Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives

New Event!

London’s Lost Black Pubs & Taverns
Thursday 18 June 6.00-7.30pm

Join author S.I. Martin for an introduction to the forgotten world of London's Black pubs in the 1700s and 1800s.
Starting in Whitechapel and East Smithfield and ending in Leicester Square and Wigmore Street, Martin will explore how pubs with Black clientele or Black 'guvnors' were sites of change, resistance and community.

Book via Eventbrite https://orlo.uk/M6Be8

We've been busy adding new books to our Local History Library this week, on everything from the General Strike to grime 📚 ✊ 🎤

You can find the latest titles on all things East End in our Reading Room, but we also have books dating back to 1583 if you're feeling nostalgic.

Today marks 100 years since the end of the 1926 General Strike, when the country came to a standstill for nine days as workers downed tools in solidarity with locked-out coal miners.

Tower Hamlets was a site of militant action as the docks shut down and troops were sent in to break the strike. There were clashes between police and strikers on East India Dock Road, and Joseph Hammond, the Mayor of Poplar, was injured by a police baton.

To find out more, you can explore our collections relating to the strike which include bulletins, newspaper articles, photos and Council minutes!

Happy St George's Day!

St George in the East Church in Shadwell is one of the six church designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Built between 1714 to 1729 the Grade I listed building has used by local communities for centuries. The church baptised many individuals of African Heritage with over 150 baptisms identified in parish records.

A celebration of some of these individuals lives will be on display at St George in the East church from today 4-8pm. Visit the exhibition daily 10-4pm until 23 May 2026

Image - Engraving of St George in the East Church, 1818

Protest Then and Now: Digital Tools for Collective Action
Workshop | Saturday 16 May | 12-3pm
Venue: Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, Education Room

We are delighted to be hosting Protest Then and Now: Digital Tools for Collective Action, a unique workshop which features some of our collections, to be led by Derek Curry and Jennifer Gradecki.

Participants will explore how digital technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming the way communities organise, communicate, and resist. Drawing on the story of the Poplar Rates Rebellion as a starting point, we'll examine what it means to campaign, advocate, and build solidarity in the digital age — and what the rebels of 1921 can still teach us about doing it well.

Through a mix of discussion, practical activities, and live experimentation with digital tools, participants will explore how movements craft and spread their messages across platforms.

No technical knowledge is required. Whether you're an experienced organiser or simply curious about the relationship between protest and technology, this workshop is designed to be accessible, participatory, and grounded in a rich local history.

Derek Curry and Jennifer Gradecki are media artists who critique the dominant technological powers by hacking technologies to reveal underlying assumptions and effects. They recreate technologies used for social control, including open-source surveillance systems, financial technologies, and artificial intelligence. They are Associate Professors in Art + Design at Northeastern University in Boston.

This workshop is part of The Art of Protest project, exploring the legacy of the Poplar Rates Rebellion, which also includes a walking tour of the sites and stories of the 1921 rebellion in Poplar, East London, by Sam Kemp.

Spaces are limited so please only book is you are able to attend. Book here https://orlo.uk/jMVgu!

New Exhibition Sneak Peak!

Communities of Liberation is now preparing for a re-launch at the Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, after its successful display at Tower Hamlets Town Hall in 2025. Join us on Thursday 26 March 6-8pm for the unveiling of the new exhibition. With added unseen pieces interpreting the collections at the archives. Alongside an exhibition installation from Archaeology South-East UCL, you can explore objects unearthed in Whitechapel that uncover more stories of Black Communities living Tower Hamlets.

Book your place at the launch via link in our Bio

https://orlo.uk/VmfiA

Join us at for Threads of Liberation: Women’s Liberation in East London past, present, and future

Location: G.47, Mile End Library, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, Bethnal Green, London, E1 4NS

Date: 5:30-8:30pm, Wednesday 25 March

Join the Centre for Public Engagement for Women’s History Month as we explore Women’s Liberation in East London. View materials from Queen Mary and Tower Hamlets Archives, and reflect on what liberation means to you through a Nakshi kantha embroidery workshop with OITIJ-JO Collective. Connect with others passionate about gender equity and women’s justice in East London.

This event is free and open to people of all genders.

Book via Link in our bio 🔗

For Women's History Month we are hosting an event with local historian Carolyn Clark

'Women and the Regent's Canal, and its industries'
Thursday 12 March, 6.00pm-7.30pm
Tower Hamlets Archive - 277 Bancroft Road, Stepney E1 4DQ

Carolyn Clark will present stories and images of women's lives, both on and living by the eastern reach of the Regent’s Canal. Carolyn runs the Regent’s Canal Heritage projects, working with Laburnum Boat Club in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, and the Young Actors Theatre in Islington.

Carolyn is the author of ‘The East End Canal Tales‘, ‘Tales of Old Ford, Bow’, 'The Lower Clapton Tales’ and ‘The Shoreditch Tales’. She lives by the Hertford Union Canal in Bow.

Book here https://orlo.uk/IZQNC

Join us for a fitting finale for the exhibition, for our last event in the Next Stop programme we're thrilled to welcome the esteemed London railway historian Jim Connor to give a talk.

A prolific local history author and publisher, in 1994 Jim co-founded the magazine London Railway Record with his late partner Barbara and subsequently published two bestsellers on disused London Underground stations. Join Jim and exhibition curator Genova Messiah for a talk about the East End's lost stations, followed by a Q&A.

Book via Evenbrite https://orlo.uk/here_JhdQj

Fielding Postcards Book Launch
Thursday 22 January 2026, 5.30 - 8pm

Fielding Postcards is the latest book from the History of Wapping Trust. Published in memory of local historian Ray Newton, the book presents a unique set of 33 colour picture postcards sold by Watney Street newsagent Charles Fielding in the early 1900s. The postcards celebrate the East End of London and are shown together with a brief history of each scene and a contemporary photograph.

The evening will start with a presentation on 'The History of Colour Postcards' by Steve Kentfield, followed by a slide show of the 33 Fielding postcards by John Tarby.
The book will be on sale as we celebrate the launch.

Doors open at 5.30pm with presentations starting at 6pm sharp.

Book here: https://orlo.uk/D7zr2

Exhibition launch: Tom Lyddon’s Cityscapes
Saturday 17 January, 2.00-3.30pm

Join us for the official launch of local artist Tom Lyddon’s exhibition at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives.

Tom recently deposited his artworks for permanent preservation in the council’s archive collections. This vibrant display showcases a variety of mixed-media cityscapes depicting the borough of Tower Hamlets.

There will be a short Q&A with Tom Lyddon led by Richard Wiltshire (Archive Manager) at 2.15pm, along with some tea and nibbles.

No booking required - just turn up on the day.

The exhibition is on the first floor landing space.