Beyond The Tower. A History Of East London

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From Jewish clothing merchants to Bangladeshi curry houses, ancient docks to the 2012 Olympics, the area east of the City has always played a crucial role in London`s history. The East End, as it has been known, was the home to Shakespeare`s first theatre & to the early stirrings of a mass labour movement; it has also traditionally been seen as a place of darkness & despair, where Jack the Ripper committed his gruesome murders, & cholera & poverty stalked the Victorian streets. In this beautifully illustrated history of this iconic district, John Marriott draws on 25 years of research into the subject to present an authoritative & endlessly fascinating account. With the aid of copious maps, archive prints & photographs, & the words of East Londoners from 17th-century silk-weavers to Cockneys during the Blitz, he explores the relationship between the East End & the rest of London, & challenges many of the myths which surround the area. ”A major achievement.” (Euan Ferguson, ” Time Out”). ” Superb”. (Stephen Howe, ” The Independent”).” Perhaps the International Olympic Committee officials should read this terrific book as their chauffeured cars purr up & down the commandeered streets of Whitechapel next year.” (Sinclair Mckay, ” The Daily Telegraph”). ” Marriott is at his most perceptive & sympathetic in his accounts of the struggles of the working people in the East End & its age-old role as the nursery of the waves of immigrants who have enriched British society.” (Tim Knox, ” Country Life”). ” East London`s turbulent story as an area always culturally & economically on the fringe (and for centuries beyond legislative reach thanks to the city wall) is mapped out in frequently fascinating detail in this rather good history.” (Claire Allfree, ” Metro” (London)).