The origins of the East End textile industry can be traced to the 14th century when Flemish artisans set up dye works on the River Lea. In the late 17th century the Huguenots arrived in Spitalfields bringing their skills with silk-weaving, lace-making, fan-making, etc. Then the Jewish tailors arrived and enriched the area further.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
garment and textile industries in the East End
Commemorated ati
Bowler plaque - Scissors and Buttons - Brick Lane north
We failed to find this plaque in Dec-Jan 2017, but it is identical to that fu...
Bowler plaque - Scissors and Buttons - Brick Lane south
There is meant to be another identical plaque further north in Brick Lane but...
Bowler plaque - Shuttle and Bobbins
The plaque shows a shuttle and two bobbins, representing the local weaving tr...
Whitechapel Threads sculpture
The artists worked with the Rope Makers Guild to produce this image of two sk...
Other Subjects
Sebastian Earl
We really don't know if the Sebastian Earl who unveiled the stone at the Hornsey YMCA is the rowing businessman with the same name but the dates look right and it's an unusual name. Our colleague, ...
Crocketts Leather Cloth Company Ltd
Odd that the monument does not use the name "Crocketts" but all the sources give that name for the Leather Cloth factory on this site. More information at London's Ghost Acres. The catalogue of th...
Sir Polydore de Keyser
Born Belgium. The family moved to London in 1842 and his father established De Keyser's Royal Hotel on the site of what is now Unilever House. The son joined the business and the hotel became the l...
Person, Commerce, Lord Mayor, Politics & Administration, Belgium
Savoy Hotel
Following the success of the Savoy Theatre the hotel was built next door to satisfy the demand for accommodation from the members of the audience. The first London Hotel to have fully plumbed-in ba...
Previously viewed
London General Omnibus Company
Transport company. It was originally an Anglo-French enterprise, also known as the Compagnie Generale des Omnibus de Londres. It became the largest omnibus operator in London, buying out hundreds o...
Lauderdale Road Synagogue - WW1 and WW2
W9, Ashworth Road, Lauderdale Road Synagogue
 British Jews in the First World War provides a personal profile for each of the WW1 names. The WW1 list of names is identical to that l...
58 subjects commemorated
Comte Robert de Lesseps, Legion d'Honneur, Croix de guerre
A Frenchman, born in Paris. One of the 13 surviving children of Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 - 94), who was responsible for the construction of the Suez Canal. Robert was an early aviator but it was ...
Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group
Founded to focus attention on the historic environment of the borough and to record, preserve and enhance its historic buildings.
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