Friday 22 March 2024

Our March talk


Our lives in film – a talk by Derek Smith

"The power of film is incredible ... Everybody's got a story to tell."

In a world so often focused on celebrity, Derek Smith makes documentaries about ordinary people's lives. 

Derek has been making films since he was in the 6th form. 20 years ago, he was a producer-director in regional TV, where he was working in film crews of six or seven people. 

Digital technology has enabled him to shift to making films himself, to author his own films, teach himself editing and record his own voiceovers, making changes straightforward. Access to software has made it possible to produce books to accompany his documentaries. And he brings to his digital work the discipline from his directing days.

Taking us through some of his films, Derek showed us Finsbury People, hearing from people who had been through the Blitz. We saw a beautiful slow motion sequence from a 1980s Channel 4 programme about racing pigeons in the North East. We heard the story of a series taking Edward Lear's landscape drawings to modern Greece – made with a historian, funded by one of his bandmates and bought by Sky Arts. Another of Derek's films looked into what happened to the people in a famous 1953 photo by Paul Strand, of peasant life in Italy long gone – a film that being an independent filmmaker made possible because he could work in depth, without time pressure. In his film Victory's Children, he followed the life stories of all of the children in a 1945 photo of a VE Day party. Stockton Museum put the photos on display. To mark the replacement of its community centre, Derek made a film about the Gascoyne Estate, looking into why its quality of design, sense of utopia and community had been so successful. And Derek told us how a film commissioned by Thornaby Town Council to tell the story of the Devil's Bridge road disaster led to better safety signage, to a memorial and to connections between people.

Over 50 years in film... and Derek is still looking, listening and researching. 

Find out more about Derek's work and see some of his films on his website and Together TV .


Our monthly coffee morning: Friday 29th March at Jim & Tonic at the Print House, 133 High Street, Stratford, E15 2RB. Meet between 10.30am and 11am 

This is just along the road from our original venue for this month's coffee morning, the Mary Ward Centre, set back from the road, facing the canal. For those who fancy a walk after their coffee, it's an easy stroll along the canal to Three Mills Green.

Saturday 9 March 2024

Our March walk


Three churches, a farm and a family firm – our March walk from Limehouse to Stepney

We had two churches on our list – St Anne's Limehouse and St Dunstan's in Stepney. But thanks to our very own Vivienne, our walk started with the 1930s church Our Lady Immaculate and St Frederick, built for Limehouse's large Irish Catholic community. And there's more: it has the 'Steering Christ', a statue on the church that acted as a navigation aid for sailors coming into the docks.

Walking on via a look inside the old Passmore Edwards library turned hotel, we headed to the 18th century Hawksmoor church St Anne's Limehouse, now open to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays. A welcoming volunteer told us about the stained glass that has gone off to Sheffield for restoration, the church organ that was in the Great Exhibition, the church interior, most of which was replaced after a fire, invited us to explore the upper gallery via a staircase that's one of the few surviving parts of the original interior, showed us the crypt that provides community meeting space and told us how the church is supported today. We explored the church's exhibition on local historical figures and marvelled at the craft skills needed to restore the church glass and plasterwork.

Our route to Stepney took us past the Seamen's Mission (now apartments), one of a number in the area that once served sailors from all over the world, and along Salmon Lane. Then to St Dunstan & All Saints Stepney, the 'Church of the High Seas', closed – a charming note on the door explained that people were away on a pilgrimage – but in glorious sunshine, we were able to enjoy the marvellous gargoyles and read its history going back over 1,000 years. Brenda told us the story of one of the relief carvings above the door, of St Dunstan using his pincers to nip the nose of the Devil.

Our plan was to have coffee at Stepney City Farm but finding it packed, we walked through, along Stepney Green, and headed to Rinkoff Bakery, the East end family business founded in 1911 whose history (and crodoughs) we enjoyed at our June 2023 talk by Esther Rinkoff.

At walk's end, two of us strolled on to see the wildflowers at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park.

A massive thank you to Vivienne for bringing her local knowledge to this walk full of interest.

Fancy joining us? Look out for our next Coming up blogpost for details.

Saturday 2 March 2024

Coming up in March


East end places on foot, East end lives on film, East End skills in Stratford – coming up in March


Our monthly walk: an episcopal journey – Saturday 9th March, 11.00 am, meet at Limehouse DLR

After the bonus tour of St John’s on last month’s walk, it will be a double this month: we'll meet at Limehouse DLR and stroll along to St Anne’s Limehouse then round to St Dunstan’s. There's lots of interesting history at both and along the way.

Then on for a coffee at Stepney City Farm.

Check out the EEWI walkers' WhatsApp for who else to look out for on the day. 


Our monthly talk: Our lives in Film, Derek Smith – Thursday 21st March, 7pm for 7.30pm start, at St Margaret's House, 15 Old Ford Rd, London E2 9PL

Derek Smith is a local film maker. He is creating a new project so we will have the benefit of finding out what it is all about. He will share some of his experiences in the detective work of researching working class communities.

Brush up your ideas and memories about the boroughs we live in – they could be in the next production!

Please note the new arrangements for access to St Margaret's House: The new code will be available for our regular members via our member whatsapp group - if you attend regularly and haven’t had an invite to the group yet please contact us vis our email. If you are not a member of EEWI our 'white bell' will be on the wall, so ring and someone will come to let you in. Sometimes this lets us down, so you can always ring one of the committee if other means of access fail!

If you are coming for the first time, contact us at EEWI via our email to check on access so we can make sure you are able to get access smoothly.


Our monthly coffee morning: change of venue... Friday 29th March – meet between 10.30am and 11am at Jim & Tonic at the Print House, 133 High Street, Stratford, E15 2RB

This is just along the road from our original venue for this month's coffee morning, the Mary Ward Centre, and set back from the road, facing the canal. For those who fancy a walk after their coffee, it's an easy stroll along the canal to Three Mills Green.


With thanks to Heather for the words. Sketch of the Mary Ward Centre cafĂ©: Lydia. Image of St Anne's Limehouse: Creative Commons / Christine Matthews. Cityscape from Derek Smith's film Gascoyne Lives. 

Friday 16 February 2024

Our February workshop


Writing to music with Fiona Thompson – our February workshop

Pedals – who knew? For our workshop with writer Fiona Thompson, there was much excitement when Fiona brought her harp. Few of us had seen one of these beautiful instruments up close.

Fiona's writing workshops are inspired by Natalie Goldberg, a Buddhist writer who combined writing with meditation.

With prompts and listening to passages of music, we were encouraged to write, and keep writing whatever came to us, until each piece of music finished. We shared our writing, from wistful to heartbreaking to witty to the pure enjoyment of listening to the music itself.

A curious lot, our members wanted to know more – and Fiona invited us to have a go at playing the harp. For an instrument with such subtlety, we discovered that it needs some wellie to play its characteristic cascade of notes, the glissando.

And the sketches? Well, I was supposed to be taking pictures but music is so lovely to draw...

A massive thank-you to Fiona for a wonderful evening and particularly for the generosity of transporting her harp to play for us live.

Find out more about Fiona's writing work here and London City Orchestra here.

Photos by Lydia and Alison

Sunday 11 February 2024

Our February walk


Bethnal Green through fresh eyes – our February walk

This month, we found a new view of the neighbourhood we meet in through the beautifully designed and illustrated Oxford House booklet A Young Person's Guide to Bethnal Green (free to pick up at Oxford House). One of its writers is Graham Barker, who has spoken at one of our meetings and led one of our walks.

Starting with a potter along Columbia Road, normally full to bursting with flower and plant stalls on market day, we turned into Jesus Green, greeted by cheery Spring daffodils. The houses bordering it were originally social housing, part of the Jesus Hospital Estate. 

Weavers Fields (here, crocuses to enjoy) was, we learned, named after the weavers' houses in an area that once had many more streets, cleared in the 1960s. We paused for a look at Peter Dunn's Weaving Identities sculpture, referencing the history of the park and created through school and community workshops, and enjoyed the wonderful carvings by the school students in the bricks at its base.

Onward to Oxford House, a Settlement originally opened in in a former school where University of Oxford graduates lived so that they could volunteer in Bethnal Green. Oxford House as it is now was purpose-built and opened in 1892. Early members, many of them teachers or lawyers, provided youth clubs, adult education and Sunday lectures in Victoria Park and in 1931, Gandhi gave a speech through an Oxford House window to a crowd of 3,000.  And it's still a busy place of activities, classes and cafĂ©. As we left, we enjoyed the fine views of the City through the gardens and chatted about the changing skyline.

Finishing our walk at St John on Bethnal Green, we were treated to a tour by EEWI member Clare. We learned of its Sir John Soane architecture, the modern Stations of the Cross paintings by Chris Gollon and the concerts hosted at St John that make the most of its acoustics. A huge thank-you to Clare – it's a special thing to be shown a place by someone who knows it so well.

Then, a café stop at The Beehive.

Fancy joining us? Look out for our next Coming up blogpost for details.

Monday 5 February 2024

Coming up in February



Bethnal Green through fresh eyes, writing through music and coffee on the way to art – adventures for February 

Our monthly walk: Saturday 10th February, 11am – Join us in rediscovering our very own Bethnal Green

Using the beautiful booklet from Oxford House A Young Person's Guide to Bethnal Green which Graham Barker helped create, let's explore and enjoy at a leisurely pace the landmarks, green spaces and atmosphere. We sometimes rush through on our way to somewhere else, but this is a chance to appreciate the area in a different way. Coffee break choices all along the way – the Oxford House one is spacious and offers a chance to explore the building and exhibitions.

Meet at Columbia Road Market – junction with Barnet Grove. Clare mentioned that she might be able to include a tour of St John's as a bonus!

You can pick up a copy of the map at Oxford House, and some will have been distributed at the January meeting.

Our monthly meeting: Thursday 15th February, 7pm for 7.30pm start – Creative writing workshop 

Join us for a workshop with writer and harpist Fiona Thompson, using as prompts some music that she has recorded. 

Bring a notebook and pen. And be ready to surprise yourself at what you can release and capture in the written word. 

We will be at our usual venue: St Margaret's House, 15 Old Ford Rd, London E2 9PL.

Please note new arrangements for access to St Margaret's House: the new code will be available for our regular members via our member WhatsApp group. If you come to meetings regularly and haven’t yet had an invitation to the group please contact us via email.

If you are not a member of EEWI, please press the white bell on the wall and someone will come to let you in. Sometimes this lets us down, so you can always call one of the committee if other means of access fail!

If you are coming for the first time, please contact us via email so we can make sure you are able to get access smoothly.

Our monthly coffee morning: Friday 23rd February – meet between 10.30am and 11am at Zealand CafĂ©, 391 Roman Road, E3 5QS

There should be room for us either inside or at a bracing outside table. Afterwards, as we will be in the area, we could pop in to Chisenhale Gallery. The next exhibition, Joshua Leon, will have opened on the previous evening so we can be among the first to visit.

Wednesday 31 January 2024

Our January coffee morning


All aboard for Hackney – our January coffee morning

Our President, Heather, writes:

A warm, welcoming coffee in the Barrell Boulangerie. There is plenty of space,  good acoustics for all the necessary catching up that has to be done, and a great display and selection of open sandwiches, if we could only have stayed. Highly recommended. 

The Hackney Museum just over the road next to the Town Hall and inside the Library (fully accessible) has a lovely display of Hackney through the ages. Included is an ancient wooden boat hull but also glimpses of more recent life – domestic, industrial and social.  Some of us may remember kitchens with the old free-standing gas cooker (see photo above) and feel that the upheaval of moving to 'a fitted  kitchen' was worth it after all!  

There is a comprehensive and fascinating photographic display alongside, and a large sculpture of a tower block where you can peep in through the windows, for the curious amongst us.

Of course you can take the bus there, but any youngsters you may have with you can get in their own vehicle (see photo above).

With thanks to Heather for the museum pictures. 

Look out for the Coming up in February blogpost for details of our next coffee morning.