Contributors
Hundreds of individuals and organisations have contributed to make Newham's Heritage Month, explore some of them here
Abbey Mills exterior Image Courtesy Thames Water Thames Water’s iconic Abbey Mills pumping station was completed in 1865 and still provides essential waste services to London’s homes, over 150 years...
Act Up! Newham is an inclusive theatre company led by learning disabled members and made up of disabled and non-disabled people who work together to create high quality performances that...
Ambition Aspire Achieve is a Newham based children and young peoples organisation facilitating year round inclusive clubs, activities and services for five to 18 years olds. Our inclusive activities for...
Annie Birch is a teacher of Art, English, Drama and Community Development. She lives in Forest Gate, Newham. Annie believes that Newham is one of the best places in the...
Applecart Arts provides platforms, mentorship and pathways for emerging performing and visual artists from diverse backgrounds. We moved from the Harold Road Centre to the old library in Plashet Park...
Asif Shakoor is an independent researcher. He grew up in Manor Park and studied at the University of East London. His grandfather, Mahomed Gama, enlisted in the Mercantile Marine during...
We are a Newham based architectural practice, with a passion for both the design and delivery of thoughtful, considered buildings across London. We recognise the importance of empowering local young residents as...
Birkbeck, University of London – London’s evening university – has been delivering education for working Londoners for nearly 200 years. Since 2013, we’ve had a physical presence in Newham at...
Brickfield Newham is a creative partnership between the University of East London (UEL), V&A Research Institute (VARI), V&A East and Brickfield, an artist led, research and teaching project for local...
Bushra Nasir became one of the UK’s first Muslim Headteachers of a state secondary school in 1993 when she became Head of Plashet School for Girls in Newham. In 2003...
Cameye Arts are a not-for-profit multidisciplinary arts organisation that shares the voices of and gives support to people from under-represented communities. Offering creative projects & services that act as sites...
Canning Town Old Library by Cathy Buckmaster Following a successful Levelling Up Fund bid, work is underway to transform Canning Town Old Library. Located on Barking Road, this Grade II...
Catalyst in Communities (CIC) is a coaching, mentoring and training organisation based in Newham. They have a long track record of engaging, supporting and developing local communities and residents from...
Colin Grainger is the former Editor of the Newham Recorder and five other local newspapers and was also a sub editor on The Guardian. He has been a journalist for...
Comfort Okolo trained as a nurse in Ibadan, Nigeria and came to Newham in 1973 to Plaistow Maternity Hospital for her midwifery training working at both Plaistow and Forest Gate...
Community Links is a Newham-based organisation that tackles health and social inequality in east London and beyond. Its new arts and culture programme ‘World on our Doorstep’ aims to release...
Creative Engagement Services CIC delivers bespoke creative media engagement services and pathways to further support and enrichment for young people, young adults and communities. As part of NHM we will...
Custom House Bookshop is an inclusive, community bookshop formed by residents in the ward of Custom House, which is in the London Borough of Newham. This is a woman-led organisation...
Darning Newham is project created by Newham-based textile artists Katie May Anderson and Memunatu Barrie.The project seeks to translate the borough’s heritage through textiles to shed light on untold stories,...
Discover is the UK’s first story centre for children aged 0-11 and their families, proudly rooted in Newham, East London. We believe that stories are critical to child development, that...
Kathleen worked for the BBC until 1994. One of her interests was family history so when she left she continued research and became a writer of books and articles on...
The East End Women’s Museum exists to research, capture, share and celebrate the stories of women of East London, past and present. Through pop-up exhibitions, events, workshops and online activities,...
A member of ELTA wearing a decorative cloak © ELTA East London Textile Arts (ELTA) is a Newham-based collective that runs weekly embroidery and weaving classes for diverse groups of...
Eastside Community Heritage established in May 1993 by Judith Garfield MBE, as a joint venture between Stratford City Challenge and Newham Leisure Services, based in the Old Town Hall in...
About Eleanor Pearce Eleanor Pearce is an artist, educator, curator and community arts practitioner living and working in Forest Gate. Eleanor is currently lead artist for Up the Allotments! A...
This Newham Heritage Month 2023 project is a collaboration of two east London based artists, Elena Juzulenaite and Oliver Wallace. Elena has been interested in heritage for over 5 years...
Ellie Burkett is a visual artist working from Old Manor Park Library. Initially trained in Fine Art Textiles at Goldsmiths College, University of London, Ellie’s work uses layering, patching and...
In 1998 Eric Samuel MBE came to Newham to visit his sick mother and was shocked by the food poverty he saw. He left his banking career and set up...
Fairbairn Hall, a Grade II Listed building in Newham, was originally a Boys’ Club–one of the most successful in Europe in the 1930s–part of The Mansfield House University Settlement, founded...
Farzana Hakim is the author of two south Asian interest novels: Sweethearts of Ilford Lane and The Silence of a Deep River. With a particular interest in Newham and the...
At Fight for Peace we support young people to reach their full potential. To do this we combine combat sports with a range of essential youth services. We focus on...
Forest Gate Arts is a volunteer led organisation that believes the Arts should be accessible to all. With that in mind, we work in partnership with different organisations and individuals...
Frames of Mind is a participatory arts organisation based in Stratford. We work across the community bringing stories to life using film, stop frame animation and digital art. Directors Bo...
The Abbey Gardens site is one of only two Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Newham and contains the remains of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey where monks once ran a kitchen garden....
Gasworks Dock Partnership is a registered charity and social enterprise formed to act as a vehicle for the community-led regeneration of Cody Dock and our local waterways. GDP’s aims for...
Explore the heritage of Green street and its most prominent businesses that were established here: Mani Kohli, an international fashion designer who opened her first store, Khubsoorat Collection in 1985,...
Grow Studios is working with the Creative Land Trust (CLT) and LB Newham to provide studio space at Alice Billing House in Stratford. Alice Billing House is one of Newham’s most...
Hafza Yusuf is a Somali-British textile designer, Art educator and founder of Hafza Studio. Hafza’s project was inspired by a trip to Newham Archives where she discovered the work of...
Hajia Dahiru & Trisha McCauley are two photographers who explore local heritage and the communities of Newham through archival images, oral histories, and contemporary photography.
Harold Road Centre in Plaistow, E13 was built as a Methodist church in 1903. Built on a prominent corner in the tree-lined residential street near Upton Park station, this is...
Hartley Primary is a school based in the heart of East Ham in Newham. It is proud to represent the diversity that surrounds it, through its staff and pupils. Hartley...
HealTogether is a central place for information and support on mental health conditions and dedicated to the minority ethnic communities in the UK, to address the misconceptions around mental health...
This is an umbrella group of individuals, heritage and history groups and clubs and community groups who share their core values and objectives; Increasing awareness of Newham’s long and rich...
One of Newham’s hidden gems and set on the beautiful River Lea. The House Mill is a Grade I-listed, eighteenth-century tidal mill. Originally built in 1776 on an existing pre-Domesday...
IROKO Theatre Company use African arts to advance the education, health and wellbeing of people from all backgrounds and nationalities, so they can play an active role in their community...
Jayant Raniga comes from over nine generations of jewellery makers. His Grandfather Bhanji Gokaldas and sons Ramnik, Dinesh and Harish established east London’s first Asian owned jewellery showroom and workshop...
We work with older people focusing on those from the Caribbean and those living with dementia. Through oral history and reminiscence, we explore heritage themes and give older people a...
After finishing a BA in Fine Art Keith Martin found himself helping on the build of an exhibition for the Natural History museum in London and what started as a...
Livingmaps Network is a network of researchers, community activists, artists and others with a common interest in the use of mapping for social change, public engagement, critical debate and creative...
English artist Madge Gill (Maude Ethel Eades, 1882 – 1961) hanging one of her artworks in the garden of her home in Plashet Grove, East Ham, London, 19th August 1947....
Making East London Porcelain is a collaborative science-led heritage project between the V&A Museum and Newham Borough of London, supported by the AHRC’s Capability for Collections Fund. Focusing on the...
Malayalee Association of the UK (MAUK) is the first – and one of the largest – Malayalee charity organisations in the UK. Based in Newham, it has been pivotal in...
Mani Kohli set up her first shop, Khubsoorat Collection in Plashet Grove, off Green Street in Newham in 1985. Now a leading international designer Mani is famous for her ethnic...
Marilyn J Fontaine is an East London-based mixed-media artist who creates magical, intense narratives with mystical and cultural overtones. Marilyn’s work is often intense, bold, juxtaposed and ironic with strong...
Maryam Huq is a British-Bangladeshi Illustrator and founder of ‘VividbyMaryam’. Maryam’s work primarily consists of creating bold, vibrant artwork based on her Bangladeshi roots and heritage. Following a trip to...
I live and work in Newham – Live in Beckton Park, and have a studio by the River Lea in Cody Dock. I’m an artist educator and make public artwork,...
The Migration Museum explores how the movement of people to and from Britain across the ages has shaped who we are – as individuals, as communities, and as a nation....
Neandra is a local Arts & Culture producer and journalist and who has written about Newham’s heritage and history for Newham Voices. For Newham Heritage Month in 2021, she organised...
Neelam Modi was one of the first people to establish a hair and beauty salon on Green street. Her successful salon, Neelams Hair and Beauty has been in Green street...
The New Curators Project is a programme by UCL Special Collections and Newham Heritage Month to give 11 young people in East London the skills and experience necessary to start...
N.A.C.H.R.G was formed in 2022. Its Mission Statement is – To collect, document and record the African Caribbean presence in Newham and to make this information available to the Newham...
Newham Chinese Association (NCA) was set up in 1987 and continues to work to support the Chinese community of Newham in particular the most vulnerable. They run a range of...
We are an established organisation, running in Newham for over 13 years. We have provided support to vulnerable and destitute individuals through many projects. We provide care and learning for...
Newham Folk Archive is a multidisciplinary art project which explores Newham’s Oral History, Folk Law, Truth and Myth. The project creates a range of multi media work and live performances....
Sandra Besson, Peter Williams and Mark Gorman are Newham Heritage Month volunteers and have been based at the local studies room in Stratford Library. Over the last few months they...
Newham Music is the award-winning music education hub for the London Borough of Newham. Since the 1960’s we have been delivering high-quality music-making experiences for children and young people across...
Cycles of Change is a project documenting the lived experiences of people and places in Newham. It also celebrates the role of our charity, Newham New Deal Partnership, in supporting...
Newham Poetry Group is a volunteer led, not for profit community group, made up of proactive residents who believe that poetry should be accessible to all. Since 2016, Newham Poetry...
Newham Super Choir is a vibrant community choir for the over 60s in London Borough of Newham. The choir sings a very wide range of material from classical to pop....
The closing day of Newham Heritage Month and we are pleased to welcome Onjali to close our festival with her question and answer session with Park Primary school children from...
Pākiki Theatre was formed in 2018 for the purpose of creating theatre that celebrates and explores local heritage. Over the past few years Pākiki has brought dynamic, interactive and exciting...
Parrabbola tells stories. From tiny rural communities to major international festivals, we work with people within their own localities using creativity to help them engage with, learn about and celebrate...
Performance Infinity is a Newham-based CIC which produces arts events in the borough. Led by three experienced culture professionals, our flagship event is FeastFest, a series of pop-up events that...
Peter Williams has lived in Newham for over 40 years, and has long had an interest in local history. Peter worked for Newham Council for over 35 years in the...
Purcell Architects are an award-winning international firm of Architects, Masterplanners, and Heritage Consultants specialising in projects to creatively repair and regenerate significant historic places.
Queer Newham is a local initiative to raise awareness on gender equality and support the well-being of the LGBTQA+ community in Newham. We work with schools, youth clubs, refugees and...
Ranelagh Primary has a strong connection to its local area and community and proudly shares the history on a page on their website. The school prides itself on being a...
REIN (Rights and Equalities in Newham) is a black-led grassroots local charity and equalities organisation that works with communities, partners and stakeholders to raise awareness and challenge racism, inequality, discrimination...
ReSpace repurposes unused areas for sustainable social initiatives, directing resources to those in need. Winning the Tate Institute tender, built by Henry Tate in 1887, we aim to revive it...
Rendezvous Projects is an artist-run Community Interest Company and is based in Newham. It explores social and cultural histories of places and communities through creative and ambitious projects. The work...
ReviveFM is a community-led radio station based in the heart of Newham. The station began in 2014 when a group of like minded colleagues, broadcast online during Ramadan, and today...
Revoluton Arts is a Luton-based arts organisation. We work with artists and communities across a range of art forms and disciplines to produce creative work that promotes positive futures for...
Rhiannon Armstrong is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist making works with empathy, interaction, and dialogue at their core, often for unfiltered audiences. Conversation and collaboration are central to her practice: between...
In 2024, Rosetta Arts, Newham’s esteemed grassroots arts charity, marks its 31st year with an invigorated commitment to community engagement and a profound celebration of the visual arts and crafts...
The Royal Docks History Club was the name of a project launched by four friends with a shared passion for History: Rose Geaney, Valery Alliez, Gareth Evans and Marieta Evans....
We are a community Centre, home to many intercultural and inter-generational groups. We promote diversity by bringing together people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, running activities focusing on the...
Founded by Grime legends Prince Owusu-Agyekum (aka Rapid) and Ebenezer Ayerh (aka Slix), the Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation (RSAF) was founded in 2017 to help young people into sustainable creative...
I’m a Newham resident and have lived here for nine years. I’m a freelance journalist and copy writer with a life-long interest in history. Fascinated by my adopted local area,...
Shpresa Programme (the ‘Hope Programme’ in English), is an active user-led organisation that advances the education and training of the Albanian-speaking community in the UK, as well as enable its...
St Mary Magdalene Church, East Ham. Courtesy London Borough of Newham Library and Archive. St Mary Magdalene in East Ham is the oldest Norman church in London. The church is...
St William is part of the Berkeley Group and specialises in the redevelopment of redundant gasworks sites, including the Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks in Newham where seven gasholders remain.
Many of the Subco service users left their homeland to settle in the UK for different reasons. They share memories of how Newham has transformed to become a more diverse...
Surge Coop’s purpose is to reanimate Bow Creek with affordable co-operatively run moorings, bringing historic wharves back into use, nurturing the biodiversity of the area and building lasting community links...
Sylvia Morgado and Sylvie Belbouab are both artists who are based and work in east London and who are passionate about their local area. Morgado studied at the University of...
Thames Festival Trust is an arts organisation delivering festivals, stand-alone commissions, river-based events, heritage projects and education programmes. We have a twenty-one-year track record of using learning, culture and creativity...
The Call Outs are a political theatre group that formed during a course in 2021 at the University of East London in Newham. They have local social issues at heart...
The Line is East London’s public art trail that connects Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the O2, following the waterways and the line of the Greenwich Meridian. Its outdoor exhibition...
The New Black Film Collective (TNBFC) is an agency for Black Film. It focusses on heritage and archive relevant to the Black community and uses film as a tool to...
ROYAL DOCKS TEAM is a joint initiative of the GreaterLondon Authority and the Mayor of Newham. Our People and Stories is a developing strand of artist commissions providing a platform...
This project was designed by Newham’s Planning team and funded by the Greater London Authority, Historic England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Seven Newham residents were recruited to find out...
The Tony Cheeseman Foundation is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to preserve the heritage of the African Caribbean Communities in the East End of London and in particular Newham....
Thomas and William McLucas are artists with backgrounds in architecture and found object sculpture; they are engaged with the heritage of Newham through their project on the Beckton gasworks. Growing...
Led by locally based disabled artists, Together! 2012 CIC is creating a cultural Paralympic legacy in the main host borough of Newham and beyond. Together! 2012 CIC is a Community...
The slogan of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was ‘Inspire a Generation’. Ten years on, what has been its legacy for Newham in the eyes of the local Chinese...
Tony Cheeseman (1944-2009) was both an accomplished musician and a community leader and activist in Newham. In 1980 with others he founded and became the first development worker for the...
Trisha McCauley is the Curator at The Humble Gallery a community exhibition space based in Hamilton Road, Stratford. Trisha has worked in visual art education for over 22 years and...
Since 2006 we have been creating a platform for voices to be seen and heard through our work in mainstream scripted productions and in applied theatre contexts. We have been...
We are Evie, Geneva, Joe, Kate, Liz, and Mia, six UCL Public History MA students based in the Olympic Park at UCL East. As part of our programme, we have...
UKIM Masjid Ibrahim and Islamic Centre is a faith and community centre that provides a number of services and facilities for the local community such as a food bank, funeral...
University College London’s (UCL) Special Collections contains UCL’s collection of historical, academic and culturally significant works. It is one of the foremost university collections of manuscripts, archives and rare books...
Up the Allotments! is a brand-new food heritage programme running from Spring through to Autumn 2024. Created in partnership with Loop Labs, Eastside Community Heritage and Eleanor Pearce Arts, there...
VE Day on 8th May 1945 marked the end of World War 2 in Europe and was celebrated across the country. In Newham, the worst hit London borough, constant bombing...
In 2021 Newham Heritage Month set up a Volunteer Community Photographers opportunity for local residents to explore the heritage of the local area, connect with the local area as well...
Three local artists have united in a collective to celebrate the park we love and unveil the hidden narratives shared by our neighbours. We’re excited to learn about and share...
Works by Madge Gill was set up by Art Director and Curator Sophie Dutton, with the aim to share Madge Gill’s artwork and story with the communities Gill was originally...
World Shirdi Sai Baba Organisation (UK) preserves Newham’s cultural heritage by promoting the teachings and values of Sadhguru Shirdi Sai Baba through community events, cultural festivals, and educational programs. We...
Over the past 2 years, a group of dedicated young people between 10-18 years old have been meeting and learning about how to be creative producers with Rosetta Arts. Before...
