London Life Gallery

Ex paratrooper Donald Cook, 38 year old aircraft inspector and secretary of the St

Ex paratrooper Donald Cook, 38 year old aircraft inspector and secretary of the St. Pancras United Tenants Association, talks to his 36 year old wife Edith through a barricade of barbed wire and two upturned old pianos at their top floor flat at Kennistoun House, a block of St. Pancras Council flats in Leighton Road, Kentish Town, London. An eviction notice served on Mr. Cook expires at midnight and he says he is prepared if necessary for a three year siege. A rocket will be fired as a signal that the bailiffs have arrived Mr. Cook, father of four children, said that he owes about ?56 in rent on his two-bedroomed foat, which originally cost him 28s. a week. There was a 10s. increase in January and another of 12s. 6d. last month. He and other tenants had been told they could expect another next January, and by then the rent would be 56s. He had refused to pay. - Photo taken 28th August 1960.
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Waiters, chefs and kitchen hands at Londons Savoy hotel went on strike early today

Waiters, chefs and kitchen hands at London's Savoy hotel went on strike early today, it was decided that tables were to be left bare and underserviced in the private suites, restaurant and Grill room. Tickets has been detailed to guard every staff door and the taxi driver in entrance to warn the catering staff of the strike. The strikers are members of the London catering branch of the general and municipal workers union who claimed that 500 of the total staff of 800 are now in the union. The strike committee said "we have been forced to take this action after every other avenue of approach has been closed by the management."
Picture shows: Mrs Kaufmann, wife of a chef at the Savoy hotel, picketing outside the building this morning.
8 October 1946

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Chingford s hillside swimming pool nearly ready. Chingford s new swimming

Chingfords hillside swimming pool nearly ready.
Chingfords new swimming pool at Larkswood is nearing completion and will be opened by Sir Kingsley Wood, Minister of Health, in a fortnights time.
The pool is being built on a site of seven acres of woodland. As it is situated on the side of a hill thousands of tons of earth had to be removed. Its position gives protection from the wind and has maxiumu amount of sun.
The area of the pool is 2700 square yards having a swimming length of 165 feet and a width of 60 feet.
It has a cafe, sunn terraces and administrative buildings.
Photo shows, the new swimming pool dominating the surrounding countryside. The view from the pool is one of the best around London, overlooking the Lee Valley to the hills of Hertfordshire.
14 July 1936

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