are letters spelling out a fragment of a poem by Rabindranath Tagore: ‘The shade of my tree is offered to those who come and go fleetingly.’ People may come and go, but the spirit of Spitalfields lives on – and as Katie taught us, you often have to look up to find it.

Read more about London on Katie’s blog here, and book on to a tour here.

Greenwich Book Festival: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class by Selina Todd

admin — Tue, 26 May 2015 20:35:00 +0000

Selina Todd has issue with the idea of referring to the working class as the ‘forgotten’ or ‘marginalised.’ They, like her when she was growing up and starting her role as a historian, are just living their lives. It’s these lives that she explores in The Rise and Fall of the Working Class. At Greenwich Book Festival the historian, author and Oxford don speaks with the same urgency and humanity with which she writes, weaving together personal and everyday experiences with political views. She does not see the two as distinct, with her own left wing politics being a result of her own experiences and belief that everybody can and should have access to an awesome life.
Todd’s interest in the history of the ordinary started with seeking out the stories of her own family, the seed planted by a school project to ‘interview the oldest person you know.’ It’s an inspiration, with access to archives and libraries facilitating the opportunity for a democratic kind of history in which we can all participate.
In the hour we cover both World Wars, The Great Depression, Bevan and Thatcher, but we also cover the football pools and domestic service – both the big stuff and the little stuff mingle to make The People. rather than reporting, the book and the talk is about exploration and challenging assumptions. Todd questions the idea that lack of social mobility is a sign of lack of aspiration, and the skewed practice of over work in today’s culture. She is not at all convinced by the blaming of trade unions for the changing composition of class structure, and doesn’t believe that there was ever really a ‘golden age’ of the working class.
The working class are not people to whom things are done to by the elite or the 1%. They are – we are – people living our lives. And it’s in these lives that things are happening. The election result was not pleasing to those subscribed to socialism like Todd, but that does not mean there is no hope, and she encourages us to look to movements and organisations for development where it is not happening in government, and be agents of change: ‘They know that we are powerful as a collective.’

Hadrian’s Wall: Roman discovery in Britain

admin — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 20:18:29 +0000

Hadrian’s Wall stretches 73 miles across northern England, and was once the northern most frontier of an empire which ruled a quarter of the world. I find out more about life up here with my very own Celt to guide.

Standing with our backs against the ancient wall, wind billowing against us, we’re asked to try to imagine the scale of the Roman Empire, by Gambax, our guide Celt.

It’s difficult to imagine the size of the empire. To escape Roman rule one would have to go as far south as the Sahara, and as far east as Baghdad. As well as an extensive empire, they had wealth that would rival that of both China and the US combined. A quarter of the world’s population were ruled from Rome. These people knew what they were doing.

http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/travel/travel-inspiration/hadrians-wall-roman-discovery-in-britain.htm

A movie trip around Malta

admin — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:34:00 +0000

Sunny skies, historic buildings, dramatic scenery and the cleanest seas in the Mediterranean (as well as favourable tax rates – the Malta Film Commission offer various incentives to attract overseas film-makers) have seen Malta play host to film makers from all countries and genres over the years. Check out some pretty spots on this tiny island to inspire your next holiday.

Valletta

The island’s capital, UNESCO World Heritage City Valletta is steeped in history. The sun baked walls and steep streets are home to a cosmopolitan vibe and thriving cafe culture. Whether strolling along the waterfront and enjoy views of the Grand Harbour, relaxing in the Upper Barrakka Gardens, avoiding pigeons in Republic Square whilst you refresh with a Kinnie and a pastizz, visiting baroque masterpiece St John’s Co-Cathedral with its ornate frescoes by Caravaggio, exploring Forts St Elmo and St Angelo, or touring the Grandmaster’s Palace, now home to the President’s office and the Houses of Parliament, there is tons to see. You can visit the secret bunker Lascaris War Rooms, used in the Malta Story (1953), where the Second World War defence of Malta and invasion of Silicy were managed. As one of the most strategically important locations in WWII, the citizens of Malta thoroughly deserved their Victoria Cross, as this location will show. Located near the gates is the historic Phoenicia Hotel, which will also appeal to film-lovers, having hosted everyone from Charlton Heston and Oliver Reed to Joaquin Phoenix, Pierce Brosnan and Rachel Weisz.

Filmed here: Captain Phillips, World War Z, Alexander, The Saint, Midnight Express and Malta Story

Mdina

Midina was once the capital of Malta and a settlement of Imperial Rome, taken over by the Turks, Knights of St John, and even the British, This tiny walled city is known as the Silent City and is made up of winding cobbled streets and mesmerizing views thanks to its strategic position on the high ground of the steep Sciberras peninsula. A mix of medieval and baroque architecture, historic buildings include the 18th century Vilhena Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral & Museum, Palazzo de Piri and the Mdina Dungeons are just some of the places to investigate in this captivating setting. Outside the old gates, horse pulled carriage rides in a traditional karrozzin are on offer. If you want to see more of the ‘real’ Maltese, explore Rabat (which means ‘suburb’ and is a strong indication of the Arabic influences upon language and culture), just outside Mdina.

Filmed here: Gladiator, Game of Thrones and The Count of Monte Cristo

Vittoriosa

Known as one of the Three Cities, together with Cospicua and Senglea, Vittoriosa is steeped in history, dating back to prehistoric times. A fortified city on the south, harbour inlets have been in use since Phoenician times, and a home to local people and industry. Redevelopment in recent years has seen the docks and waterfront become filled with culture and cafes, and some of the country’s best local fiestas take place down here. For a dose of prehistoric history (did you know Malta was once wandered by native pygmy elephants and hippos), visit Hagar Qim – an imposing temple built around 3600 BC. Of course, history and religion abounds, and the Church of St Lawrence and Inquisitor’s Palace reveal plenty about this city. If you want to travel scenically, consider a boat trip from Valletta to Vittoriosa in a traditional fishing boat, a dghajsa.

Filmed here: The Da Vinci Code, Swept Away and Gladiator.

Mellieha

Situated in the north west of the island, Mellieha’s sandy long beaches with shallow water make it popular with families, and it’s a more touristy area than some others. However, being less densely populated, it’s also home to many rare and protected species of wildlife, incuding as Malta’s only natural national park, Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park. Again the Order of St John had a significant influence here, and St Agatha’s Tower, built in 1647, can still be seen, as can the Mellieha Air Raid Shelter. Malta has 365 religious places of worship, and the pretty little Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha is another top place to visit. An those with families will love the Popeye Village, which was built as the set of the 1980 film starring Robin Williams. Today the climb over the wooden buildings allows for beautiful views.

Filmed here: Troy and Popeye Village