The East End. A Rich History.

The East End of London has such a colourful and rich history but not everyone sees past the glorious edifice of Canary Wharf and the new Docklands. It was the wonderful Jennifer Worth who recently raised the East End’s profile, author of ‘Call the Midwife’. The full flavour of the poverty ridden streets and plight of the communities in the post war years was brought to life between her pages. About the same time, the Kray twins were strengthening their hold on the underworld and with the advent of the 60’s, the East End Streets became a Mecca for the flower power revolution. Tourists flocked to indulge in the fashion, art, literature and swinging atmosphere. But centuries before, French Protestant Huguenots settled in Spitalfields and, like the Irish settlers were ostracized by the locals because they brought such wonderful silk weaving skills with them, narrowing the jobs market. Dramas like the Gordon Riots, the Houndsditch Murders, the Sidney Street Siege and the Battle of Cable Street filled the newspaper headlines. Strikes have always been prevalent, with work scarce, and men having to ‘wait on the stones’ daily for the chance of a casual job. And it’s these events that reflect the nature of my books; families torn apart by poverty and crime and a desperate attempt to survive. Men set against men for a pittance. Women, like Jennifer Worth’s characters, bearing child after child in wretched and degrading circumstances. The two World Wars with only twenty years separating  them, provided the terrible killing fields for many thousands of East Enders. And, indeed, with this melting pot of life influencing each of my novels, I hope to reflect the homespun warmth and brave spirits of families down the ages and the tightly-knit communities of the twentieth century. To find out a little more, please visit my website www.carolrivers.com