October 2011: Spitalfields Life

Spitalfields Life is written by someone identified only as ‘The Gentle Author' who has set out to write at least ten thousand stories about life in Spitalfields, East London. At the rate of one post a day, the author (who we shall call ‘he' for now) reckons that this task will take approximately twenty-seven years and four months. The blog has been going since 26th August 2009 and, assuming The Gentle Author continues at his current rate, will complete some time in 2037.



HIDDEN STORIES FROM SPITALFIELDS

There is no shortage of material when it comes to life in Spitalfields and The Gentle Author, himself a resident of the area, is full of enthusiasm about its people, history, food and culture about which he writes eloquently and informatively. The blog is divided into categories covering all the different sides of life in Spitalfields, including: Animal, Criminal, Culinary, Cultural, Human, Literary, Market, Night, Past, Photo, Plant, Sex, Spiritual and Street Life. From more historical stories such as The Life of a Mudlark (1861) or The Stepney School Strike of 1971 to contemporary aspects of life in Spitalfields such as The Trannies of Bethnal Green or The Curry Chefs of Brick Lane, Spitalfields Life - whether you live in Spitalfields or not - is a fascinating blog, full of hidden stories from this multi-faceted and culturally rich part of London.

WELL-RESEARCHED AND INFORMATIVE

The subject matter is strong and the author's style does the stories justice with posts written in the manner of proper journalistic articles - highly detailed, well-researched, fact-based and punctuated with quotes from local residents and good quality imagery. This makes for a refreshing blog and one that will have a greater longevity than most - particularly if Spitalfields Life is picked up by a book publisher, something that won't take long, we'll wager.

Emily Jenkinson

28th September 2011