Over the Border: The Other East End by Neil Fraser

by Neil Fraser

Over the Border In 2005 London was awarded the right to host the Olympic Games, and the central location of this extravaganza was to be Stratford. Overnight, this largely unnoticed part of the metropolis was thrust into the global spotlight. But prior to the arrival of the Olympics, Stratford was far from being an obscure outpost on the fringe of the city. It had played a key role at the heart of the 'new' East L... Full description

Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Christopher Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone brought up in Canning Town I was drawn to this book on the East End of London. What I was particularly interested in was the fact that this does not look at the 'usual' East End of Stepney and Whitechapel. There is no mention here of Jack the Ripper or the Kray twins. Instead it looks at the part of London east of the River Lea - Stratford, Plaistow, West Ham, Canning Town. This is the East End that I knew. This is an unusual and interesting book. It is not quite a history book. There is no cohesive narrative telling the story of the area from the Roman times to present day. Rather each chapter concentrates on certain aspects of the history of the area. So there is a chapter telling about the setting up of the Theatre Royal in Stratford. There is another chapter on the 'Plaistow land grabbers' of 1906. There are also tales of strange murders and disappearances. Interspersed with these tales are conversations and walks with a Stratford local called 'Angry Bob' that describe how the area has changed. So it is indeed an eclectic mix. If you are looking for a 'formal' history of the area this is not it, but I certainly enjoyed this rather scattergun approach.