Bold Defiance: a migration walk through Spitalfield's history
When:
—
Venue:
External
Within reach of the docks, just outside the city walls, offering jobs servicing the needs of the wealthy – Spitalfields was for centuries where new arrivals landed, settled, worked and moved on. At times London’s economic powerhouse, at others its ‘dark underbelly’, it was so often where battles of class and race identity were fought. Militant nuns, squatting families, love among the looms, ham sandwich missiles, martial law on the streets, why thirteen was a lucky number and many more stories - Spanish, Huguenot, Irish, Jewish, Russian, Somali, Bangladeshi. Streets that brought their residents up against racism, homelessness and economic exploitation. Communities clashed, combined and, in organising for rights to fair pay, housing and safety, changed the city. We revisit dramatic events where they happened and reflect, too, on what should be preserved and how, and on what comes next. Buildings that beg the question: who do we build for?
Booking essential (https://BoldDefianceWalk.eventbrite.co.uk)
This event is part of Migration: A Public History Festival, a series of lectures, exhibitions, workshops and walks around London, supported by the Raphael Samuel History Centre.
Contact name:
Katy Pettit