A fortnightly celebration of the folk history of the Olympic boroughs, in story and song.
As the final week of our Olympic Borough Folk Olympics tour approaches, Ruairidh Anderson presents the third instalment for the Borough of Newham, the life of Elizabeth Fry.
‘The idea of waking up in our own filth and in very close proximity to someone of questionable looks and an equally low level level of personal hygiene is for many of us simply a fond memory of university days, but for many Londoners it was a very grim reality. That was before the arrival of a shy girl forever linked to the borough of Newham.’
For more songs and videos inspired by London history visit www.songsfromthehowlingsea.com
The lyrics to this song can be found here.
Previously in Newham
Previously in Waltham Forest
- Pestilence, Plague and the Pits of Waltham Forest
- Motors and Muddy Marshes in Walthamstow
- The Cursed pool of Epping Forest.
- World Sports, Wastage & Walthamstow Ave FC
Previously in Hackney
- William Lyttle: Mole Man of Hackney
- Mrs Basil Holmes: saviour of London’s graveyards
- Horatio Bottomley: Hackney MP and scoundrel
- Deerfoot: the native American who ran in Hackney
Previously in Greenwich
- Joseph Druce: mudlark and Maori Chief
- Anne Boleyn: Marriage and May Madness
- General James Wolfe: Battles, Brothels and Broken Hearts
- Martial Bourdin, The Exploding Anarchist Of Greenwich
Previously in Tower Hamlets
- Charlie Brown: Uncrowned King of Limehouse
- Angela Burdett-Coutts, Queen Of The East End Poor
- Jamrach’s Menagerie, Rhinos & the Ratcliffe Highway
- Moris ‘Two-guns’ Cohen
- Emmanuel Swedenborg, Veruca Socks and Heavenly Secrets
- John Newton, Goebbels, Star Trek & The Slave Trade
- Eliza Marchpane, Mozart, Vol Au Vents And The Wapping Streets
- Isambard Kingdon Brunel, Ships, Bones And Bad Breath
