In this episode of the History Workshop Podcast, we hear an oral history of Ridley Road Market in east London.
Ridley Road has recently gained attention as the subject of a new BBC drama about the revival of fascism in 1960s London and the anti-fascist action taken by the Jewish community in East London. Ridley Road Market has been around for almost 140 years and has been described as a “hub of connection, interconnections and social interaction”. Historically and today, the market is run by and for diverse communities and forms a public space which is political. Like many markets, however, Ridley Road is at risk from “regeneration”, gentrification, and social cleansing.
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In this episode by the audio producer May Robson, we hear local residents’ memories of Ridley Road’s anti-fascist history and about the struggles that market traders face today – from gentrification to lockdown. We also hear from Tamara Stoll, a photographer and oral historian who works in Ridley Road Market and is part of the Save Ridley Road campaign.
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