NEW AMAZON: Tales of Old Ford, Bow is the story of people and place in an area bordered by two canals and two railway lines with the Roman Road running along the middle. Stories and photos from over 60 people born and bred in Old Ford, or living in the area for many years, are woven together with historic documents, and images, many not made public before, to give a fascinating insight into life in one of the oldest villages in Tower Hamlets, and even London. Tales of Old Ford, Bow has 142 pages lavishly illustrated with over 200 photographs, maps and images from Victorian times to the Millennium. Chapters cover industry, Roman Road market, shops and trades, daily life, going out, transport, wartime and Roman Road Faces past and present.

Tales of Old Ford, Bow gives brings to life the development of Bow, and Tower Hamlets in general. if you’ve known Old Ford and Bow for a long time, it will rekindle memories and contain surprises; if you’re new to the area, it’s a great way to find out about the area’s rich history.

Tales of Old Ford, Bow is written by Carolyn Clark and published by The East London History Society.

ISBN 978-0-9564779-4-1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Clark lives in Old Ford, Bow. Carolyn is the author of The East End Canal Tales, The Lower Clapton Tales, the co-author of The Shoreditch Tales, and has written for a range of other publications. Over the past fifteen years, Carolyn has led community history projects in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Tottenham, Islington and elsewhere. This book is based on Carolyn’s work with the Geezers in 2024 to uncover and record the history of the Old Ford, Bow area. The Geezers are a group of men who are mostly in their 70s, 80s and even 90s who live in Bow, East London. They get together once a week with guests and speakers or go on outings. The Geezers organise traditional seaside coach trips for the locals, too, and take part in community activities and campaigns. The Geezers started ‘Where’s My Boozer Gone?’ to highlight the disappearance of their local pubs.