The People of Providence: A housing estate and some of its inhabitants

by Tony Parker

Over a period of eighteen months Tony Parker interviewed the residents of an ordinary housing estate in South London. He listened to an assorted mixture of personalities - including a vagrant, two policemen, an often-convicted fence who was the mother of five children, a pro-flogging magistrate, a local doctor, and a 75-year-old widower who spent ‘an hour or two in bed each week with one or other of about twelve different ladies I meet at our church’. The inhabitants of ‘Providence’ opened their hearts, revealing all their quirks, emotions and prejudices. These interviews prove that extraordinary stories are found not only in deserts and jungles: even amid the bleak sprawl of South London, Tony Parker discovered a community that is diverse and enthralling

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Book Club, London

482 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 1983

About the author

Tony Parker (25 June 1923 – 3 October 1996) was an oral historian whose work was dedicated to giving a voice to British and American society's most marginalised figures, from single mothers to lighthouse keepers to criminals, including murderers.

Born in Stockport, Cheshire, Parker was a conscientious objector during World War II, and directed to work in a coal mine. He moved to London and worked as a publisher's representative at Odhams Press. He campaigned against capital punishment and became very interested in prisons and their occupants, eventually focussing on the experiences of prisoners after release.

Tony Parker died in Westleton, Suffolk, having just completed his study of his American counterpart Studs Terkel.

Reviews

[Seymour Glass]

An amazing historial document and definitely one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Written as a collection of interviews with various people living on an enormous south London housing estate in the early 1980s, it conveys the breadth of people and attitudes to be found in any one place. There's some shocking racism on display here, as well as great acceptance, abuse, tales of unimaginably hard lives, burgeoning feminism and, despite it all, profound happiness and contentment. The book represents a fair cross-section of society, from moneyed professionals to penniless squatters and it's incredible to think that it's all true. My only criticism would be that it is too long and some of the interviews with the workers on the estate get too bogged down in the particulars of procedure - the draw of a piece like this is the humanity of it, the gritty realness of ordinary people's lives. Perhaps the long descriptions of administrative work shows the boredom the workers endure but I could have done without it.
Overall though, a fascinating read I feel really lucky to have stumbled across.

[Ruth]

Fabulous book. Fascinating insight into a London housing estate and its inhabitants in the late 70s and early 80s. Parker is a gifted and intuitive social historian with a skill in getting people from a wide range of backgrounds to open up and talk about their inner lives as well as the lives they present to the world.

[Ben Jefferies]

This is an extraordinary achievement and addictively readable. The writer interviewed 50 people who lived or worked on an estate in south London during the early 1980s. You might expect the result to feel fragmentary but his skill is in creating a coherent and powerful whole.

He clearly has invested in gaining the trust of his participants and you really feel people are revealing themselves as honestly as they can. The racism of some of the participants is shocking, as is the sense of hopelessness some express, particularly the women.

[Artie LeBlanc]

A clever idea, very well carried out - a substantial record of life on an enormous GLC estate in the mid 80s. It is a great achievement to have developed the trustful relationships with a large number of residents, and to convey their feelings in a way that seems both non-judgmental and honest.

Highly recommended.

[Caryatid]

Very absorbing, clear and well laid out. Congratulations to the author for style and objectiveness, not an easy job dealing with so many people and opinions.