THE PLAYFULLY POIGNANT COCKNEY CURIOSITIES:
A Photojournalistic History of East London by Clare Newton
Writer-photographer Clare Newton unearths stories long forgotten in her delightful debut collection. In Little London Adventures and Cockney Curiosities, Newton offers a unique vantage point into the inner and outer lives of East London. Her playful writing and meditative images provide ample moments for both learning and self-reflection. The photographs work in conversation with her historical anecdotes, challenging readers to consider the ways in which their prejudices can be challenged by East London’s hidden beauty.
Newton’s photographs are rooted in place, but readers from any location will connect to the familiar cityscapes of neon graffiti, chain link shadows, and the strange allure of urban decay. In addition to these photographs, Newton presents meticulous research on a variety of structures and characters from East London’s forgotten history. Newton’s writing honors the modernity of East London, while paying homage to its deep history: she spins tales of “wharves, warehouses and sawmills,” structures that draw antiquated images to mind--and yet, the reader is presented with images of thriving modern life. Fellow photographer Carle Taylor muses that Cockney Curiosities is an “intriguing little book, mixing contemporary street photography with a narrative.”
A common theme throughout Newton’s photos is the reflection of graffiti in canals and other water forms. As the author points out, these canals offered the city chances for economic growth via “important crossing points” as well as harm: “negligence at Old Ford’s waterworks was responsible for London’s last outbreak of cholera, in 1866.” This juxtaposition of growth and decay is illustrated throughout Cockney Curiosities. Readers are presented with photos of detailed graffiti murals amongst discarded beer bottles, coupled with tales of triumph: Edmund Spenser, for example, winning over Queen Elizabeth I with his witty poems, or William Perkin accidentally discovering mauve dye while trying to create a cure for Malaria.
On page 47, Newton presents the following quote from Allan W. Bellringer’s Whig View of History: “It scarcely ever happens, that any private man, or body of men, will invest property in a canal, a tunnel, or a bridge, but from the expectation that the outlay will be profitable.” This quote is coupled with evocative photos of canals and bridges, full of dappled light and arches, as if to ask: who wouldn’t want to invest their time and capital in one of these meditative spaces?
Cockney Curiosities is available for purchase in the Foyles flagship store, Waterstones, Daunts, as well as online at Amazon.com. It also holds permanent residence in the collection of the Arles Reconnoitres Photographic Festival.
Clare Newton’s second book of photos and stories, Little London Adventures and Surreptitious City, is forthcoming through Happy London Press. Newton’s photography holds numerous awards and accolades. In 2012, she created the Guinness Book of World Records’ Longest Photograph, displaying over 5,000 people. She also was awarded a fellowship by the Royal Society of Arts. Her work was exhibited at the Canary Wharf, Buckinghamshire Museum, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and will soon be on view at the Wimbledon Museum.
BOOK REVIEW
“Crumbs of East London’s past hang on to time, hidden hamlets still living in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, even the City.
But sometimes our past becomes invisible,
as it is overshadowed by the future” (Newton 62).
Teachers of literature are often asked to provide “windows and mirrors” in the classroom--i.e., texts from which students can look out and learn from the world, as well as see themselves and their complex identities. Little Adventures and Cockney Curiosities, a book of photojournalism and British history by Clare Newton, offers similar vantage points into the inner and outer lives of East London. Her writing and images provide ample moments for both learning and self-reflection.
Newton’s photographs are rooted in place, but readers from any location will connect to the familiar cityscapes of neon graffiti, chain link shadows, and the strange beauty that comes from urban decay. These colorful photographs, though, are just the mirrors--in addition, Newton presents meticulous research on a variety of structures and characters from East London’s forgotten history. Here in the States, reading about structures originating in 1268 is tough to fathom; Newton’s writing honors the modernity of East London, while paying homage to its deep history. She spins tales of “wharves, warehouses and sawmills,” structures that draw antiquated images to mind--and yet, the reader is presented with images of thriving modern life (Newton 12).
A common theme throughout Newton’s photos is the reflection of graffiti in canals. As the author points out, these canals offered the city chances for economic growth via “important crossing points” as well as harm: “negligence at Old Ford’s waterworks was responsible for London’s last outbreak of cholera, in 1866” (Newton 12). This juxtaposition of growth and decay is illustrated throughout Cockney Curiosities. Readers are presented with photos of detailed graffiti murals among discarded beer bottles, coupled with tales of triumph: Edmund Spenser, for example, winning over Queen Elizabeth I with his witty poems, or William Perkin accidentally discovering mauve dye while trying to create a cure for Malaria.
On page 47, Newton presents the following quote from Allan W. Bellringer’s Whig View of History: “It scarcely ever happens, that any private man, or body of men, will invest property in a canal, a tunnel, or a bridge, but from the expectation that the outlay will be profitable.” This quote is coupled with evocative photos of canals and bridges, full of dappled light and arches, as if to ask: who wouldn’t want to invest their time and capital in one of these meditative spaces? Newton’s pairing of photos with historical anecdotes are sometimes poignant (the demise of “Merry Jane of Shoreditch”) and at other times playful (“London Illuminated with Farting Lights”). Her windows and mirrors into the heart of East London emphasize the dialogue between public art, ancient history, and the ways in which our prejudices can be challenged by beauty.
--Rachel M. Dillon
About Rachel Dillion - book reviewer
Rachel Dillon received her B.A. from Brandeis University. She teaches High School English in the Bronx. She is also a Book Reviewer for Publishers Weekly and the creator of Shelf Life, a monthly newsletter of literary criticism. Learn more at rachelmdillon.com.
Here's an amusing quirky potted history of London from Nik Tredwen
First there was a river that instead of quickly circulating down to the Bristol Channel discarded to go the long way round and instead of a nice 34 miles went 215 miles (346 km), making it the longest river in England. It wasn’t a really big river in the grand global scheme of things but it was wide and wet.
C 4000 BC Some people turned up, found the river was a pretty decent place to stay and built a few dwellings. Perhaps they really liked fish. Anyway, proving that pre-historic people weren’t snobby, they settled on the South Bank. Possibly they simply could not afford a starter hut north of the river.
One of these people had an Ox and a really nice spear. He was London’s first rich man.
3999 BC - 44 BC
Nothing much happened , probably most of what did involved fishing.
The rich man’ s descendants now owned several oxen and a really really nice spear. Said spear was very pointy and , after a bit of jabbing, the rich man got people to agree to call him King.
43 BC - 410 AD.
Romans came. No ones’s really sure why. They took a look at the rest of the country and didn’t fancy it. They did, however, have the pointiest spears so were able to settle north of the river.
They built some nice stuff, mostly for the rich and ,showing a total lack of originality, called the settlement Londinium. More people came to live there because, frankly, the Romans paid well. Eventually they left to sort out some problem neighbors at home, switching the lights off as they went, hence:
411 - 1066 The Dark Ages.
Not a lot happened in this period to be honest with two exceptions. The king stuff really got going again and one of the kings bought a franchise in this hot new religion from the continent called Christianity. The basic premise of this is that if the poor worked really really hard for the rich while they were alive, then their life wouldn’t be quite so full of disgusting skin complaints and starvation after they were dead! Genius idea. I’m not quite sure why the poor bought into this but have an idea the reason may have been pointy and sharp.
Oh some Vikings came, took a look around and buggered off to the bits of the country the Romans never fancied.
Meanwhile the rich got richer.
1066 -1642
William the conquerer fancied a go at kinging Britain so popped over and borrowed the crown. Just in case the locals were miffed he built a bloody great castle in London and a cathedral where the poor could sit and think about how life would be better when they were dead. He gave the bits of the country the Romans didn’t fancy to his mates.
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