Canning Town - Pocket Images & East Ham & West Ham Past

[Mike Baines]

When my wife & I visited the Docklands' museum in March she bought me 2 books.  The first she chose, an excellent choice.  It has over a hundred pages of photos of Canning Town, including Saint Margaret's Church and Convent, an outside Corpus Christi service in the Convent Grounds with Terry Edgley & Brian Doherty clearly identifiable and a Benediction service in the beautiful Convent Chapel when Father Francis Heenan, brother of Cardinal John Carmel Heenan, was inducted as Parish Priest, about 1949.  Incidentally the new Saint Helen's school is now in operation and the Convent Chapel is being renovated.

The second book was my choice.  It was much more expensive and is not worth bothering with.  East Ham & West Ham Past is compiled, note not written, by Dr Jim Lewis, not the famous amateur footballer with Walthamstow Avenue & Chelsea, but an industrial historian.  He obviously took up details from other authors and reports and presented a pretty turgid effort.  When it came to sport I was spitting a lot.  In football he included only two photos, the 1923 West Ham Cup Final team and Bobby Moore as a Barking Schools player receiving the Crisp Shield.  Whatever happened to West Ham Boys teams who won the English Shield?  And did you know that West Ham won the European Cup in 1965?  I bet that caused any Glasgow Celtic, winners in 1967, and Manchester United, winners in 1968, fans to spit also, especially as the Hammers have NEVER played in the European Cup.  O.K. I know he meant European Cup Winners Cup, but that's not the point, accuracy is essential when presenting a factual book.  In the section headed 'Fisticuffs', I ask you, fisticuffs, he ignores Terry Spinks, Frank Bruno and the many British professional and schoolboy champions born in the two boroughs.  And in another section on 'Motorcycle speedway' he raves about the 'great post-war team', did they ever win anything important?  He calls Cliff Watson, Cliff Lawson.  He doesn't mention Bluey Wilkinson or Jack Young, World Champions.  All in all a real waste of time, so don't bother to buy it.  My copy is available for a fiver.

[Peter Marshall]

Mike
Thanks for the reviews.  It is always good to know what books to look out for, especially working off a limited budget. 
Peter

[Mike Baines]

PeterCanning Town - Pocket Images is a pocket sized book published by Nonsuch at £5.99   the ISBN No is 1-84588-136-2.  It also bears the logo of Newham Council Leisure services.

[Mary]

I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1986 WITH THE TITLE  CALLED A MARSH AND A GASWORKS--ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LIFE IN WEST HAM.

RING ANY BELLS WITH POSTERS.


MARY

[Will.B]

Yes Mary,
              I have a copy of that book.
 Will.

[Mary]

HELLO WILL.

WHERE DID YOU BUY YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK---HAVE A COUSIN IN NEW ZEALAND (EX CANNING TOWN) WHO IS INTERESTED IN BUYING A COPY OF THE BOOK.


CHEERS


MARY.

[Kathy Taylor]

Mary

The book 'A Marsh And It's Gasworks' has been out of print for over 20 years, it has never been reprinted. Very occasionally you see a copy on Amazon, the last one I saw was about £25.

Kathy

[jplant1]

"A Marsh and a Gasworks" was written by John Marriott with support from his WEA students. It is usually listed under the authorship of "Newham History Workshop", which I don't think exists any more. Its publication in 1986 was part of the West Ham centenary celebrations that also included republishing the West Ham volume of the Victoria County History.

I met John a few years ago, at the launch for the book on the Silvertown Explosion, and mentioned either reprinting or creating a web-based version. He was all in favour but thought there would be difficulties with Newham Council in getting permission to use their photographs again, as the borough had changed its charging policy.

Don't wait to buy second-hand from eBay. Use ABEbooks http://www.abebooks.co.uk where there are 7 copies listed today, starting at £12 for an ex-library copy.

Incidentally, the tile comes from a remark by one of the daughters of one of the rich developers of the south of the borough, who said to a friend "Father has gone mad, and bought a marsh and a gasworks" (or words similar, I don't have the book to hand just now).

You can check John Marriott at http://www.uel.ac.uk/hss/staff/john-marriot/index.htm

which states he has written a history of East London, due to appear this year. Hopefully there will be a good local book launch and we will all be able to get our copies signed.

[Will.B]

Hi Jplan1.
              This is the full passage from that book.
Will.

 "He's bought up a marsh and a gasworks
At least seven miles out of town
We'll either go down with swamp fever
Or the whole ruddy workforce will drowned"

(comment made by Henry Tate's nephew on the acquisition of land
in South West Ham to build a sugar refinery 1874.)

[Will.B]

 A Marsh and a Gasworks.
                                   Sorry on my last posting the last line should read
Or the whole ruddy workforce will drown.
Will

[ALANF]

I have recently aquired a copy of "A Marsh and a Gasworks" and a very interesting read it is too. Of particular interest to me was the mention of the Fyfield Infant School, 1885 - 1907. For a long time I have been trying to trace my Father during the early years of the last century. I know that he spent these years in Fyfield, but he cannot be found on the 1901 census. Does anyone know if these children would have been included on this census, and would there be records of pupil registers for those years?
Alan

[ed styles]

Mike,
     shame about that book, but as they used to say in those posh book reviews ,for a wizard read , try Mervyn Jones Holding On,if you haven,t read it , it,s as realistic as your going to get  about Canning Town and the Victoria Dock Road area in the early 1900,s

   Enjoy       All the best   Ed.