A SHOW celebrating the camaraderie of workers in factories and offices across east London along with the stories of hardship and tough working conditions is being held at London’s Guildhall.
The show Working Lives of the Thames Gateway is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with people who lived and worked in east London, including Tower Hamlets, and shares the memories of workers in the communications, manufacturing, transport and food industries.
It has been put together with social history group Eastside Community Heritage which has also produced a book and film to record tales of industries and ways of working which have now disappeared.
From tales of works outings en masse to sobering stories of horrific industrial accidents the exhibition aims to show how employment was – warts and all.
It continues at the Guildhall Art Gallery until Sunday February 27.
Eastside volunteers, trustees and staff will lead lunchtime tours from 11am to 2pm on Fridays until February 18 and Tuesdays until February 22.
There’s also a ‘witness seminar’ at the Guildhall Gallery in Guildhall Yard from 11am to 3pm on March 23 for former employees to share their experiences of the post- war trade union movement
Admission to the gallery at Guildhall Yard costs �2.50 for adults and �1 for concessions and is free after 3.30pm daily and all day Friday.
The Working Lives book costs �9.99, plus �1.50 postage and can be ordered on 020 8553 4343.
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