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 café. 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.
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