Seven Fun Facts About Newham’s Heritage!

This year’s Newham Heritage Month projects celebrated the theme ‘Shops, Docks and Factories – Newham’s Urban Heritage’ and there were all sorts of fun and surprising facts discovered along the way! Here, seven of this year’s heritage project creators share their favourite fun facts.

I was so shocked to learn that Trebor mints, like the soft mints and the hard mints, they originate from Newham, and a fun fact is that Trebor is just Robert backwards because the creator’s name was Robert!

Nabilah Khan

I hadn’t realised how rural Newham had been until relevantly recently in history, or that Canning Town used to be prone to terrible floods!

Ada Jusic – creator of an illustration workshop you can experience here

 

During an interview with Paul Romane about his connection with De Underground Records he told me that Soft Cell had also recorded at 18 Sebert Road, many years prior to De Underground’s arrival. Then during an interview with Uncle 22 about him being a producer at De Underground Records, he mentioned the influence of Soft Cell, so I asked him if he knew they recorded there. He was blown away!

Katherine Green – creator of Crate Digging. Explore the whole project here

I’ve learned a lot about the fascinating history of the Cody Docks. Harper Twelvetrees stuck in my mind. He was an interesting character. He owned Imperial Chemical Works, a soap and washing machine manufacturing plant, but was also an abolitionist [of slavery].

Larissa De Filippo

 

I was surprised about how little people know about Newham, even people who have lived here for many years. I think we need more heritage projects to support people’s engagement with their local area.

Newham Poetry Group

While researching about what the workers were doing in their leisure time, I came across the fascinating story of the Old Canning Town Public Hall & Library. It hosted political speakers and inspiring people such as suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst, and gave birth to one of Britain’s biggest trade unions. A while ago Nando’s had plans of transforming the ground floor into a restaurant, but the local community fought against it, as the Grade II listed building remains at the service of the public.

Sylvia Morgado

That Newham has a history with sweets!  Both Clarnico and Trebor had factories in the area.

Vicky Price