Great Gate project photography

Newham
May 2024

About this record

The Great Gate project has uncovered photography that shows the recent history of the Abbey Precinct from Channelsea River up to Stratford Fruit and Veg Market and across to the derelict site of the gardens.

Abbey Lane area 1964 - Boys skipping through rubbish near Channelsea River. Image courtesy Newham Heritage Service. Newham Photos turned up this beautiful photo of young boys adventuring in the rubbish strewn mud of the Channelsea tidal river which was culverted (buried) in 1957, before this photo was taken to make more land for building.
Picture from Bassett Point, 1970s

Grace’s parents lived in Bassett Point and a keen photographer, documented the changing area and the photos are captured here on Grace’s blog: stratford | Grace’s Place in Cyberspace – every effort has been made to contact Grace and not succeeded but we hope she’ll be pleased to have her parent’s photos shared here, please contact Friends of Abbey Gardens to discuss.

Picture of Adam & Eve public house 1989. Image courtesy whatpub.com
The market selling wholesale fruit and vegetables was opened in 1879 by the Great Eastern Railway as a competitor to Spitalfields Market in the City of London. The market closed in 1991 to make way for the Jubilee Line buildings and was named “Stratford Market Depot” in memory of the market that once stood there.

Additional record details

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September 2025