Photographs copyright © John Claridge
I found some more of John Claridge’s photos online. They date from 1962-1972 but seem to come from a much earlier time. Hard to believe I was aged from 10-20 years old when these were taken. There are few captions, as most are self-explanatory.
An ex-boxer, well known in the area.
John’s Parents, 1968.
beetleypete 
Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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They seem much like older photos! This does not depict the Swingin’ Sixties! The poor are often shoved under the rug.
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Very much the other side of The Swinging Sixties, Jennie. It wasn’t swinging for most people in Britain.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I can see that. And I gather much is still the same. Sigh! Best to you, Pete.
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I don’t think it’s necessarily better today in cities with over a million inhabitants. Only the beautiful facades can easily hide this. Thanks for sharing, Pete! xx Michael
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Yes, such scenes can still be found in London, Michael.
Best wishes, Pete.
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We should not forget it is a megacity. Here you also can found it in Munich, or Frankfurt/ Main, but in difference these are villages. xx Michael
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The literary movement Gritty Realism immediately comes to mind viewing these photos.
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Yes, he did not hold back on realism, Liz.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Oh those are some amazing photos Pete! May I perhaps share this post sometime later next week?
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Of course you can. I am always happy to share anything on my blog, TCoH.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you Pete!
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Superb! Warmest regards,Theo
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Glad you liked them, Theo.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Life in East London must have been pretty grim back then. Those photos make EastEnders look like Made in Chelsea!
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I think he chose the worst-looking spots in the district of Poplar, Annabelle. But much of that area was actually like that, other than the new estates springing up with tower blocks and other high-density council housing.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Masterpieces! What a photographer! Thanks, Pete.
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Thanks, Don. He knows his stuff for sure.
Best wishes, Pete.
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(1) Crêpe Repairs? I’ll keep that in mind the next time I go out for breakfast.
(2) So this is not the ticket office for the Oberland Express?
(3) Mass X-Ray! So now churches need to screen people for weapons and explosives?
(4) Drivers who gawk at beautiful cityscapes instead of watching the road ahead inevitably put their lives at risk.
(5) Overheard:
Ex-Boxer: “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”
Pig: “No, not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin.”
Ex-Boxer: “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”
(6) “Watching passersby pick their nose instead of digging coins out of their pocket gives me a whopping headache!”
(7) “We’re blocking the door. Just you try to get in!”
(8) “I’m still here, Romeo!” (Patience is a virtue, but this is ridiculous!)
(9) “Dear Santa. My wife and I spent yet another Christmas without a single present. Do we need to modify our chimney?”
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I like the vision of a geriatric Juliet calling out for Romeo. Good one!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Wonderful black and white pics.
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Thanks, Molly. I think he captured the reality of that time so well.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Terrific photos of a long ago time – that really wasn’t that long ago!
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I suppose that younger people now think of 50-60 years ago as ‘The Old Days’, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
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One would think the photos were of an earlier era yet they reflect so well the long hangover effect of WW2.
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Yes, in some ways they feel like they come from the Edwardian era, Carolyn.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Great photos! They are quite depressing though. It’s hard to imagine that was only in the 60s and 70s. Looks like they belong in the previous century.
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Exactly that, Paul. Mostly taken in Poplar, East London, they show another side to the ‘Swinging Sixties’.
Best wishes, Pete.
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so much a feeling of place and time in these pics
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Thanks, Beth. John made no attempt to ‘sanitize’ his subjects, so we got the reality.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think that’s why photos in their natural state are so important. they tell the real story
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As always you find the greatest historic pics….well done chuq
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Thanks, chuq. I spend a lot of time looking for these photos of London. I love seeing them.
Best wishes, Pete.
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These definitely speak of time and place, Pete
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I am starting to fully realise just how long ago the 1960s were, Sue. I was still thinking of them as ‘recent’.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Haha! My benchmark is 1972…I know how long ago that is, but oddly I still think of the ‘80s as recent!
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I used to love those little corner shops – sadly most are gone now as the supermarkets took over.
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Yes, corner shops were everywhere, and a real focal point for the community too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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The sixties was when we moved out of Stoke Newington, further East to Woodford.
We wouldn’t be able to afford a place in Stoke Newington now – certainly not one the size of Gran’s Victorian mid-terraced house.
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I’m sure, Cathy. Stoke Newington had become impossibly trendy by the time I left London in 2012.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Fascinating pictures, Pete. The one of the elderly lady at the window reminded me strongly of the end of A Christmas Carol, when the newly converted Ebenezer throw open the window and called Happy Christmas to passersby on the street.
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I like these photos a lot, Robbie. Sadly, the reproduction of them in the article I found them in was not great. But they still speak of a time and place.
Best wishes, Pete.
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