Bygone East Ham

In the 14th century, East Ham was sparsely inhabited and had not changed much with the advent of the railway in the 1850s. However, in the second half of the 19th century, the demands of Britain's growing industries and population led to the use of land for factories and a house-building boom. Brian Evans captures the rise of East Ham from an area of fields and marshes to a county borough by 1914, and Bygone East Ham will fascinate all who know the place and add to our understanding of the making of the present district.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: The History Press Ltd

In the fourteenth century, East Ham remained sparsely inhabited, and its landscape remained relatively unchanged with the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. The local community consisted of farmers and market gardeners who cultivated crops for the distant London market, with their houses scattered thinly across areas such as Wanstead flats in the north and just south of the turnpike road. However, a remarkable transformation occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century, driven by the growing demands of Britain's expanding industries and population. This led to the utilization of land for factories, which in turn sparked a house-building boom. Fortunately, photographs have survived that vividly document these rapid changes, adding immense impact to the narrative of East Ham's past. Brian Evans' photographs, particularly those taken in the early 1900s, capture the remarkable rise of East Ham from a sparsely populated area of fields and marshes to a county borough by 1914. Bygone East Ham holds a fascination for those familiar with the region, while also significantly contributing to our understanding of the historical processes that shaped the present-day district.

Weight: 216g
Dimension: 236 x 151 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781803994765
Edition number: New ed