I have been following Spitalfields Life for over
eighteen months now. The writer, known only as the Gentle Author,
blogs, amongst other things, about local people, business, urban
wildlife and the way the area is constantly under threat from
developers.
The Gentle author is currently involved in a campaign to save Norton Folgate, an ancient thoroughfare
which lies within a conservation area. The old warehouses may not, at
first, look beautiful but could be successfully restored and made
interesting and do not need to be replaced by soulless glass office
blocks. A nearby Victorian pub, a successful business with loyal
customers, has already been demolished.
I first came across the conservation area around Fournier St by
accident, after visiting the market and spending time admiring
Hawksmoor's architecture in Christ Church Spitalifields. I really did
feel like I had stepped back in time. This was Georgian- slightly pre-Georgian? - London alright
but not the pretty squares of Bloomsbury; here was something with more
grit, less obvious charm and older. I could imagine Dickens' characters
walking these streets years after they were built. I took a lot of
photos, mainly of the amazing doors and knockers, and was amazed to find
that at the end of Fournier St I was, unexpectedly, in Brick Lane. When
visiting the area for a curry, with my son a few years previously, we
had walked from Aldgate East on Whitechapel High St unaware of
the oasis of C18th streets less than stone's throw away.
Since then, I have read up on the area and visited the famous Dennis
Severs House and am planning to stay the area on my next visit to
London.
For those of you with eclectic tastes, an interest in London, its way of
life and conservation, I recommend Spitalfields Life and the Gentle
Author.
Spitalfields Life
The Spitalifields Trust
Fournier St
Old post featuring the Dennis Severs house
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