Visiting Grandmother's Bethnal Green Roots

On a rainy, chilly morning, younger brother and I set off to walk through the area of the East End of London  in which our grandmother 'nana' was born and grew up. Indeed she died there in her 80s.

We decided to meet at Liverpool Street station and walk together from there. From Wimbledon despite not being recommended by  the TfL guide, I travelled by District Line (Edgware Road branch) to Paddington from where I used the Elizabeth Line to Liverpool Street. During construction the Elizabeth Line was, I recall, the largest building project in Europe, and now  fully completed from Reading to Abbey Wood, is a splendid piece of railway. Interestingly many other people must agree as it was crowded even at 10 am.

While waiting for John at Liverpool Street I had a croissant and coffee, with the latter making me appreciate our  great tasting coffee at home. 

The photo below seems an unusual view behind Liverpool Street Station, taken shortly after our trek commenced:

  We walked in the pouring rain. Some pictures from the route took appear below:

The building on the left was we believe, one of the sites where East Enders at the time or at least the women, undertook weaving, thus explaining why the part of the London Overground which runs nearby is soon to be called The Weavers Line, see more above.

The exact space which John had concluded was the site of nana's old house in which her family lived when she was born in Bethnal Green, is the spot upon which yours truly in the photo,  see  below left , was standing. 

Interestingly although grassed over, the grass underfoot was clearly covering some rubble or building materials, which who knows, could have been part of the old housing.

Elsewhere in the Park, was a statue, which did not seem to us to be particularly special see below right:

The rain was so heavy that we were relieved to take shelter in the vestibule of the nearby CoE church. Younger brother's research showed this to be the church at which the notorious Kray brothers' funerals were held.  Neither of us were of the view that they were very holy, though who knows.

We trudged on to nana's old street which is still called Nelson Gardens although sadly her old house (number 55) and the play-street onto which her front door opened, are no more. Nonetheless, the flat to which she was later moved, we thought was one of those still standing in Nelson Gardens.

We then walked back towards Brick Lane, where only one of the two famous beigel bakers was open. John was permitted to photograph the bakers at work; see below right. I decided to buy some seeded beigels which proved delicious although the lady who served me, looked worn out.

John kindly puchased lunch for both of  at the nearby Pret off Brick Lane. Interestingly the Pret was within what had clearly been an old pub.

We then decided to walk back to Bank Station in order to take the Drain to Waterloo. However our walk length increased somewhat, as we both for a while misremembered the way.

Upon arriving at Waterloo it transpired that the heavy rain had affected the trains' signaling, but as sometimes happens on such occasions, I caught a delayed train  that departed almost as soon as I boarded.