Walk to Work: from the City to Whitechapel by Louis Berk

Lenin, Stalin and Trostky were here

2011-03-13T08:34:00.008Z

Lenin, Stalin and Trostky were here, originally uploaded by louisberk.

Fulbourne Street in Whitechapel holds a particular fascination for me. Many (many!) years ago when I was studying for my History A'Level I came across the story of the Lenin's frequent visits to London between 1902 and 1911. I specifically remember a description of an annual congress of the forerunner to the Communist Party being held in the East End in 1905 and a description of Stalin, Trotsky, Gorky, Litvinov and Rosa Luxembourg being present. If I recall correctly one of the activities was rudimentary weapons training which took place in Epping Forest!

I never really got to the bottom of the story until I began to work in Whitechapel, 30 years later. When researching the background for my book "Walk to Work", I came across notes to several guided walks around Whitechapel which identified two buildings as being the site for 1905 meeting. Both were in Fulbourne Street. Looking at the architecture and considering the veracity of the writers (including Professor William Fishman, a world authority on East End radical history) it appears that the meeting took place in a non-descript victorian shopfront building on the southern end of Fulbourne Street, which can be seen in the distance of my picture.

It never ceases to fascinate me that you can follow in the footsteps of some of the most significant (and often infamous) individuals of 20th Century history when walking around the East End, especially Spitalfields and Whitechapel.

Of course, it is easy to romanticise the events of 1905. The sad truth is that the Russian people only replaced one repressive autocratic regime with another and even today one wonders whether there is true democracy in Russia.

You will also notice in the picture that the foreground contains a bollard with the words "Chtch Middx 1818". This is a parish boundary marker for the magnificent Hawksmoor church of Christchurch in Spitalfields. If it is authentically from 1818 it is a real gem. 1818 is very soon after the Napoleonic wars but this bollard does not look like a real, re-used canon.

TECHNICAL NOTE: this picture was taken with a Hasselblad SWC medium format camera on Fuji 400H 120 film. It was processed at West End Cameras and the picture is taken from the scan to CD.

Death of the Pedley Street Arch

2010-09-12T14:09:00.001+01:00

Having taken a break for the summer holidays I returned to my usual routine of walking from Old Street this week - via Brick Lane - and then over the pedestrian bridge half way along Cheshire Street that links to the old Victorian railway arch at Pedley Street. This has always been a favourite of mine because for a brief spell you can almost taste the old East End, if that kind of thing interests you.

Now you will notice, that the arch always attracted the attention of 'street artists', that community of individuals who use the excuse of self-expression as a way of disguising criminal damage. I admit some of the 'art' was clever and in any case, it was fairly restrained, almost as though some respect was being shown towards the importance of the industrial heritage being preserved at the site.

For about the last 4 years, the area has been a construction site as the new East London Line extension was being built. I now realise that in some ways this actually preserved the area rather than destroyed it.

For real destruction you have to leave it to individuals whose self-indulgence is greater than their talent like 'Sick Boy', 'Type' and 'Klepto'. Well done, a$$h01£$, for having achieved what 150 of heavy industrial use and the Blitz has failed to do: the total dereliction of a an important piece of our industrial heritage.

On top of that it seems the old adage that 'nature abhors a vacuum' is an inescapable truth as someone seems to think that the arch is there to be used as a rubbish tip (which I reported via the website to Tower Hamlets Council).

I really feel sorry for the residents of the nearby 'Weavers Field House'. They were probably looking forward to an improvement in the area but instead antisocial elements who have no appreciation of history, let alone any sense of community have turned what should have been a reminder of the grandeur of the Victorian railway age into an eyesore.

Street Artist - Allen Gardens, Spitalfields

2010-06-20T21:21:00.003+01:00

Street Artist, originally uploaded by louisberk.

I've taken to walking through Pedley Street (off Brick Lane) and through Allen Gardens in the morning, often stopping to photograph the old Shoreditch station. This is the corner which is normally occupied by some pretty tough looking street people pulling on cans of lager most times of the day. However, they are not really early birds, that is until last Thursday.

I was photographing the pairs of discarded trainers which have been lobbed over the old lampost and into the trees when what I can only politely describe as a 'street person' called out to me. With a little trepidation, I figured one-on-one he was probably OK. He didn't tell me his name but he proudly insisted he was an 'artist' and that he was responsible for the display of shoes hanging from the tree.

Eyeing up my camera he asked if I wanted a picture of him. This is only the third or fourth time in the past 3 years that someone has asked me to photograph them and each time the results have been worthwhile so I readily agreed. Even so, I did not want to spend a lot of time so after a couple of hastily composed and taken shots I left but not before he touched me for some 'spare change'.

He is either a lost soul, tossed around on the unpredictable sea of life, or an opportunist. I got his picture and he got either breakfast of his next can of lager.

Panasonic GF-1, with Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5 (both pictures)

Flooding With Emotion

2010-03-25T20:15:00.001Z

Flooding With Emotion, originally uploaded by louisberk.

A left-over sign from a street art project in Bethnal Green. Several are found around the area. This one is next to the railway bridge in Hadleigh Street. Trains pass to and from Liverpool Street in the background.

Walk to Work 2010

2010-03-20T09:21:00.003Z

Although for most of the winter I have still been out and about early morning with my camera, it is only this week that I have finally felt the shackles or the miserable weather have been lifted. At this time of the year the early morning light, as I walk toward the east from Liverpool Street is simply marvellous.

The hinterland between Broadgate and Whitechapel has a magical, undisturbed feel at 7AM when there are few if any vehicles or people around. Brushfield Street (above) is much transformed since the redevelopment of Spitalfields Market. Although the vista to Hawksmoor's masterpiece, Christ Churh, has been opened up unfortunately the whole character of the area has been changed from shabby chic to commercial chic.

The shops are carefully manicured, like the coffee house below which I am sure carefully places the old fruit boxes out on the pavement in a vain attempt to recreate the lost atmosphere of the old market.

I am never completely alone in the early morning and on several occasions passer-by's have stopped to ask me what I am photographing. This gentleman, a former bus driver wanted me to take his picture in front of the Routemaster which is placed as an advertising hording outside the entrance to the market.

After crossing Commercial Street I find myself on the corner of Fournier Street outside the Ten Bells Pub, beloved of 'Ripperologists' but sadly only a shadow of its former self. The name refers to the ten bells in the spire of Christ Church built, some say, to remind the Huguenot population of the 18th century of the hegemony of the Anglican church.

My destination this morning is one of the more contraversial additions to the architecture of Spitalfields: the new minaret on the Jamme Masjid mosque at the corner of Fournier Street and Brick Lane. I am still in two minds about this feature. The church has been in continuous use since it was built in the 18th century. In that time it has passed into the hands of Methodists, Jews and now the Muslim population of the area. I can't help feeling that just like the 'shadows' carved in latin onto the famous sundial, once the Bengali community moves on from the area, it will remain unused, unloved and unfortunately a feature that no town planner will have the honesty to remove.

The beauty of the East End is its enormous and important social history. At the end of my walk I find myself close to Whitechapel High Street and passing through Fulbourne Street, visited by Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky in 1907. If I time my walk correctly, the air ambulance of the Royal London Hospital will be passing close by.

Walking to work and photography is for me one of the best parts of the day. A time when I can compose my thoughts and expand my creativity by taking advantage of near empty streets of Whitechapel: one of the most extraordinary areas of London.

Thank goodness, Spring has arrived!

Christ Church, Spitalfields

2010-03-06T11:30:00.001Z

Christ Church, Spitalfields, originally uploaded by louisberk.

I always love the way that the spire of Christ Church Spitalfields attracts the early morning sun in Spring and Auturmn.

Pelican Passage

2010-02-20T10:28:00.002Z

Pelican Passage, originally uploaded by louisberk.

Wonderfully evocative street sign near Bethnal Green on Cambridge Heath Road. I wonder what the residents thought of their alleyway being given such an exotic and improbable name? Of course, 'Pelican' could be a corruption of a much older name.

Globetown: who's looking over your shoulder?

2010-02-14T18:40:00.001Z

Globetown, originally uploaded by louisberk.

The triumphal, Stalinist, monument to the Globetown estate on Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, East London. Protected by CCTV for your safety.

Whitechapel High Street

2010-02-06T16:09:00.001Z

Whitechapel High Street, originally uploaded by louisberk.

There are small areas of the east end which are incredibly well preserved, for example this parade of Georgian shop fronts which are near to the East London Mosque. The parade includes the offices of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.

Entrance to Altab Ali Park, Snow

2010-01-24T10:04:00.001Z

Entrance to Altab Ali Park, Snow, originally uploaded by louisberk.

Yet another Altab Ali park picture, towards the iconic steeple of St Boniface churce. Taken on a snowy monday morning in January.

Featured Photographer at Leica Shots

2010-01-21T16:54:00.002Z

This month I was fortunate to be chosen as a feature digital photographer at Leica Shots. You can see my photograph of Fulbourne Street and an explanation of how I took the photograph, which remains one of my favourites from my book "Walk to Work: from the City to Whitechapel".

Whitechapel Waste

2010-01-14T19:38:00.001Z

Whitechapel Waste, originally uploaded by louisberk.

On a cold, wet January morning in 2010 just before dawn

Walking Across Altab Ali Park

2010-01-10T12:54:00.003Z

Walking Across Altab Ali Park, originally uploaded by louisberk.

Cold morning walk across Altab Ali Park next to Whitechapel High Street, last Tuesday morning.

East London Mosque: Crescent and Moon

2009-12-30T09:35:00.003Z

East London Mosque: Crescent and Moon, originally uploaded by louisberk.

I've waited a long time to try and get the conjunction between a crescent moon and the symbol on top of the East London Mosque on Whitechapel High Street. Patience paid off in early December although I would still have liked the angle to have been slightly better. I'll keep watching the level of the new moon but as the mornings get lighter I'll lose the opportunity of the deep blue dawn sky. I'm particularly proud of this shot as it is on film and not digital. Working with film requires a lot more concentration, especially on exposure but I have to say the results are more satisfying than working with digital - even if a lot less convenient.

Old Montague Street

2009-12-23T08:54:00.002Z

This is a long street which links Commercial Street with Valance Road. It lies east-west and picks up the early morning sun if you time it right. Entirely modernised now, the high-rise building can be seen from all around the area - I liked the way it was reflecting in the windows of the new NHS clinic on the corner with Greatorex Street.

Burdett Scrap

2009-12-06T11:33:00.003Z

Burdett Scrap, originally uploaded by louisberk.

My wanderings are taking me to Bethnal Green at the moment where there are still cobbled streets and signs of the industrial heritage of the area. Of course, much of the area is now being improved, on the right of this street is a new purpose built block of student accomodation. On the left is a post-war factory now converted to a club. In the distance is the railway arch leading to the scrap merchants.

St Boniface Church Tower

2009-11-29T18:11:00.002Z

St Boniface Church Tower, originally uploaded by louisberk.

A brooding shape behind Altab Ali Park on Whitechapel High Street.

Altab Ali Park and St Boniface Church Tower

2009-11-20T18:30:00.001Z

Altab Ali Park and St Boniface Church Tower, originally uploaded by louisberk.

Abandoned building Gt Eastern Street

2009-10-30T08:23:00.001Z

Abandoned building Gt Eastern Street, originally uploaded by louisberk.

This building always fascinates me when I am on my way from Old Street to Whitechapel. It is abandoned and the only tenants are the pigeons that inhabit the floors and sit in the windows watching the world pass by.

Footbridge to Pedley Street, E1

2009-10-19T21:45:00.000+01:00

Nikon FE, XP2 400, Nikkor 2.8/AiS

Life Imitating Art

2009-10-17T10:49:00.002+01:00

This picture was taken some time in May of 2008 in Hanbury Street close to the crossroads with Brick Lane. Initially, I actually thought the random placing of discarded drink cans and food containers was an installation exhibit for the art exhibition. It certainly looks like something an admirer of Tracey Emin would come up with. But then it dawned on me, it was only the detritus left over from the opening night of the exhibition. I wish I'd had time to go inside and see the real exhibits!

TV Dinner in Hanbury Street

2009-09-21T08:43:00.003+01:00

I walked past this discarded TV for about two weeks watching it slowly fill up as if it were a rubbish bin. Several times I stopped and photographed it. People passing me by must have thought I had a screw loose or was from the council. I thought it said something about our society. Firstly, why would anyone just throw such a thing in a street? Then, what kind of mind would see the opportunity to use it for their rubbish?

Hanbury Street cycle lane, E1

2009-09-13T18:09:00.003+01:00

Hanbury Street is a well known thoroughfare linking Spitalfields with Whitechapel. At the Whitechapel end it becomes a cycle lane connecting to Valance Road. Near the Spitalfields end is the place where the second Jack the Ripper victim was found in 1888.

2009-08-30T13:47:00.003+01:00

This is the spot in Whitechapel where the first victim of the Whitchapel Murders (aka 'Jack the Ripper' murders) was found, on the 31st Agust 1886. The School Board of London building which dominates Durward Street is the only artifact remaining of the time and remains a brooding presence in Whitechapel. This picture can be found in my book "Walk to Work: from the City to Whitechapel"

Ballast Quay, Greenwich

2009-08-14T09:06:00.003+01:00

Click on the picture then right click and select save picture or save target

1680x1050 pixels wallpaper

Glass, Houses, Stones

2009-08-08T09:40:00.001+01:00

Outside the new medical centre buildings behind the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel

Sir Richard Green and his one-eared dog

2009-08-04T18:02:00.007+01:00

I love the East End of London. You can get off at any tube or DLR stop and see something old, unusual and related to the forgotten past. Sir Richard Green (1803-1863) was the son of George Green (whose name lives on in a school in Poplar) a joint owner of the Blackwall Dockyard. Richard inherited his father's business and built it to the point where it was a major supplier of ships to the British Navy. There is a puzzle here in that the date on the statue is 1866 but Richard died 3 years earlier. I think the date relates to the bas-relief on the side of the statue. This shows a wooden ship side by side with an iron ship, another important British invention and in 1866 the date of the first iron-clad ship built in Green's dockyard. The story of the one-eared dog in the statue is best told by Lawrence Rigal at his marvellous East London history site (well worth visiting).

Dog Legs of the East End #2

2009-07-26T17:22:00.005+01:00

Corner of Cheshire Street, Bready Street and Three Colts Lane in Bethnal Green.

Umbra Sumus

2009-07-16T18:06:00.000+01:00

Sundial on the Neuve Eglise, established by Huguenot immigrants in Spitalfields in 1753. Then converted by turns into a Methodist chapel, the Great Brick Lane Synagogue and finally the Jamme Majid mosque. "We are but shadows"

Gina's Restaurant

2009-07-14T08:01:00.000+01:00

More eye candy, this time on Sclater Street. This was taken on a particularly bright spring morning and I liked the way the sharp sunlight made the colours of the graffiti come alive.

Yet another Donovan's shot

2009-07-12T09:24:00.001+01:00

Another picture of the painted frontage of Donovans in Spitalfields, this time with a lovely old Rover 100 in the foreground. This shop seems to attract period vehicles.

2009-07-09T08:01:00.000+01:00

This is an alternative view of the Kossoff bakery on Middlesex Street, close to Petticoat Lane market. The owner was very enthusiastic about me taking the pictures and using them in the book. As a thankyou I gave him several prints of the picture I finally chose for the book. Definitely the best bagels in the area!

Devil Wears Prada

2009-07-07T08:01:00.001+01:00

This shop on Cheshire Street, to the east of Brick Lane certainly stands out with it colourful wall painting. I took this picture quite recently after "Walk to work" had been finalised so there was no opportunity to use it.

Derelict Factory, Osborne Street

2009-07-04T21:35:00.001+01:00

I've extensively photographed around Brick Lane and Osborne Street during the last two years but I continue to return to the area because it is ever changing. This is a shot taken today of an abandoned factory on Osborne Street. I used my super WATE (Wide Angle Tele Elmar) on my Leica M8 to get this shot, then purposely lowered the vibrance to isolate the surreal colours, which I boosted in LAB space in Photoshop. I've used the jagged glass from the window to create a frame for the main subject.

Dog Leg: Brick Lane

2009-07-02T08:01:00.000+01:00

I particularly like this dog leg at the corner of Sclater Street and Brick Lane because of the way the sunlight streams down it at certain times of the year. This was taken in early April just after BST began.

Donovan Brothers, Spitalfields

2009-06-30T08:01:00.000+01:00

This is one of the pictures that did not make the final cut for the book. I really like this old shop with its wonderfully preserved advertising signs, located next to the market in Spitalfields. I kept searching for something to bring it alive and then I noticed one day this marvellous 1970s mini parked in front. I hate car pollution in my photographs but in this case I felt it gave it a 60s feel.

Walk to Work is published

2009-06-27T15:00:00.000+01:00

At Last! Finally! I have managed to release my first book of photography: "Walk to Work: from the City to Whitechapel". I am very grateful to Rafael Q Publishers for backing the project which is realised using the excellent print-on-demand facility of blurb. The book contains 120 pages of photography which I assembled during my morning walk from the edge of the City to my destination in Brady Street in Whitechapel. These early morning walks, often in near darkness in the middle of winter, yielded dramatic, poignant and downright bizzare images. The books contains my observations on the important social history contained in the back roads of Whitechapel, only a stones throw (literally in some cases) from the powerful presence of the City of London.

The book is also a testament to my kit, my Leica M8 and Leica D-LUX 2, and the range of Leica lenses I have used. The beauty of the Leica M8 is that it is discrete enough not to attract attention yet powerful enough in combination with Leica lenses to render truly professional results.

Walk to Work is available in a standard and also Limited editions. The Limited Edition is a large coffee table book, limited to only 250 copies. The standard edition contains all the same images and text but is a smaller 10x8 inch book.