Food Lives: Food History Tour of Tower Hamlets

In our final episode we start at the beautiful Wilton’s Music Hall where Elaine explains more about its original food-related purpose. Shazna and Sajna then take us back to the time of the former dairies and sugar factories that dominated the area. We take in Wellclose Square and learn about the historical importance of Swedenborg Gardens and finish the tour at an urban orchard in the heart of the St George’s Estate where we learn how it serves the community today. Part Two of our food history tour of Shadwell and its environs, this episode is for those wishing to know more about  the food systems and food histories of Tower Hamlets. Helen New interviews Elaine Swan, Sajna Miah and Shazna Hussain Podcast artwork by Nasima Sultana We would like to thank Sanjida Alam from the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive for her help with our research into Tower Hamlets food histories.  About the Food Lives Project Food Lives is part of a 5 year research programme funded by UKRI and led by University of Reading, FoodSEqual. Food Lives Tower Hamlets is run by Wen and University of Sussex and is taking place on the St George’s Estate, Shadwell. The project looks at the role food plays in our lives and the importance of history, culture and heritage to our food habits.     Related Links Servings: Feminist Food Studies Food Lives Tower Hamlets The Women’s Environmental Network (Wen) Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive Article: ‘Mapping Pockets of Survival: Café Society in Post-war Cable Street’‘Mapping Pockets of Survival: Café Society in Post-war Cable Street’ Contact Info If you would like to find out more about our project or to let us know where we’ve missed something or where we’ve got something wrong (some of the history is difficult to ‘prove’) please get in touch. Elaine: [email protected] or via the contact page on the Servings website.

In episode two, we begin at bustling Watney Market, the founding place of J Sainsbury’s, and discover its valuable culinary contribution to communities past and present. We move on to Cable Street where we learn more about how the humble wooden spoon played a significant role in the campaign for justice. We visit the original site of Café Rio which provided comfort and familiarity for new immigrants and finish at Wombat’s City Hostel gaining an understanding of the importance of these spaces to food and community along the way. Part One of our food history tour of Shadwell and its environs, this episode is for those wishing to know more about  the food systems and food histories of Tower Hamlets. Helen New interviews Elaine Swan, Sajna Miah and Shazna Hussain Podcast artwork by Nasima Sultana We would like to thank Sanjida Alam from the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive for her help with our research into Tower Hamlets food histories. About the Food Lives ProjectFood Lives is part of a 5 year research programme funded by UKRI and led by University of Reading, FoodSEqual. Food Lives Tower Hamlets is run by Wen and University of Sussex and is taking place on the St George’s Estate, Shadwell. The project looks at the role food plays in our lives and the importance of history, culture and heritage to our food habits.   Related Links Servings: Feminist Food Studies Food Lives Tower Hamlets The Women’s Environmental Network (Wen) Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive Article: ‘Mapping Pockets of Survival: Café Society in Post-war Cable Street’‘Mapping Pockets of Survival: Café Society in Post-war Cable Street’ Contact Info If you would like to find out more about our project or to let us know where we’ve missed something or where we’ve got something wrong (some of the history is difficult to ‘prove’) please get in touch. Elaine: [email protected] or via the contact page on the Servings website.

In our first episode, Elaine explains how the tour came about and its connection with a wider project, FoodSEqual, looking at food systems across the UK. Sajna and Shazna share more about the vital role of the community researcher and we get a flavour of what to expect from the tour and the next few episodes. ‘Sometimes you can hear that the stories they're sharing- you can feel that they've wanted to share this story for a long time.’ Shazna Miah. An introduction to Food Lives in Tower Hamlets and to Community Research, this episode is for those wishing to know more about walking tours as a research method and the food systems and food histories of Tower Hamlets. Helen New interviews Elaine Swan, Sajna Miah and Shazna Hussain Podcast artwork by Nasima Sultana We would like to thank Sanjida Alam from the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive for her help with our research into Tower Hamlets food histories. About the Food Lives ProjectFood Lives is part of a 5 year research programme funded by UKRI and led by University of Reading, FoodSEqual. Food Lives Tower Hamlets is run by Wen and University of Sussex and is taking place on the St George’s Estate, Shadwell. The project looks at the role food plays in our lives and the importance of history, culture and heritage to our food habits.    Related Links Servings: Feminist Food Studies Food Lives Tower Hamlets The Women’s Environmental Network (Wen) Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archive Article: ‘Mapping Pockets of Survival: Café Society in Post-war Cable Street’‘Mapping Pockets of Survival: Café Society in Post-war Cable Street’ Contact Info If you would like to find out more about our project or to let us know where we’ve missed something or where we’ve got something wrong (some of the history is difficult to ‘prove’) please get in touch. Elaine: [email protected] or via the contact page on the Servings website.