In an extract from his memoir Juniper Street E.1.: A Life in London's East End, Henry Say remembers what night time was like as a post-war kid.
Henry Say's memoir recounts life on Juniper Street, east London. Image: Henry Say
I've often heard that East End children played out until the street light came on. They clearly hadn't visited Juniper Street at night.
The street's lighting was appalling. There were few lamp posts, and little or no lighting fixed to buildings. Consequently, the street was perpetually dark, especially when fog rolled in. Juniper Street formed a valley, sloping down from King David Lane at one end and up towards Glamis Road at the other. While these hills gave us hours of childhood fun, the valley setting compounded the effect of the inadequate light.
"A rumour suggested one resident had tapped into a street lamp to power his flat"
