Paul's Popular Poplar Perambulation - Saturday 1st March

Who knew just how popular the Borough of Poplar could be? Last Saturday a small group from EFOG were to find out, on a highly interesting walk through the east end of London, led by Paul Ferris. From our start at Bow Church DLR, we headed back 700 years to the 'church in the middle of the road', Bow Church, now perched at the western end of the Bow flyover, a much busier route than the pastoral scene depicted in a portrait inside the church. We were lucky to find the church open, preparing for a coffee morning (just a little later than we could offer our participation in) and were able to have a look round, purchasing some very interesting guide books while we were there. Nature also put in an appearance in the churchyard with a lovely mistle thrush perched on a yew tree attempting to get at the berries.

The "Bun House" in Devons RoadThe group headed down Bromley High Street to the parish of St. Leonard, roughly following the line of the Blackwall tunnel approach road heading south and west. In our view though for much of the time was the Bryant and May match factory, best seen from the DLR train as it turns the corner to head south towards Canary Wharf. The factory girls famously went on strike after some of the workers who refused to sign a statement made by management that they were happy with their working conditions were sacked by the company. With the help of Annie Beasant, a social reformer, the girls organised themselves into a union, got the company to agree to re-employ those girls who were sacked and drop some of the stringent work conditions they applied, and won a famous victory, helping to introduce unions to other work forces around the country.

Paul told us about the site of St Andrew 's hospital, a large complex serving the east end. This has now gone, replaced by flats, but there is a health centre still on site serving the local population, and still called St Andrew's.

Walking down Devons Road, the group passed by the Widow's Son public house and heard the sad tale of a mother who lodged a hot cross bun at the pub for her son, who was lost at sea and never returned for his treat. Above the bar and still in view is a netting bag containing buns, one of which is added each year in commemoration of the missing son.

Just around the corner in Violet Road, had the industries that populated that road still been in existence, the hospital would no doubt have a lot more visitors. Oil and motor spirits and a gas company all operated along this road, polluting the atmosphere. Quite amazingly, Paul also told us that there had also been an open air swimming pool there. One wonders what the water was like!

The Angel memorial to 18 children killed in a bombing raidHeading down the road towards the Limehouse Cut we came across a much more famous blast from the past - and a happy memory for all pet owners: Spratts pet food factory. This lovely building is still in use, partly as flats , but also as studios for artists who make good use of the light provided by the large factory windows. Who recalls the Spratts logo, the wondrous stretched-out letters that formed the shape of a Scottie dog? An employee of Spratts during the 1870s was Charles Cruft, who was later to found the famous dog show. On the corner of Violet Road and Fawe Street still stands a public air raid shelter (according to the locals filled with rubbish and rats and causing damp) a fairly rare example of a "Morrison Sandwich", and although built above ground, not turned into flats!

We crossed over the DLR line - once the North London Railway - and headed down St. Leonard's Road to view the lovely Victorian Church of St Michael and All Angels, then crossed back over the railway at the ultra-modern Langdon Park DLR, an odd experience as the station is completely open to the street.

We then headed into the Lansbury Estate, built as the "Live Architecture" exhibit for the 1951 Festival of Britain, and into Chrisp Street Market. The group took a break for lunch in good east end style, split between a fish and chip shop and a pie and mash shop, then viewed the still-modern looking primary school which replaced the Victorian schools still prevalent (unless bombed!) in 1951.

Gas worker's cottages and gas-lights in Malam StreetAfter lunch we swung along the East India Dock Road a short distance to All Saints Church and the lovely Georgian houses nearby, then into old Poplar High Street to see the original town hall and library buildings and a house belonging formerly to one of the managers of the East India Company. Concealed behind this was was another rarity - a church built during the Commonwealth reign of Oliver Cromwell. In the park behind the church is a very touching memorial to 18 children, many of them only five years of age, killed during a German air raid in 1917 when a bomb dropped through the roof of their school and passed through two floors to the infant class on the ground floor.

All the while the walk had been taking us closer to the docks, and the maritime influence on the area is still clearly discernable. Lastly, street names reflected the once notorious area of Limehouse, inhabited by - among others - many Chinese workers; this had once been London's famous "China Town". After a very entertaining walk we returned to Stratford from Westferry DLR station.

Leader and Group: Paul Ferris, with Amina, Cliff, Jill V., Lynne, Madeleine, Pam, Sue U., Val.   Distance 3.5 miles

Sue Ullersperger    5th March 2014