Dagenham is instantly associated with the huge Ford factory that opened in 1931. However, the Dagenham Dock has an industrial history going back to the early 1800's. This Guided Walk will look at a complex history that includes explosives manufacturing, shipbuilding and power generation. You'll get to see the site where the last battleship built on the Thames was completed, London's other flood relief barrier, oil storage depots, scrapyards and a fantastic stretch of the Thames which is an empty white patch on the A-Z. This is a longer walk - around 5 miles - but fans of Patrick Keiller's Robinson films, and Iain Sinclair's books will enjoy being in this extremely off the beaten track part of London.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Dagenham Dock Station, Chequers Lane, London RM9 6PR
Monica Ali’s book Brick Lane recounts the experiences of Nazneen, a young woman in Bangladesh who, after an arranged marriage, travels to live with her husband in Tower Hamlets. From being a passive, shut-in migrant Nanzeen becomes an autonomous working woman. The Bengali migration to London goes back 400 years to lascar seamen hired by the East India Company and continued into the 20th century. The clothing sweatshops Bengalis worked in began to die out in London, though women like Nazneen continued to do piecework-sewing in their homes. Meanwhile migrants founded and worked in restaurants serving modified Bengali dishes. Come see back-streets and estates of a highly diverse area socially and architecturally, while listening to the words of Nazneen, her family and friends as they adapt to a new life. It's a London most Londoners don't know.
Guide: Laura Agustín
Meet outside Whitechapel Station, London E1 1BY
While a certain sporting event in 2012 has transformed the area west of Stratford, the Lower Lea Valley between Stratford and the Thames still retains a post-industrial feel. In this Guided Walk, Rob Smith looks at the industrial heritage of the area and the fantastic Victorian (and earlier) architecture that remains. He will talk about how the Lea was important to the development of London. You will see buildings associated with railways, printing, canals, sewage, mills, shipbuilding and gas supply, and see what is planned in the area for the future.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Stratford Station, Station Street, London E15 1AZ
Monica Ali’s book Brick Lane recounts the experiences of Nazneen, a young woman in Bangladesh who, after an arranged marriage, travels to live with her husband in Tower Hamlets. From being a passive, shut-in migrant Nanzeen becomes an autonomous working woman. The Bengali migration to London goes back 400 years to lascar seamen hired by the East India Company and continued into the 20th century. The clothing sweatshops Bengalis worked in began to die out in London, though women like Nazneen continued to do piecework-sewing in their homes. Meanwhile migrants founded and worked in restaurants serving modified Bengali dishes. Come see back-streets and estates of a highly diverse area socially and architecturally, while listening to the words of Nazneen, her family and friends as they adapt to a new life. It's a London most Londoners don't know.
Guide: Laura Agustín
Meet outside Whitechapel Station, London E1 1BY
One of Rob Smith’s series of walks along the Thames going East, this Guided Walk takes us from Rainham where we'll visit the gardens of Rainham Hall - a house built by a ship’s captain who operated his shipping fleet from the village when it was a busy port – before crossing the site of a former military training camp until we reach the Thames, where we'll look at the history of industry in the area. Then it is a peaceful stroll along the Thames through an area that is now an RSPB nature reserve but once rattled to the sound of machine gun fire. The walk ends in Purfleet which used to be a popular destination for day trippers and Dracula!
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Rainham Station, Ferry Lane, London RM13 9HY
