Constance Street: Part 1 of 3: The true story of one family and one street in London’s East End

by Charlie Connelly

Constance Street can either be read as a full-length eBook or in 3 serialised eBook-only parts.

This is PART 1 of 3.

You can read Part 1 two weeks ahead of release of the full-length eBook and paperback.

One forgotten street, 12 unforgettable women.

Through the story of one street - Constance Street - we hear the true life tales of a tight-knit group of working class women in the East End of London set against a backdrop of war, hardship and struggle.

It’s a story of matriarchy and deep family ties, of a generation that was scattered away from the street during the blitz bombings, but which maintained the ties of that street for decades afterwards.

Set in an area of East London called Silvertown, a once thriving docking community that at the turn of the 20th century was the industrial heartland of the south of England; the story focuses on the lives of 12 incredible women and their struggle to survive amidst the chaos of the war years.

We have Nellie Greenwood, the author’s great grandmother who runs a laundry in Silvertown which becomes the focal point of the community. In 1917 a munitions factory in Silvertown explodes flattening much of the surrounding area and causing extensive damage to Constance Street – Nellie’s daughter is blown from her crib but miraculously survives.

Deciding to open the laundry as a field hospital for the injured, Nellie and the women on the street come together to tend the wounded, the sick and the emotionally shattered as they cope with the aftermath of not just one but two world wars.

Through the Great War, the roaring Twenties, the Depression and then the unimaginable – the outbreak of a second world war – Nellie and the street survive with love, laughter and friendships that bind the community together. But just as this incredible group of women live through the worst, the unthinkable happens. On 7 September 1940, Constance Street is no more.

Following in the footsteps of Farewell to the East End by Jennifer Worth and The Sugar Girls, Constance Street is a life-affirming, heart-warming read that reminds us of a time when people pulled together.

Genres: History

78 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2015

About the author

Charlie Connelly (born 22 August 1970, London, England) is an author of popular non-fiction books. In addition to being a writer, Connelly also appears as a presenter on radio and television shows.

Charlie Connelly is a bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster. His many books include Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round The Shipping Forecast, In Search of Elvis: A Journey To Find The Man Beneath The Jumpsuit and Our Man In Hibernia: Ireland, The Irish And Me. Three of his books have featured as Radio 4′s Book of the Week read by Martin Freeman, Stephen Mangan and Tom Goodman-Hill. Charlie was also a popular presenter on the BBC1 Holiday programme and co-presented the first three series of BBC Radio 4′s Traveller’s Tree with Fi Glover.
His book Gilbert: The Last Years of WG Grace was shortlisted for the 2016 MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year. The book he wrote with his friend Bernard Sumner, Chapter And Verse: New Order, Joy Division And Me was shortlisted for Book of the Year at the NME Awards, while his most recent co-writing project, Winner: A Racing Life with the champion jockey AP McCoy is shortlisted for Sports Autobiography of the Year.
The audio version of Attention All Shipping came second in a public vote to find the greatest audiobook of all time organised by Waterstone’s and The Guardian. Romeo and Juliet was third, which Charlie takes as official confirmation that he’s better than Shakespeare.

Reviews

[Humera Karim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true story, and the main character, Nellie Greenwood, is the great-grandmother of the storyteller. She was a remarkable example of a strong, skilled businesswoman, an ideal wife, and grandmother. The story revolves around her, her husband Harry, and their daughters, spanning from WW1 to WW2.

Furthermore, this story sheds light on the profound impact of war on ordinary people who have struggled to build their homes and lives. War forces them to flee their homes, leaving them with the lasting trauma for rest of the years to come.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book goes over the history of the area Constance Street is found in and some of the things that happen there including the death of a four month old baby and how a chemical factory blew up and the damage it caused.

[Dean Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait for next book

[GJ S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like

I would not recommend due to cussing there words.
The story line didn't make sense to me, I didn't connect

[Donna Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Constance Street

The book is a good quick read. Very informative and narrated nicely. Gives you a good history of life in a poor part of London before the First World War.

[Gary Jewkes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t get to grips with it jumps around to much and found it boring. Read 40% of it and nothing seemed happen.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was well written but not what I expected from the cover or the blurb. It is mostly a fairly dry history of a certain street in a rundown part of England. Yes, it involves several different women from a single family but actually that part seems to be mentioned fairly briefly.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book, hard to put down the story flows with information of how there lives were.
Some funny moments in the book as well as serious war issues.

very good if you want to know about life how it used to be in the poorer areas of London.
very enjoyable read. 5 stars.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed it