LoveEast.54

Mar/Apr 2020 

ISSUE 54 

FREE 

Tomorrow belongs 

to those who can 

hear it coming- 

- David Bowie 

Your East London: People | Food | Culture

We believe that your home interior should be as 

individual as you. That’s why our dedicated team offer 

a full onsite measuring and estimating service for all the 

floor coverings and window dressings that we supply 

and expertly install. Whether you need blinds, carpets, 

curtains, laminates, vinyls or woods, our highly skilled 

craftsmen train for many years to provide the service 

your space deserves. 

Blinds 

Curtains 

Flooring 

window styling 

www.abbottsflooring.co.uk | 020 8980 4158 

470-480 Roman Road | London | E3 5LU

Hello East London! 

We’ve weathered the dark, wet and windy days and 

Spring is beckoning – bring it on! 

In this edition we have a chat with Chef to the Stars, 

Leon Rothera, discover the history behind Roman Road’s 

Abbotts Interiors and find out what’s happening at 

Harold Road Centre in Plaistow, home of Applecart Arts. 

We also catch up with Urban Makers, who have a pop up 

shop opening this March in Shoreditch and we showcase 

the work of Hackney based artist, Stephen Harwood. 

We’ve also got some energy boosting tips from 

nutritionist Michele Scarr, The Gentle Author shares 

some lovely images from the book, Cries of London and 

I’ve written a love letter to London, the greatest city in the 

world. 

Little Green Duckie tells how we can act locally to get 

rid of litter, Roger Love has a feature on road cycling and 

Sean Gubbins delves beneath the layers or our great city. 

On the food front, we visited Shoreditch Wine House and 

Central Park Cafe’s Sophie Downer shares some Spring 

goodness. 

As always, there’s lots happening in East London over the 

coming months so be sure to check our Kids and What’s 

on pages, as well as our web calendar, myeastlondon. 

online, which is continually updated. 

LoveEast is a proud to be a platform for local businesses 

so do get in touch if you’d like to advertise with us. Our 

rates are affordable and we print 12,000 magazines every 

edition so it’s a great way to get your business known. 

And, on that note, a Big Thank You to this edition’s 

advertisers; without you, there would be no LoveEast. 

Cheers, 

Kaz 

Editor & Creative Direction Karen (Kaz) Ay 

Copy Editor Yolanda Powell 

Contributing Writers 

Little Green Duckie 

Michele Scarr 

Roger Love 

Sean Gubbins 

Sophie Downer 

The Gentle Author 

COVER: Stephen Harwood, Middle Class by the Glass (2019) Oil on Canvas, 80 x 70cm 

CONTENTS AND PAGE 34 IMAGES: Todd Kavonic 

| Welcome to your local magazine 

What's inside... 

East Life 

4 

8 

Community 

12 

Retail Therapy 

14 

It's Art baby, Art! 

Et Cetera... 

18 

10 Wellness with Michele Scarr 

16 The Gentle Author 

23 Thoughts on a grey day 

24 Sean Gubbins Walks Hackney 

25 Roger Love on Fitness 

26 Eating in - and out 

28 Little Green Duckie 

30 What to do with the kids 

32 What's on 

35 Parting Shot 

Through the years with 

Abbotts Interiors 

Meet chef to the stars, 

Leon Rothera 

Applecart Arts and 

Harold Road Centre 

Celebrating local talent 

with Urban Makers 

Exploring Hackney with 

artist Stephen Harwood 

LoveEast are media partners with East London Radio and Trapped in Zone One and is a member of the East End Trades Guild. #SupportLocalTraders 

To advertise in LoveEast Magazine, please call 07590 609 557 or email karen@chomp.me.uk for further information. PLEASE NOTE: the booking deadline for 

the May/June edition is 3 rd April. LoveEast Magazine is produced and published by Chomp Creative Limited. We cannot be held responsible for any errors or 

omissions, nor endorse companies, products or services that appear in this magazine. © LoveEast Magazine 2020; all rights reserved. No reproduction can be 

made without permission. Be kind to the planet; please recycle. 

E: karen@chomp.me.uk | T: 07590 609 557 | W: loveeast.london | T: @LoveEastMag | I: @loveeastmag 

LOVEEAST Mar/Apr 2020 3

| East life 

A walk through history with one 

of Roman Road's oldest and loved 

establishments, Abbotts Interiors 

Roman Road interiors institution 

Abbott’s has been 

trading from 

the same site in 

Bow for over 130 

years. The family 

run business has 

operated under 

the ‘Abbott’s’ name 

since 1882 and now 

supplies flooring, 

window dressings 

and interior 

design to 

the East 

End and 

further 

afield. 

4 LOVEEAST

| East life 

Over the years the business 

has adapted with the times, 

responding to changing trends 

in interiors and retail as a whole 

- all against the backdrop of a 

continuously evolving East End. 

Beginnings 

Queen Victoria was on the throne when Charles 

Abbott took over a small flooring company 

inherited from his wife’s parents. The Married 

Women’s Property Act had just been passed, 

which enabled wives to buy, own and sell property 

and to keep their own earnings. And, a little-known 

outfit named Tottenham Hotspur FC had just been 

founded. 

Charles – at the time living above his newly 

acquired shop, situated in a row of terraced houses 

– was about to add his contribution to the story of 

the local area. 

Roman Road 

There’s little information regarding the early years 

after Charles registered the company under the 

family name in 1929. However, we know he must’ve 

made a success of it, otherwise it wouldn’t still 

occupy the same spot on Roman Road today. 

Expansion came a little under half a century later, 

when Charles’ great nephew George purchased 

the entire row of terraced houses and demolished 

them. 

Expansion 

This paved the way for the construction of the new 

premises, which opened three years later, in 1979. 

This brand-new shop now occupied the entire 

plot on the corner of Roman Road and Dane Place 

- as it does to this day. The new-look Abbott’s 

was made possible by the ever-growing success 

of the business. It was also a direct response to 

the demands of a growing affluence within the 

working class in the local area. People had more 

money to spend. 

Besides political and social unrest, the 1970s gave 

birth to the Space Hopper, Bagpuss and Star 

Wars. It was a different East End from Charles’ day. 

Consumer culture had been born and this changed 

the way people shopped. One thing that wasn’t 

changing, however, was the attitude of Abbott’s 

Abbotts Shop front 

The Abbotts office outing with staff and family waiting to board 

the Charabanc 

OPPOSITE Clockwise from top: George Abbott; bottom left: George Abbott Senior. 


| East life 

The shop also remains 

a family affair; one of 

the keys to its success. 

Speak to anyone in 

the local area and 

they’ll know at least 

one member of the 

family that still runs 

the business 

George Abbott and his father in the 1970s 

customers towards the business that had become 

such a stalwart and so emblematic of the local 

area and its community. 

Abbott’s could always rely on a loyal local 

customer base. Generations of families had 

furnished their homes with flooring and window 

dressings bought in the shop, and the business 

had become a byword for quality, reliability and 

trust. Their reputation was spread by word of 

mouth – the 70s version of social media marketing 

– which has enabled them to continue to thrive 

despite many changes to the retail landscape in 

the decades since. 

Abbott’s remains as relevant to the local 

community today as ever before in its long history, 

and it now includes customers from Ibiza, Monaco 

and France on their burgeoning client list. The 

shop also remains a family affair: one of the keys to 

its success. Speak to anyone in the local area and 

they’ll know at least one member of the family that 

still runs the business: brothers George and Phil, 

their sisters Lynette and Daphne, Phil’s sons Ben 

and Josh & Daphne’s son Mark. 

There’s bound to be many changes to the East 

End and the way business is done over the coming 

decades. But there’s certainly no reason to believe 

that in another 130 years Abbott’s won’t still be as 

much a part of the community as it is now - adding 

a new chapter to the story. 

6 LOVEEAST 

George Abbott posing next to a red van, 1970s 

Abbotts Interiors 

470 - 480 Roman Road, E3 5LU 

T: 020 8980 4158 

E: info@abbottsflooring.co.uk 

W: abbottsfloring.co.uk 

T: @abbottsinterior 

I: @abbottsinteriors 

FB: @abbottsinteriors 

Images courtesy of Abbotts Interiors

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L o n D o n E X P ERT I S E . L o CA L K nLOVEEAST oW LED Mar/Apr g E2020 7

| East life 

Getting to know Leon Rothera, chef to the stars 

Shoreditch-based chef Leon Rothera has catapulted from working at Michelin star 

restaurants to creating the film set catering company Honest Foods. His health-conscious 

menus have catered for TV series such as Fleabag, The Crown, Whitechapel and Broadchurch 

as well as feature films, including Bohemian Rhapsody and No Time To Die. 

How did you get started 

in location catering and 

how long has Honest 

Foods been going? 

Honest Foods started in 

2006, when I was 24, as a 

cafe in Brixton. It actually 

started as a crazy quality, 

British deli but Brixton 

wasn’t ready for that! In 

about 2009 a friend who 

owns a location catering 

company got in touch 

with me and said he had 

a job that was too small 

for him; I think it was a 

Play Station commercial 

shot in someone's house 

in Streatham. It just kinda 

rolled after that and the 

week that I was handing 

over the keys to tenants 

to take over the cafe I 

received a call offering 

me three weeks’ work 

catering for an indie film 

called Bashment. 

The name, Honest Foods, really captures 

your ethos of using healthy, fresh and organic 

ingredients and your menus are truly inspired; tell 

us a bit about that. 

The answer to this is bigger than the question! My 

very first head chef Douglas Jordan said that there 

is one thing that a chef should always be and that is 

honest. So many chefs don't think about eating the 

plate of food they are serving; you should always 

ask yourself if you would eat it yourself. Be honest. 

You seem pretty hands-on and still very connected 

with the cooking aspect of things, which is 

impressive considering the size of Honest Foods 

and all it entails. You also have another company, 

Fyte Food, and you're 

doing a series of YouTube 

videos. What's your 

secret to managing it all? 

Honest Foods grew to the 

right size for me to start 

on a whole other bunch of 

projects. I get bored easily 

and what I enjoy more 

than anything is dreaming 

up new ideas and getting 

them off the ground. 

Fyte Food piggybacks 

on the smaller branch of 

Honest Foods by using 

the commercial kitchen 

space in the evening to 

provide proper dieticianchecked 

meals in and 

around Shoreditch. It’s 

currently undergoing a 

rebrand, something that I 

see as equally exciting as 

starting Fyte Food in the 

first place. You have to be 

prepared to change all the time in business. 

I have been trying out a few different videos over 

the past couple of years, really just getting a feeling 

for what it is I want to film. I've now just started 

a project to produce and present a 'Best of' East 

London series. All the videos will include some 

familiar faces and big influencers. That’s all I can say 

for now but we're filming in March so check back 

after that on my YouTube channel! 

What chefs have inspired you? 

I've never been nerdy about chefs really. I'm selftaught 

from the age of 21 so that took up all my 

swotting time. Back in the day, I was a fan of Charlie 

Trotter and Thomas Keller, who are Americans. 

I always dreamed of their access to year-round 

8 LOVEEAST

| East life 

produce and on-site growing. I love the selfsustainability 

vibe. 

Nowadays I'm just as impressed by someone's 

amazing food truck as I am by the next crazy 

tasting menu. 

Talk us through a day in your life on location. 

We roll into the base around 3.30am and set up 

the truck to have breakfast ready for 7am, then 

from 8am its full speed ahead to get lunch done for 

anywhere between 50 and 500 people, depending 

on the shoot. That’s the short answer; other than 

that, it’s about us getting really creative really fast, 

as we are known for not repeating one dish in six 

weeks (apart from on request). I don't think there’s 

many other areas of the industry where you get 

to cook so much 

different food all 

the time. 

He started going mad at us, ranting like an angry 

clapper board and threw his knife and fork into 

the kitchen, narrowly missing one of my chefs' 

heads. There was a lot of shouting and swearing 

but I'm happy to say that the production team were 

on our side as well as the two main cast members, 

who took me to one side and gave us their support 

too. Haha! 

What's your most memorable moment so far? 

We had just finished catering for the first series 

of Fleabag and were going onto the final series of 

Broadchurch. I picked up my phone to a call from 

the producer of Broadchurch saying that Olivia 

Coleman had requested that we cater. She didn’t 

know we were already booked so she got what 

she wanted anyway. That was a cool moment as 

Olivia Coleman is 

loved by everyone 

on set. 

What's the most 

challenging project 

you've had so far? 

We just did a stint 

before Christmas 

on the new series 

Bridgerton. That 

was super crazy. 

We had to take 

over from a 

previous caterer 

(they didn't cut 

the mustard) with 

three days’ notice. 

We drove to Gloucester for the first few days and 

were hitting 500 people on some days. 

Do you have any amusing, behind-the-scenes 

stories that you can share? 

There is one famed fable, known as 'Kipper Gate', 

that circulates the film sets. About seven years 

ago, we were catering for a big ITV drama; it was 

actually one of our first big jobs and meant a lot to 

the team. We would do a different breakfast special 

every morning, such as huevos rancheros, eggs 

benedict or, on quieter days, kippers and poached 

eggs. On this particular dark day, the rather grumpy 

director came up to the front of the breakfast 

queue and announced it was his birthday and that 

he would like kippers. We said sorry as that wasn’t 

todays special. What happened next is ridiculous. 

Imagine a film 

being made of 

your life. Would 

it be a comedy or 

drama and who 

would play you? 

I think it would 

have to be one of 

those gritty British 

movies with tears 

and laughs alike. 

I'd have Paddy 

Constantine play 

me because he's an absolute beast of an actor. No 

idea if we're alike! 

And, lastly, do you cook on your day off? 

I always cook, sometimes three times, on my day 

off. I'm always planning meals days in advance 

for my daughter and my partner or tending to my 

Kombucha home brew. I'd be lost without cooking. 

TO FIND OUT MORE 

W: honestfoodslondon.com and fytefood.co.uk 

T: @LeonRothera 

I: @leon.rothera and @honestfoodslondon 

youtube.com/channel/UCsgLz-udEVifHXXKSgOqfiA 

Images courtesy of Leon Rothera 


| Wellness 

When was the last time you felt 100%? Ten energy 

boosting tricks from Michele Scarr 

Modern life leaves us overwhelmed, exhausted and with little time or energy to take care of 

ourselves. We reach for sugar or coffee for an artificial boost that lasts ooh, 5 minutes, after 

which we crash and burn. Follow these Energy Boosting Tricks to put a spring back in your 

step! 

Eat a nutrient rich diet 

Eat nutritious food like protein and 

wholegrains (cut out those fluffy 

white foods: bread, pasta etc). 

Slow to break down, they fuel your 

body with a consistent source of 

energy throughout the day. 

Don’t fruit bomb your snacks 

We eat tons of fruit when we think 

of being healthy but fructose in 

fruit is difficult to break down, 

hangs around longer in the body 

and makes you lethargic. Stick to 

high water fruits like watermelon 

or blueberries. 

Invest in Superfoods 

Feel lousy and emotional? That’s your blood sugar 

going up and down like a yo-yo. Swap glucose 

for simple superfoods like apples, pears, berries, 

cabbage, onions, tomatoes. 

Go Vitamin crazy 

Vitamins help with physical tiredness as well as 

emotional exhaustion. To stop you feeling anxious, 

depressed or sleep deprived, stock up on B Vits, 

Magnesium, Vitamin E and C. 

Swap energy drinks for invigorating herbs 

Brace yourself, it’s time to ditch the coffee and Diet 

Coke. Instead invest in some Ashwaganda to relieve 

stress, balance hormones, stabilise blood sugar and 

reduce inflammation. 

Drink Up 

Your body is 60% water so 

dehydration will cause tiredness. 

Aim for 1.5-2L per day of FILTERED 

water. Hate the taste? Add 

cucumber, mint or orange and 

herbal teas count. 

Get Moving 

Ok so working out when low on 

energy is the last thing on your 

mind, but it’s the easiest way to 

skyrocket energy by speeding up 

blood and oxygen flow. 

Follow the Sun 

Sunshine Vitamin D, is crucial for 

pain, inflammation, blood sugar 

and more. Ideally get outside for 45mins a day and 

get your GP to test your levels. 

Digital Detox 

Instead of hunkering down glued to the phone or 

tablet, have a digital detox and re-energise yourself 

by seeing friends. I know, crazy. 

Prioritise Sleep 

Lack of sleep causes brain fog, impairs hormones 

and can lead to more serious health issues. This is 

when your body repairs so aim for 7hrs a night. Eat 

a banana or oats to induce calm, write down any 

worries to get them out your head and read a good 

book to induce shut eye. 

You can download my Energy ebook from www. 

nutritioneast.london/ 

Michele Scarr is a registered Nutritionist, Health Coach and 

Lecturer. 

E: nutritioneast@gmail.com 

W: nutritioneast.london 

FB: @nutrition.east.london 

10 LOVEEAST

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| Community 

Spotlight on Harold Road Centre, home of Applecart Arts 

Based in Upton Park, the centre's roots run deep. It's a much loved community hub, used 

for many years as an event space for meetings, parties and community get-togethers. 

The building is now in need of renovation, and Applecart have recently launched a 

crowdfunding campaign to raise £56,000 by 25 May. 

Applecart Arts took over management of the 

building in January 2017, and, since that time, 

have hosted a programme of theatre and arts 

events, including the ShoutOut Festival, a twoweek 

programme of theatre and spoken-word 

performances, and Transitions, an art exhibition 

celebrating stories of migration, which toured 

London between April and September. 

To this day, the centre provides space for local 

charities and organisations and Applecart have 

since developed a new theatre, studio and 

rehearsal spaces as well as a café and box office, 

all very popular with local residents. 

The Centre is in desperate need of repair 

and renovation if it is to continue serving the 

community, both local and artistic. Plans include 

a complete refurbishment of its event spaces 

and the entrance lobby, as well as installing a 

lift to increase accessibility, improve the toilets 

throughout the building and reduce water and 

energy waste with a brand-new heating system. 

A community 

finds itself in 

the stories it 

tells, in the art 

it creates and 

the music it 

makes. 

- Peter Moreton, Artistic Director 

12 LOVEEAST 

There has been great support for the campaign 

since the launch in January, with those who have 

pledged describing Applecart as a “fantastic force 

for good” and a “brilliant project in all its forms”. 

We certainly agree, and we hope to see this much 

loved space go from strength to strength. 

After all, "It's a community thing". 

Read more about the crowdfunding campaign and 

pledge your support: spacehive.com/applecartarts 

Applecart Arts 

170 Harold Road, London E13 0SE 

W: applecartarts.com 

E: info@applecartarts.com 

T: 0203 475 4280 

Images courtesy of Applecart Arts

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| Retail therapy 

Shopping local with Urban Makers 

In 2015, two designer friends, Ilka Dickens and Julia Redgrove, founded Urban Makers in 

Bow. Building on their personal experiences as makers, Ilka and Julia went on to develop a 

vibrant, creative network where designers can tap into the strength of community. 

After almost five years of markets, workshops, and 

pop-up shops, Urban Makers has become 

a key outlet for independent designers 

looking to sell their handcrafted goods 

- and a resource for those looking 

to buy. They host guest markets at 

Old Spitalfields Market, on the last 

weekend of the month and every 

Wednesday, and has appeared at 

events at Here East and Stylist Live, 

amongst others. And what’s more, 

Urban Makers launched an online 

marketplace in November 2018. They 

open their third pop-up shop in the heart of 

Shoreditch on March 4th featuring Elsa Gomez, 

Ben Rothery, Joe Ruthers and Tomartacus among 

many others. 

Inspiration behind the brand 

Ilka and Julia wanted to create a community of 

designer makers, bringing creators together in a 

social environment in which individual craftspeople 

can thrive. From homewares to art, clothing and 

accessories and stationery, Urban Makers guarantees 

buyers a large, eclectic line-up of designers united by 

a love of their craft. 

Makers markets - the key to growth 

Ilka and Julia held their first market in Christmas 

2015, where handpicked local makers gathered at St 

Paul’s Church in Bow. The event was such a success 

that they decided to do another one. And another. 

More demand soon prompted a move to the 

Ecology Pavilion in Mile End Park, where 

they still host Spring and Christmas 

markets every year. They curated 

their first pop-up shop in Hackney 

in 2016 followed by a shop in 

Shoreditch in 2018. 

Old Spitalfields Market came calling 

in Summer 2018 and asked them 

to curate a weekend makers market, 

filling over 25 of their stalls. They now 

host markets every Wednesday from 11 - 

5pm. 

They also host creative workshops on the mezzanine 

level overlooking the market, where the public can 

learn a craft and meet the makers. 

Ethical and original products 

Urban Makers looks for creative and original designs 

and, ideally, products that are handmade. If they are 

not handmade, products have to be made ethically 

Images courtesy of Urban Makers 

Elsa Gomez is the designer and maker of Brass+Bold 

- handcrafted and unique contemporary jewellery at 

accessible prices for every woman.All of her jewellery is 

lovingly handmade in East London. 

14 LOVEEAST 

Ben Rothery is a detail-obsessed illustrator and writer from 

Hackney. Much of Ben’s work is inspired or informed by his 

love of nature, having grown up wanting variously to be a 

shark, dinosaur or David Attenborough crossed with Indiana 

Jones, only relatively recently settling upon Illustration as a 

compromise allowing him to bring those fantasies to life on 

paper.

| Retail therapy 

and sustainably, preferably in the maker’s home 

country. If made elsewhere, they must be made with 

an environmental conscience, be fair-trade, both 

sweatshop- and cruelty-free and made in support of 

local communities. 

Support for independent businesses 

Urban Makers’ believe that Independent businesses 

are the lifeline of every community – and that small, 

independent businesses offer a different kind of care 

and quality in their product because their work is a 

reflection of themselves. 

Shopping independent can also be an ethical choice 

- the company’s designers make products in small 

batches, use less or no single use plastic and don’t 

test on animals. 

Buying from Urban Makers, whether online or at 

one of their events, looks like a win-win. Not only is 

it giving back to a local community by supporting 

that community’s independent businesses, it’s 

also contributing to a more ethical and sustainable 

economy. Not to mention acquiring an original and 

beautifully-designed product. 

Urban Makers 

urbanmakers.co.uk 

POP-UP SHOP 

7 Club Row, Shoreditch E1 6JX 

From 4 th March and runs through 27 th May 

featuring over 40 local designers and makers 

selling everything from homewares, natural 

skincare, art, stationery, clothing accessories 

and more. 

Opening times 

Tuesday - Friday 11 - 6pm 

Saturday 11 - 6pm 

Sunday until 5pm 

They will also be hosting workshops including 

punch needle, jewellery making and sketching. 

Workshop dates will be on their website soon. 

OLD SPITALFIELDS MARKET 

Last weekend of every month and every 

Wednesday 11 - 5pm 

SUMMER MARKET 

The Ecology Pavilion, Mile End Park 

June 13th and 14th Applications open now. 

Joey Ruthers is an illustrator and ceramicist based in Hackney, 

East London. Working predominantly in earthenware, each 

piece is unique in form and decorated by hand. Greatly inspired 

by folk art, her work often includes cats, dinosaurs and the 

occasional ghost. 

Tom and Jess Jones-Berney are a brother and sister design 

duo based in East London, running under the moniker of 

Tomartacus. With Jess taking photographs of the pairs’ 

favourite spots in London, Tom sketches them using a tablet, 

resulting in a unique brand of hand drawn digital print. 


| The Gentle Author 

John Thomas Smith's Cries of London 

For centuries, the most popular prints 

produced in the capital were The Cries 

of London. From the Elizabethan era 

until the last century, these lively images 

of street-traders were treasured by 

Londoners, and exist now as almost the 

only visual record of the outcast poor in 

the metropolis. 

Historically, those who had no job or 

shop or market stall could always make a 

living in London by selling wares in the 

street and turning their presence into a 

performance through song, winning the 

hearts of generations and incarnating 

the spirit of the city. 

‘Buy a Mat’ 

Two hundred years ago, John Thomas 

Smith was the first to draw individual 

portraits of street-traders in London and 

many of his subjects were East Enders. 

He preferred to do his drawings on the 

street but his work was not without 

hazard, as he discovered when he was 

chased through Whitechapel Market by 

an angry mob who mistook him for a 

police spy. 

The Gentle Author’s Cries of London is published by Spitalfields Life Books at £20 

and is available from spitalfieldslife.com 

The Gentle Author writes daily about the culture of East London at 

spitalfieldslife.com. 

You can also follow @thegentleauthor on twitter. 

‘Pickled Cucumbers’ 

Images courtesy of Spitalfields Life 

16 LOVEEAST

| The Gentle Author 

Joseph Johnson’s wounds rendered 

him incapable of further duty on the 

ocean, so he was obliged to gain a 

living by placing a model of his ship 

‘Nelson’ on his cap and walking up and 

down Fleet St singing for alms. 

James Sharpe, the Flying Pie Man, sold 

his pies with his hair powdered, his 

dress neat and apron spotless. He was 

remarkable for never standing still for a 

moment and crying ‘All Hot, Red Hot!’ 

John Thomas Smith described Israel 

Potter as "one of the oldest chair 

menders now living". 

George Smith was a brush maker who 

gave up his work due to rheumatism 

and took to selling groundsel and chickweed 

which he could obtain for free. 

Such was the popularity of singing birds, 

he had no need to cry his wares only to 

stand where the birds could see it. 

This Jewish Mendicant lost the use of 

his legs and was placed in a wooden 

cart so that he might be drawn about 

the neighbourhood of Petticoat Lane. 

His venerable appearance rendered it 

impossible for a Christian or a Jew to 

pass without giving alms. 

William Conway of Crab Tree Row, Bethnal 

Green, walked twenty-five miles every 

day, calling, “Hard metal spoons to sell or 

change.”He had eleven walks around London 

which he took in turn, wore out a pair 

of boots every six weeks and claimed that 

he never knew a day’s illness. 


| It's Art baby, Art! 

18 LOVEEAST


No good is going 

to come of these 

churning clouds and 

atmospheric lesions. 

Or, for that matter, 

of the land and 

water beneath them. 

Stephen Harwood's 

pejorism is as thrilling 

as it is despairing. 

The style, 'the marks', 

are uniquely brutal. 

But then so are 

the subjects they 

represent or, rather, 

invent. This is painting 

as menace. 

- Jonathan Meades 

The Bagel Factory (2019) Oil on Canvas, 60 x 50cm 



Ty in the Edgelands (2019) Oil on canvas, 45 × 50cm 

Ty, Gascoyne Estate (2019) Oil on canvas, 70 × 80cm 

Demolition (2019) Oil on Canvas, 60 x 50cm 

20 LOVEEAST


I first met Stephen Harwood about 15 years ago 

at a Publish & Be Damned Zine Fair in Arnold 

Circus, and immediately fell in love with his work. 

At that time, I was producing an art zine for which 

he created a series of mixed media portraits of 

what could be described as 'Boys in the Hood', 

combining photography, painting and text. The 

resulting works were full of energy, darkness 

and drama, depicting a sense of foreboding that 

somehow sat comfortably in tandem with the 

vulnerability of youth. 

A long-time resident of Hackney, Stephen's work 

largely focuses on exploring a sense of place, 

chronicling the changing face of the East End 

through painting, drawing, film and curatorial 

projects. His landscape paintings are at once 

immediately recognisable, with furious skies 

capturing the energy of Hackney Wick alongside 

an attention to detail that always astounds me. 

As he says, "I engage with such locations through 

a process of reimagining. In this way, my paintings, 

drawings and films become an interpretative 

mirror or filter: an investigation of place that aims 

for a shared (historical) vantage point." 

His recent portraits of teenage boys have a 

painterly quality that conveys the vulnerability and 

fury of adolescence with a knowingness that is 

haunting. 

"There is a figurative element, too, when the 

location demands it. Adolescent males are invoked, 

and situated centre-stage; becoming the spirit 

of place, or genius loci, in the midst of their own 

developmental becoming." 

To me, the wonderful thing about art, and painting 

in particular, is that it treads a line between reality 

and fiction, bringing something else entirely to the 

table, and Stephen's work does that in spades. 

See more of Stephen's work: stephenharwood.co.uk 

EXCUSE ME! DO YOU KNOW IF THERE'S ANY 

GENTRIFICATION AROUND HERE? (2019) Oil on Linen, 

50 x 40cm 

Into the Wick (2019) Oil on Canvas, 70 x 65cm 

LOVEEAST Mar/Apr 2020 21 

Images courtesy of the artist

| Thoughts on a grey day 

I can’t imagine living anywhere else than here, in East London; I’m an urban creature, and could never live 

in a rural setting - there’s something ominous about wide open spaces and having neighbours that you 

have to actually drive to that freaks me out. It brings to mind those beautifully desolate Edward Hopper 

paintings and that old TV series, Twin Peaks, as well as the promise of menace I feel when I hear The 

Doors’ Riders on the Storm. Large, uninhabited spaces tend to infuse my over-active imagination with 

thoughts of the Bates Motel, so I am definitely not a country girl. Not by a country mile. 

The countryside is beautiful, of course, and, as the 

saying goes, a change is as good as a rest. When I do 

venture out to greener pastures, I enjoy the feeling 

of the city falling away from my shoulders with each 

passing mile. It’s always good to get away, if only so that 

I can come back. 

The Really Big, Stuffed-To-The-Sky cities like New York, 

Paris or Bangkok are high on my list of City Love, but 

London will always top my list. It’s a city like no other 

and it’s the love of my life. In fact, I’ve had a love affair 

with this place ever since visiting briefly at the age of 

six. Growing up in California, I never imagined I’d end up 

living here, yet here I am, and, nearly thirty years on, this 

is, and always will be, home. 

Art by WRDSMTH, photographed on Cambridge Heath Road, 

December 2019 by Todd Kavonic 

Cities are full on, in your face, over the top and 

larger than life. A cacophony of people, cultures, 

buildings, sounds, smells and energy. They are "a 

rainbow of chaos" to paraphrase Cezanne. They can 

be overwhelming and exciting, all at the same time, 

and they never sleep. They are diversity and excess, 

and everything in between, all crammed together in a 

relatively compact space. Most importantly, they are a 

mass of interwoven and overlapping micro communities, 

each with a distinct personality, yet each firmly a part of 

the whole. 

Retaining a sense of the past while embracing the new is one of the qualities I love most about East 

London in particular. For many who live here, there’s a fierce pride in that, as evidenced by the ongoing 

Save The Whitechapel Bell Foundry campaign and The Gentle Author’s delightful chronicles of old 

East London. We are fortunate that places like Sutton House, Dennis Severs’ House, Clissold House and 

Valentines Mansion are listed, and that the many neighbourhoods in the East End continue to retain their 

personalities with a mixture of old and new. But for how long? 

Cities are like heartbeats; expanding, contracting, pulsating. Living in a city means you're in a continual 

state of flux, always moving, changing and adapting. By its very nature, a city needs to evolve, of course, 

but that shouldn’t be at the cultural expense of - and certainly not the exclusion of - its inhabitants. 

There’s a lot to be said for retaining the essence of a place, and who doesn't agree that East London has 

Personality and then some? Let's not lose that. We may not always succeed against those who appear to 

be devouring and sanitising the area, but we sure as hell won’t go down without a fight. 

22 LOVEEAST

Hackney 

personal 

trainer 

Friendly & 

experienced 

Free trial session 

www.rogerlovept.com 

Open 9:30am - 3pm daily 

Find us in Central Park 

Bartle Ave, East Ham E6 3AJ 

@easthambread 

@breadclub@central_park_cafe 


| Walk Hackney with Sean Gubbins 

Layers of Hackney 

Hackney, like all London, is layered with history: 

physically, where once open land has been 

covered by iterations of building; different 

communities, industries and walks of life coming, 

some going, others gone; changes in fortune with 

areas, once affluent, falling into poverty, then 

climbing back to prosperity. 

A collection of historic material for 200 places 

throughout Hackney has been added by a team 

of Friends of Hackney Archives (FHA). The 

information was drawn from 35 years’ worth 

of FHA publications, digitised by IHR and now 

available online at hackneyhistory.org. The 

earliest of these records relates to 12th century 

Holywell Priory; the most recent to fighting fascists 

in Ridley Road in 1962. 

Go to www.layersoflondon.org and have a shufti! 

Search for a place of interest. Open up the maps 

of your choice to give you different layers through 

time: medieval, Tudor, 17th, 18th, 19th centuries, 

Charles Booth’s Poverty, 19th and 20th century 

Ordnance Survey, WWII bomb damage, 1940s RAF 

aerial or modern satellite maps. Was your street 

built by 1827? Did Charles Booth colour it yellow 

for posh or black for ‘vicious, semi-criminal’? Was 

it bombed in the Blitz; if so, how badly? Move your 

cursor around your place of interest; find a popup 

record to click and discover something more 

about the history of your area. Or enjoy browsing 

through the various collections of records, as 

diverse as Georgian Coffee Houses, Punk London 

and Black History. 

Screenshots from the Layers of Hackney website 

To discover Hackney’s history used to mean 

looking for it in many places: searching libraries 

and bookshops; visiting museums; traipsing from 

one archive to another. But now, more and more is 

being brought together, available at the click of a 

mouse on www.layersoflondon.org. 

This website, produced by London University’s 

Institute of Historical Research (IHR), not only 

brings together a fascinating collection of digitised 

historic maps of London, it allows everyone to 

add records associated with different locations in 

London: pictures, films, recordings or stories about 

people who have lived and worked in London 

down the centuries. 

24 LOVEEAST 

Maybe you have an old photograph, a collection 

of letters, a recorded interview, a video, or the 

results of a local research project which you think 

you could share by adding it to Layers of London. 

Just create an account on the website and start 

contributing. Or, if you would prefer to work with 

others in doing this, FHA is running workshops 

for groups to map more of Hackney’s history onto 

Layers of London by adding records of histories 

that have yet to be captured. Contact FHA via 

hackneyhistory.org to find out more. 

Looking for something to do one weekend? 

Intrigued to find out more about Hackney? 

Look up walkhackney.co.uk and pick a walk 

that takes your fancy. The next four are in this 

edition's What's On section. I look forward to 

welcoming you on one of my walks.

| Roger Love on Fitness 

Switching gears... 

Image: Roger Love 

Until a month ago, my big personal fitness goal for 

2020 was to do a 100km walk in the autumn - my 

third ultra-walk - and do it in less than 24 hours. 

However, my plans have since changed and I have, 

instead, decided to embrace road cycling. 

As a kid growing up in seaside Sussex, I loved my 

bike. My best mate, Lee, and I whizzed around 

town and ran our own time-trials around Hove 

Park. I routinely stripped my cycle down in my 

grandparents' garage to respray and fettle it. 

I also remember my Grandad taking me to the 

historic outdoor velodrome in Preston Park, which 

in those days was a little down-at-heel and mostly 

ignored. 

In the subsequent 35 years or so, British cycling 

has undergone a renaissance on the streets and, 

competitively, on tracks and mountains across the 

world. 

We are incredibly lucky to live close to the Lee 

Valley VeloPark, born from the Olympics on the 

Hackney-Stratford border, with its road circuit, 

banked indoor track, BMX and mountain bike 

centres, and studio classes. 

It is the most amazing facility on our doorstep and 

a genuine piece of Olympic legacy, whether it is 

for adults getting fit and race ready, young stars 

starting a career, or little ones learning to ride at all. 

Its website is very clunky but you can’t beat the 

place for value for money. 

I was bought a membership for Christmas and 

found I loved going around the one-mile outdoor 

circuit, sometimes joined by my 17-year-old 

daughter. 

This was a sign, I decided, that I should take up 

a challenge, so when a client started putting 

together a team to do June’s 100-mile Tour of 

Cambridgeshire, I signed up. 

I am also waiting to see if I have a charity place for 

the Ride London in August. 

This, of course, means I need to change my own 

training. Squats, lunges, glute work and core 

training are still vital, but, ultimately, there’s no 

substitute for hours in the saddle. 

Fortunately, I have the VeloPark to train at, 

regardless of the weather. I am also hoping to join 

brilliant Clapton cycle shop Hub Velo’s club rides, 

though I need to have a crash course in proper use 

of gears before I venture out, I feel. 

These hours on the bike will strengthen my legs and 

lungs, and, vitally, get me used to hours on a racing 

saddle - because it's my backside that I think will 

potentially suffer the most in the next five months! 

Roger Love Is a personal trainer based in 

Netil House E8. rogerlovept.com 


| Eating in with Sophie Downer 

Central Park Cafe's Sophie 

Downer has the perfect recipe 

for Walnut honey loaf with 

pear and stilton salad 

Have a go at this simple bread recipe. 

Fresh bread is really delicious: even 

when I don’t get it quite right, it’s still 

better than anything available in the 

shops because it’s fresh and made from 

wholesome ingredients, and especially 

with Stilton, or even shaved Parmesan or 

crumbled Cheddar if you don’t want to use a 

blue cheese. 

INGREDIENTS 

For the bread 

250g strong white bread 

flour 

250g strong white bread 

flour 

450g granary flour 

425ml warm water 

1 teaspoon fine sea salt 

2x 7g sachet fast action 

yeast 

175g walnuts (plus a few or 

the salad) 

3 tablespoons of honey 

For the salad 

For the salad: 

4 fairly firm pears 

a few salad leaves 

200g Stilton 

juice of one lemon 

four tablespoons of good 

olive oil 

sea salt and pepper 

METHOD 

For the bread 

Knead all the ingredients together in a bowl till combined, turn out 

onto a floured work surface and knead for a good five minutes (or 

if you have a machine with a dough hook, even better) place the 

dough back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel, leave for about 

an hour or until double in size. Then knead the dough again, just 

enough to knock the air out of it, roll into a ball (this will be the 

shape of the loaf) and place on a baking tray and leave for another 

40 minutes to an hour to prove. Just before you bake , use a sharp 

knife to score a cross in the top of your loaf. 

Bake your loaf in an oven preheated to 220°C for 30 mins. To see if 

your loaf is ready, you can tap the base - if it sounds hollow, your loaf 

is ready, but leave to cool a little before you cut it. 

For the salad 

Slice your pears however you like, I don’t peel them but you can if 

you prefer. Toss in a bowl with the lemon, oil, salt and pepper, then 

add your walnuts, crumbled blue cheese and leaves. 

Serve with your delicious fresh bread and enjoy! 

Sophie is a trained chef and runs the Central Park Cafe in East Ham's 

Central Park. 

Follow Sophie on Instagram: @breadclub1 and on Facebook: 

@easthambread. 

Image: Sophie Downer 

26 LOVEEAST

| Eating out 

Shoreditch Wine House - an oasis for wine lovers 

Nestled in the heart of Shoreditch and hovering just on the edge of the City, the recently 

opened Shoreditch Wine House is a little gem with a warm and friendly atmosphere. 

Images courtesy of Shoreditch Wine House 

Small but perfectly formed, its contemporary decor combines warm 

wood, exposed brickwork and tables with clever displays underneath 

their glass tops. There's also a heated garden at the back. An oasis 

in the midst of busy urban life, it's the kind of place that feels like a 

secret you don't want others to know about, yet here we are, telling 

you. 

Opened this past September by Ben, Abel and Andrea, the people 

behind Mayfair's Shepherd Market Wine House and Traders Wine 

Bar in St Katharine's Dock, it's clear they share a passion for delicious 

wine and food. 

We enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco alongside a cheese and charcuterie 

board, which was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. The 

balance of bread, cheese, meat and fruit was spot on; well thought 

out with enough to easily satisfy two people. 

Presentation is everything with Shoreditch Wine House, from the 

decor to the food, and, of course, the wine. Carefully chosen by their 

head sommelier, their wines come from all over the world, including 

here in the UK. 

With a top selection of over 200 wines sourced from large wineries 

as well as small, family-run vineyards, there is something for every 

taste, and the staff are only too happy to offer advice and expertise. 

Their knowledge is extensive, and we really enjoyed talking with 

them. As they say, "Let us know your favourite wine and we will 

source it". 

There is a tasting room for hire and you can also book for private 

parties. Additionally, they feature Wine Tasting Weekends for those 

who want to test drive a selection; a nice way to spend a weekend 

afternoon (see sidebar for more information). 

SHOREDITCH WINE HOUSE 

188 Shoreditch High Street E1 6HU 

W: shoreditchwinehouse.co.uk 

E: office@shoreditchwinehouse. 

co.uk 

T: 020 7613 5601 

I: @ shoreditchwinehouse 

FB: @Shoreditchwinehouse/ 

OPENING HOURS 

Mon - Fri: 1pm - 11pm 

Saturday: Noon - 11pm 

Sunday: Noon - 9pm 

FOOD & DRINK 

Nibbles from £3.50 

Cheese & charcuterie boards from £14 

Baked Vacherin Mont d'Or £22 

Wine from £26.50 

By the glass from £7 

Wine and cheese available to 

purchase and take away. 

WINE TASTING WEEKENDS 

Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 4pm 

and includes tastings from two whites 

and two reds for £3.00 (redeemable 

when you buy a bottle to drink there or 

take away). 


| Little Green Duckie 

I love a litter pick. Great exercise, fresh air, meeting lovely people 

and doing something practical to reduce environmental pollution. 

Finding a local pick can be tricky as they don’t have money for 

advertising, so with that in mind, here are my favourites in East 

London as well as a couple of national organisations. 

Image courtesy of Little Green Duckie 

Friends of the Greenway (Stratford) 

Twitter @FriendsoftheGr1 

WHEN: Message them on Twitter to find out the next 

clean-up dates 

Friends of Mile End Park 

Twitter @thgreensandwich 

www.fomep.org.uk 

Info@fomep.org.uk 

WHEN: Last Sunday of the month 10am – 12pm 

Lower Regents Coalition 

Litter pick by canoe in and around Limehouse Basin 

FB & I @lowerregentscoalition 

Twitter @lowerregents 

lowerregentscoalition@gmail.com 

WHEN: The last Wednesday of the month (evening) 

in BST, Sunday mornings in GMT 

Plastic Free Hackney 

Twitter @plasticfreehkny 

FB & I @plasticfreehackney 

www.plasticfreehackney.com 

WHEN: Monthly, normally the last Sunday of the 

month, 10am-12pm from outside the Princess of Wales 

pub (Clapton) 

Wanstead Flats Pickers 

Twitter @flats_pickers 

WHEN: Last Sunday of the month 11am - 12:30pm. 

Meet opposite the Golden Fleece pub, Capel Road, 

Manor Park 

National organisations 

Keep Britain Tidy 

www.keepbritaintidy.org/events-results 

Find clean-ups near you, Green Flag winning parks 

and public spaces 

Litter Action 

www.litteraction.org.uk/findgroup? 

Hundreds of groups all over the UK, just put in your 

postcode, or name of a town. 

London has 212 registered, Manchester 90 and Bristol 

68! 

28 LOVEEAST 

What do I bring / wear? 

• Comfy clothes that don’t matter if they get a bit 

dirty 

• Check the weather forecast to be suitably dressed, 

most picks run rain or shine. But check their social 

media in case of cancellation 

• Closed toe shoes as you might be climbing into 

bushes! 

• As small a bag as possible, as you will be carrying it 

around 

• Water bottle and snacks if it’s around the time 

you normally eat. Litter picking uses quite a bit of 

energy. 

• Sun cream and sunglasses if it’s British Summer 

Time. 

• Most picks supply gloves, sticks and bags. 

What about children? 

Most litter picks are suitable for children and pets but 

they must be supervised, especially if the pick will be 

near water. Many will even have mini litter pick sticks 

and gloves for them. Check in advance what they can 

provide for children. 

Good to know 

Picks usually don’t separate the waste, as most litter 

cannot be recycled. It is too contaminated with 

food, soil etc. BUT at least it’s not in the environment 

anymore! 

Always check the group’s website or social media to 

ensure an event is happening before travelling. 

Little Green Duckie (Justine) lives in Stratford and is a 

Sustainability blogger who envisions a disposable-plastic 

free city. Challenges rail companies on water fountains, 

book swap guardian and loves a litter pick. 

W: littlegreenduckie.com 

T: @LttlGreenDuckie 

FB: @LittleGreenDuckie

Stronger, Fitter, Faster 

Lose Weight, Get Fit, Improve Quality of Life 

1 to 1 Studio Space 

Michelle Crawford Bsc(hons) psyc, Dip Sports Psyc 

Fighting Fit Studio 

36 Gossamer City Project, London E2 9FN 

Tel: 07805 612127 

michellept.wordpress.com 

@Fightingfitbow 

@fightingfitstudio 


Arts 'n Crafts 

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park has loads of workshops 

and activities this Spring. fothcp.org 

Little Artists London offers an array of child-friendly 

workshops at CreatePlace, St Margarets House in 

Bethnal Green. littleartistslondon.com/workshops 

Kids' activities at The Yard - play, discover and make. 

the-yard.co.uk 

Family-friendly Pottery Workshops at Wonderland 

Ceramics, 237 Victoria Park Rd, E9 7HD, Weekdays 

11-1pm, 1-3pm, 3-5pm, £30 pp. £30 adults / £20 kids. 

wonderlandceramics.com 

Royal Docks offers all kinds of kids' activities including 

arts & craft, sport, storytelling etc. royaldocks.london/ 

whats-on 

Music, Dance & Drama 

The Half Moon Theatre in Limehouse has some great 

Puppetry & Children's Theatre. halfmoon.org.uk 

SoundsCreative Projects offers an array of music and 

dance activities including Tots Gigs, Tots Tunes and the 

SoundsCreative Ensamble. soundscreativeprojects. 

co.uk/whatson/ 

Children’s Creative Movement & Dance classes at 

Chisenhale Dance Space. chisenhaledancespace.co.uk 

ShowKids - performing arts training aged 5 - 16 in 

Clapton, Forest Gate & Stoke Newington. 

showkids.co.uk 

Kids' Yoga 

East of Eden in Walthamstow has Parent & toddler 

yoga classes and Yoga for Kids aged 5 - 9. edeneast. 

co.uk/what-we-do/yoga/kids/ 

MoveYoga in Roman Road has Mum & Baby yoga 

classes: movestudiolondon.com/classes 

Reading & Writing 

Discover Children's Story Centre offers all kinds of 

events and is SEN friendly. 383-387 High St, Stratford 

E15 4QZ. discover.org.uk 

Chatterbooks reading groups have various locations; 

find one near you: readinggroups.org/groups 

Creative writing for 7-14 yr olds, first Wednesday 

of the month, 4.30 - 5.30pm at Dalston CLR James 

Library. hackney.gov.uk/libraries-whats-on#dalston 

Storytime has free drop in sessions for babies/ 

pre schoolers and their parents/carers with stories, 

rhymes and songs. Tuesdays during term time from 

10 - 11.30am. Victoria Park Community Centre, 5 Gore Rd, 

Hackney, E9 7HR 

Indoor & Soft Play 

Kidzmania indoor playground, Hackney Downs. 

kidzmania.co.uk 

Hackney Playbus 

hackneyplaybus.org 

ZAPSpace Trampoline Park, Stratford 

zapspace.co.uk 

FlipOut E6 Trampoline Park, East Ham 

flipout.co.uk/locations/london-e6 

Parks & Recreation 

Check out Living with Warmth, a children's what's on 

guide for Hackney & Islington. livingwithwarmth.com 

Brampton Park 

openplay.co.uk/view/1458/brampton-park 

Bow Creek Ecology Park 

visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/nature/naturereserve/bow-creek/ 

Central Park, East Ham 

openplay.co.uk/view/317/central-park 

30 LOVEEAST

Clissold Park 

hackney.gov.uk/clissold-park 

Homerton Grove Adventure Playground 

hackneyplay.org/homerton-grove/ 

Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground 

wapa.org.uk/about.html 

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park 

fothcp.org/kids 

Tumbling Bay Playground in the north of Olympic 

Park 

queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/thingsto-do 

Victoria Park 

towerhamlets.gov.uk 

Inclusive Adventure Playgrounds 

Designed for young people with disabilities/additional 

needs and supervised by trained, CRB checked staff, 

& offer a variety of activities for stimulating & inclusive 

play in a setting that supports the child's requirements 

and also gives support to their families. 

Hackney Adventure Playground, Clapton 

FB: @KIDSAdventurePlayHackney 

Terence Brown Ark, Canning Town 

FB: @AmbitionAspireAchieve 

theaaazone.com/terence-brown-arc 

Splish Splash 

Find an indoor pool near you: swimming.org/ 

poolfinder/ Just put in your post code and voilà. 

City Farms in East London 

Fun filled animal activities to keep the kids busy. Many 

have arts n' crafts activities and clubs as well. 

Hackney City Farm: hackneyyoungarts@gmail.com 

Mudchute City Farm: mudchute.org 

Newham City Farm: FB: @NewhamCityFarm 

Spitafields City Farm: spitalfieldscityfarm.org 

Stepney City Farm: stepneycityfarm.org 

Horse Riding 

Lee Valley Riding Centre: leevalleypark.org.uk/go/ 

horseriding/ 

Aldersbrook Riding: aldersbrookriding.co.uk 

Docklands Equestrian Centre/Newham Riding 

School: docklandsequestriancentre.com 

Cinemas 

The Castle Cinema: thecastlecinema.com 

Genesis Stepney: genesiscinema.co.uk/ 

GenesisCinema.dll/Home 

Picturehouse Hackney: picturehouses.com/cinema/ 

Hackney_Picturehouse 

Picturehouse Stratford: picturehouses.com/cinema/ 

Stratford_London 

RichMix Shoreditch: richmix.org.uk/events/type/film 

Rio Cinema : riocinema.org.uk/RioCinema.dll/Home 

Schedules vary so be sure to check times & 

availability on websites or contact details. 

Visit myeastlondon.online for more listings 

and to list your event for free. 

Wonderland Ceramics 

Time to be Creative 

237 Victoria Park 

Road 

E9 7HD 

Ph 020 8985 1214 

Ceramic Café, 

Pottery Painting, 

unique gifts, Children's 

Birthday Parties, team 

building, and lots of fun 

www.wonderlandceramics.com 

info@wonderlandceramics.com 


| What's on 

March 

SUN 1 MARCH 

Make your own ruby slippers, 

2 - 4pm at Queen of Hoxton, 

1-5, Curtain Road, Shoreditch, 

EC2A 3JX. 12-4pm. INFO: 

queenofhoxton.com/whats-on/ 

Bengal to Bethnal Green - 

songs of Luthfor Rahman, 

7pm at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal 

Green Rd, E1 6LA. Tickets: £10, 

£5 conces £15 family. INFO: 

richmix.org.uk/ 

TUES 3 MARCH 

Leytonstone Life Drawing, 

7pm at The Birds, 692 High Rd, 

Leytonstone E11 3AA. £10 drop 

in/£5 Members. Runs every 

Tues INFO: thebirds.pub/ 

events 

WED 4 MARCH 

Music Quiz Night at The Red 

Lion, 132 Stoke Newington 

Church Street, N16 0JX 

Runs every 1 st Wed of the 

month. INFO: frontierpubs. 

co.uk/your-local/the-red-lionstoke-newington-pub/ 

Boogaloo Stu's Big Quiffy 

Quiz, 8:30 - 10:45pm at The 

Birds, 692 High Rd, Leytonstone 

E11 3AA. Runs every 

Wednesday. INFO: thebirds. 

pub/events. 

THURS 5 MARCH 

The Hackney Singers & local 

children form part of the chorus 

alongside the English Touring 

Opera for the performance of 

St John Passion 7:30pm at 

the Hackney Empire. The 

ETO will also perform Cosi 

fan tutt on Friday & Giulio 

Cesare on Saturday INFO: 

hackneyempire.co.uk 

Date-ercise - Fitness class 

for singles at Right Path Fitness 

studio, 20 Gravel Lane, Liverpool 

St. E1 7AW, 7:30 - 9pm. 18+, tkts 

£20. Runs every Thurs. 

INFO: rightpathfitness.co.uk 

FRI 6 MARCH 

Adult Evening Pottery 

Workshops at Wonderland 

Ceramics, 237 Victoria Park Rd, 

E9 7HD, Runs every Fri 

& Sat 6.30 - 8.30pm. INFO: 

wonderlandceramics.com 

SAT 7 MARCH 

Hoxton New Town History 

Walk: West Hoxton’s Story, 

11am - 2pm. Meet: Top of 

Exit 7 from Old Street Station, 

EC1Y 1BE. £10/£8. INFO: 

walkhackney.co.uk/hoxtonnew-town-walk/ 

Dig-A-Little Record Fair 

1- 6pm at The Denmark Arms, 

381 Barking Rd, East Ham 

E6 1LA. FREE entry & you 

can Buy, Sell or Trade. INFO: 

denmarkarms.com/whats-on/ 

The Urban Birder One 

Day Course, 10am - 4pm 

at Walthamstow Wetlands, 

2 Forest Rd, Tottenham 

N17 9NH. £60/pp INFO: 

walthamstowwetlands.com/ 

urban-birder 

First Time Buyer Home 

Show, 10am - 4pm at The 

Old Town Hall, The Broadway, 

Stratford E15, UK. INFO: 

ftbhomeshow.com 

SUN 8 MARCH 

Comedy Fundraiser for 

Ambition, Aspire, Achieve 

children's charity, 8pm at The 

Backyard Comedy Club, 231 

Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal 

Green E2 0EL Tickets: £20/25. 

INFO: backyardcomedyclub. 

co.uk & theaaazone.com 

MON 9 MARCH 

Zumba Mondays 6:30 - 7:30pm 

at Queens Road West Community 

Centre, 63 Queens Road West, 

Plaistow E13 0P. £5 per class. 

Runs every Mon. INFO: 

FB @zumbawithsalsapam 

WED 11 MARCH 

All Female dance company 

TRIBE debuts Still I Rise at 

Stratford Circus Arts Centre. 

Tickets £13 - £15. INFO: 

stratford-circus.com/whats-on/ 

FRI 20 MARCH 

First Day of Spring 

Amy Rigby: Girl To City 

In conversation and live 

performance, 7pm at Mother's 

Ruin Gin Palace, Shernhall Street 

E17 9HQ, Tickets £9/£11. INFO: 

Facebook @E17rockbookclub 

SAT 21 MARCH 

Vintage & Vinyl Market, 

FREE entry 11am - 4pm at Lister 

Hall, High Road/Lister Road, 

Leytonstone E11 3DA. INFO: 

07956 221 710. 

Beginners Bike Maintenance 

Course at Bikeworks, Lee Valley 

Velopark, E20 3AB; 10am - 4pm. 

INFO: bikeworks.org.uk 

SUN 22 MARCH 

Mother's Day 

TUES 24 MARCH 

Common threads Pop-Up 

Exhibition Opening, 6 - 8:30pm 

at Autograph, Rivington Place, 

Shoreditch EC2A 3BA. INFO: 

autograph.org.uk 

FRI 27 MARCH 

UpBeat Open Mic at The Gate 

Library, Forest Gate. Runs 

every last Friday & all welcome. 

INFO: FB @forestgatearts 

SAT 28 MARCH 

Homerton History Walk: Home 

to dissenters and paupers, 

once Hackney’s wealthiest 

neighbourhood, 11am-1.30pm. 

Meet: Homerton Station. £10/£8. 

INFO: walkhackney.co.uk/ 

homerton/ 

Intermediate Bike 

Maintenance Course at 

Bikeworks, Lee Valley Velopark, 

E20 3AB; 10am - 4pm. INFO: 

bikeworks.org.uk 

Don't forget to set your 

clocks forward! 

SUN 29 MARCH 

British Summertime 

32 LOVEEAST

April 

THURS 2 APRIL 

First Thursdays - late night 

art on the first Thursday of 

every month with over 150 

galleries to choose from. INFO: 

whitechapelgallery.org/firstthursdays/ 

Dickens and His 

Illustrators; talk by Pete 

Smith, 2 - 3pm at the Guildhall 

Library, Aldermanbury, EC2V 

7HH. Free. INFO: https://bit. 

ly/2S0Wvf6 

FRI 3 APRIL 

London Coffee Festival opens 

at 4pm at the Truman Brewery, 

Brick Lane, E1 6QR. Runs thru 

the 5th; tickets £16.50. INFO: 

londoncoffeefestival.com/ 

Home 

The Chef's Table Supper 

Club: Michelin-trained Chef 

Aidan Brooks, creator of 

Eleven98 brings you his chef's 

table concept: an innovative 

and sustainable fine dining 

tasting menu, 7 - 10:30pm 

at 227B Victoria Park Road, 

Hackney. Reservations 

essential. INFO: 

eleven98hackney.com/ 

reservations 

SUN 5 APRIL 

Sing in the Spring, an 

evening of song led by resident 

youth choir NewYVC. with 

performances from East Ham 

Voices, Isle of Dogs Voices, 

Boys 4 Voices, Forest Voices 

and more at Stratford Circus 

Arts Centre. Tickets £4/£5. 

INFO: stratford-circus.com/ 

whats-on/ 

MON 6 APRIL 

Fitness Fundamentals, 7 - 

8pm at Leytonstone Community 

Sports Centre (Main School 

Hall), James Ln, E11 1NS. £7 

Pre-book/PAYG. Runs 

every Monday. INFO: sttrainingpt.co.uk/classes 

TUES 7 APRIL 

Dalston Jazz Jam from 8pm at 

Ruby's Bar & Lounge, 72-76 Stoke 

Newington Rd, Dalston N16 

7XB. 8pm, FREE admission but 

advanced booking recommended. 

Runs every Tues, Wed & 

Thurs. INFO: rubysdalston.com 

THURS 9 APRIL 

Ladies who Latte free 

networking group,10:30am - 

12:30pm at The Stratford Hotel, 

QE Olympic Park, 20 International 

Way E20 1FD. Runs every 

2 nd Thurs. INFO: https://bit. 

ly/2GZ5jf7 

FRI 10 APRIL 

Bank Holiday 


Club (see 3 Apri listing for 

detailed description and info). 

Reservations essential. 

INFO: eleven98hackney.com/ 

reservations 

SAT 11 APRIL 

The Great Shoreditch Easter 

Egg Hunt at Shoreditch Town 

Hall, 380 Old St., EC1V 9LT. INFO: 

shoreditchtownhall.com 

SUN 12 APRIL 

Easter Sunday 

Club the night away at the 

Half Baked Easter Sunday 

Special, 2pm - 6am at Studio 

9294, Wallis Rd, E9 5LN. Lineup 

TBA. INFO: residentadvisor. 

net/events/1370125 

MON 13 APRIL 

Bank Holiday 

FRI 17 APRIL 


Club (see 3 Apri listing for 

detailed description and info). 

Reservations essential. 

INFO: eleven98hackney.com/ 

reservations 

E15 Jazz Sessions with 

Esther Bennett & Hannah 

Horton Quartet 8pm at Stratford 

Circus Arts Centre, Theatre Sq, 

E15 1BX. INFO: stratford-circus. 

com/whats-on/ 

SAT 18 APRIL 

Record Store Day 

Beginners Bike Maintenance 

Course at Bikeworks, Lee Valley 

Velopark, E20 3AB; 10am - 4pm. 

INFO: bikeworks.org.uk 

Rhodes Town History Walk: 

How Fields Became Houses, 

11am-1.15pm. Meet: Entrance 

to Dalston Junction Station, 

London, E8 3DL. £10/£8. INFO: 

walkhackney.co.uk/rhodestown-walk/ 

Wildlife Photography 

Workshop with Iain Green, 

10am-4pm at Walthamstow 

Wetlands, 2 Forest Rd, 

Tottenham N17 9NH. £60/pp. 

INFO: walthamstowwetlands. 

com/wildlife-photography 

Drag Bingo Balls - Bingo 

for Brunch with a twist at The 

Birds, 692 High Rd, Leytonstone 

E11 3AA. £23 Early Bird Tickets 

(limited so book early) or £28. 

Includes brunch & 3 hrs of 

bottomless Mimosas and Bloody 

Mary's. INFO: thebirds.pub/ 

events 

Welcome to Iran previews at 

Theatre Royal Stratford East 

Runs thru 16 May. Check 

the website for dates and 

times. Tickets from £10. INFO: 

stratfordeast.com/whats-on/ 

all-shows/welcome-toiran#schedules 

WED 22 APRIL 

Earth Day 

UEL Postgraduate Open 

Evening, 5 - 8pm at Stratford 

Campus, Water Lane, E15 4LZ. 

INFO: uel.ac.uk/postgraduate/ 

open-evenings 

FRI 24 APRIL 

Urban Jungle East 2020 Spring 

Botanical Festival, 10am - 5pm 

at Old Spitalfields Market, 16 

Commercial St, E1 6EW. 

Runs thru Sunday. INFO: 

oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/ 

events/urban-jungle-east-2020 

| What's on 

Be sure to 

visit our online 

calendar, 

myeastlondon. 

online for more 

events. 

You can also 

upload your 

events for free. 

FRI 25 APRIL 

UpBeat Open Mic at The Gate 

Library, Forest Gate. Runs 

every last Friday & all welcome. 

INFO: FB @forestgatearts 

SAT 25 APRIL 

South Hackney History Walk: 

Always Hackney’s posh part, 

11am-2pm. Meet: outside The 

Pottery Workshop, 77 Lauriston 

Road, London, E9 7HA. £10/£8. 

INFO: walkhackney.co.uk/ 

heart-of-hackney/ 

Intermediate Bike 

Maintenance Course at 

Bikeworks, Lee Valley Velopark, 

E20 3AB; 10am - 4pm. INFO: 

bikeworks.org.uk 

Gin on the River gin tasting 

cruise. Set sail at 5pm from 

Pontoon on the Canal, QE Olympic 

Park, E20 2ST; cruise lasts 3 

hours. £65pp. INFO: https://bit. 

ly/39aCWGG 

SUN 26 APRIL 

Cheer on the runners for the 

London Marathon. INFO: 

https://bit.ly/2UtZnm3 

THURS 30 APRIL 

Eleven98 Pops Up at Hackney 

Coffee Company, 503 Hackney 

Rd, E2 9ED. Innovative and 

sustainable fine dining by 

Michelin-trained Chef Aidan 

Brooks. Reservations 

essential. INFO: 

eleven98hackney.com/ 

reservations 


| Parting shot 

34 LOVEEAST

Big days and 

little days, we 

can help make 

them perfect 

A.G. Price Florist 

217-219 Well Street, E9 6QU 

T: 020 8986 0250 

W: agpriceflowers.co.uk 

I: @agpriceflorist 

Your safety is 

our concern 

Specialising in alarms, CCTV, concertina grilles 

and safes, we are the most comprehensive 

lock-based service available 

Empire Security, 8-20 Well Street, E9 7PX 

020 8986 7921 


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LoveEast.54

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