please empty your brain below
Well, all of that is worth seeing, in my book! And thanks for pointing out the most-noticeable bit of the Town Hall, which I had not noticed.

cau1khead | 10.02.22 - 9:03 a.m. | #

The basketball cage is rather bleak, though I always feel it has a bit of a "Nu Yoik" vibe about it.

DM | 10.02.22 - 9:03 a.m. | #

Perkin's discovery of the first synthetic dye really kicked off the development of the modern chemical industry (mostly in Germany), and I have always felt that the local blue plaque for his home laboratory really should have been - well - mauve.

After all, if the plaque for the Battle of Cable Street can be red (the curmudgeons of the day felt that in times of Mrs Thatcher it could not be blue), why not?

MartinG | 10.02.22 - 9:07 a.m. | #

Which goes to show 'B' roads can be really interesting.

I been fascinated by Cable St and its rich history for years. It all started off when I learnt at school that the street once had a reputation for the greatest concentration of prostitutes - learnt from the chaplain, amazingly.

The fact that Perkins, generally regarded as the founder of industrial chemistry, had such an impact but is hardly known reinforces my belief that fame for discoveries seems to be somewhat arbitrary.

It is not only relevant to the history of chemistry and industrial chemistry in particular. Various articles and books on the history of fashion often dwell on the significance of his discovery.

Pedantic of Purley | 10.02.22 - 9:30 a.m. | #

Quite an interesting street, and the sort of cycle lane that would tempt me to ride a bike if I lived along there

Mikey C | 10.02.22 - 9:30 a.m. | #

I have an ancestor who was born in Blue Gate Fields in about 1765. He was a ropemaker, ropemaking being one of the major industries in the area at the time because of its closeness to the river.

JohnC | 10.02.22 - 9:56 a.m. | #

I always find the Cable Street cycle lane vaguely terrifying because it’s level with the pavement rather than the road, meaning a westbound wheel is only ever inches from slipping off the kerb if a bike coming the other way doesn’t move over. More fuel to my suspicion that cycle paths aren’t always designed by cyclists (see also: cycle paths routed down cobbled streets).

Matt | Homepage | 10.02.22 - 4:53 p.m. | #

I briefly lived in Thames House, or Cable Street Studios, in 2012. A series of windowless bedrooms, with a shower up on bricks, an oven that blew the fuse if it got too hot, a kitchenette thing with no hot water, and a rat the size of a cat. Oh and a small part of the 'flat' was walled off with sheets due to some sort of mould that evidently bested the residents.

Even at the time I knew it was a privilege to experience such a dive. I thought that sort of stuff would have disappeared years before I got to London so I relished every second of it. Redevelopment felt imminent even then and I'm always surprised that it hasn't happened yet.

I do find the proposals a bit baffling when there's absolutely loads of room already for loft-style flats within the building without slapping on another tower.

kermit | 10.02.22 - 11:54 p.m. | #

Thanks for the fascinating Battle of Cable Street site, what a find.

Noel | 11.02.22 - 11:00 a.m. | #

No mention of Dr Hannah Billig, our family doctor in the 1950s/60s, and the plaque on her former surgery (just before Cannon St Road) that commemorates her. She was a much loved GP who was also awarded for her work during the Blitz.

Ds | 13.02.22 - 7:12 a.m. | #











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