This is worth knowing about – situated a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street station the institute runs a very proactive programme of tours and talks about East London. From London in peril to Shelley’s London, Plague and Fire to drugs in East London. Wow this was a good series – from gin to opium to cocaine. London was awash with Cocaine in the 20s – all the those flapper society girls were apparently completely boxed out of their minds on the stuff and it took quite a while to be outlawed. A kid called Chang was mentioned in an anecdote about the opium dens of the original Limehouse Chinatown. He was a kid then and a runner between the dens (of iniquity). And he embraced the underworld over the next few decades to become chief dealer to the club kids of the 1920s. And look at this picture – all the hallmarks of classic bling style! Well, a bit of fur at least…
Anyway, the point is, sign up, reclaim these talks from the blue rinse brigade – the speakers are all leaders in the field, they serve wine and the library venue is lovely.
