The Geezers love a bit of history and went to the right place to find it

Senior Boys XI 1959-60 at Eton Manor Boys Club photo from Bishopsgate Institute

Michelle Johansen a researcher at The Bishopsgate Institute invited us for an afternoon tour of the building and a delve into the archives.

The Geezers with Michelle Johansen in the reading room of the Bishopsgate Institute
The Geezers with Michelle Johansen in the reading room of the Bishopsgate Institute

She presented us with 4 suitcases containing records from the Blitz,  the Great Fire of London, Eton Manor Boys Club and Petticoat Lane.

Trowel used to lay the foundation stone at the Bishopsgate Institute in 1893
Trowel used to lay the foundation stone at the Bishopsgate Institute in 1893

The Bishopsgate Institute opened on New Year’s Day 1895.

Its aims were to provide a public library, hall and meeting rooms for people living and working in the City of London. The Great Hall was erected for the benefit of the public to promote lectures, exhibitions and the advancement literature, science and the fine arts.

Bishopsgate Institute reading room ceiling light
Bishopsgate Institute reading room ceiling light

Bishopsgate Library is a free, independent library, open weekdays 10am to 5pm. The special collections are open until 8 pm on Wednesdays.

How to teach school dances in 1920. A poster in the Bishopsgate Institute Archives
How to teach school dances in 1920. A poster in the Bishopsgate Institute Archives
Triumph typewriter at the Bishopsgate Institute Archives
Triumph typewriter at the Bishopsgate Institute Archives
Pie and Mash model in the Bishopsgate Institute
Pie and Mash model in the Bishopsgate Institute

The Special Collections and Archives hold important historical collections about London, the labour movement, free thought and co-operative movements, and the history of protest and campaigning.

The Grade II listed building was the first of the three major buildings designed by architect Charles Harrison Townsend (1851–1928). The others are Whitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum in south London.

Eddie Snooks, Geezers Chairman

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The Geezers are supported by Action for Bow

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