For years, I longed to visit Hiller Brothers, the last barrow workshop in the East End, at 64 Squirries St, Bethnal Green, but — until yesterday — I had to content myself with peering through a tiny glass panel in the metal shutter each time I passed to wonder at the piles of old wooden barrows within. The last of the Hiller Brothers, Bob, left here in when the workshop was let to tenants who carried on the work of repairing and maintaining barrows.
Then, earlier this year, Bob Hiller died and now the building has been sold ian purchase exmouth market demolition and redevelopment. Within a matter ian purchase exmouth market weeks the workshop must be cleared out, which means that I was able to pay a visit at last to view the barrows for sale. Hiller Brothers began manufacturing and hiring barrows in the eighteen-sixties at 67 James St on the other side of Bethnal Green, moving to these premises in which they bought from Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists who opened it as their East End office in The history of Hiller Brothers is all there to be read in the addresses carved onto the side of the barrows in elegant italic letters.
From outside on the street, all that is visible is a non-descript rendered house with a battered door and two squat windows, and a tall metal shutter screening off the adjoining yard. Once you go inside and step down into the workshop, you realise it is a nineteenth century building. It is an overwhelming vision, the graveyard of lost barrows in last days of the last barrow-maker in the East End.
The Barrows of Spitalfields. I have followed your gently ian purchase exmouth market blog for some years now, and have recommended it enthusiastically to my friends. Ian purchase exmouth market one almost brought me to tears, oddly ian purchase exmouth market, with the deep pride of the business of carts and wheels, making things possible.
God bless Hillers R. What a sad sight, most of my life those barrows have been familiar and now they are finished, makes one realise how short a life is, they are like the bones of some long forgotten massacre, we all have to come to terms with modernity but sometimes I hate it…age I suppose.
Wonderful desolate images of this graveyard of wheels and barrows, like Paul Nash paintings. Wish I could buy a barrow — but where could I put it? A wall-full of these, soaring up into the sky — it would be show-stopper. The inscriptions on the wheels came as a surprise to me, and added greatly to the sense of exploration; squinting to read each one. Ian purchase exmouth market for these wonderful photos as ever ian purchase exmouth market Your blog is a magical mystery tour of lost wonders….
I got on well with the stall-holders and early on Sunday mornings would have a bacon butty in the cafe across the market. One day I tracked a shop-lifter around the store, awaiting his departure so I could apprehend him, he exited the store and made through a gap between two barrows — I was not so lucky as the stall-holders made the gap disappear with ian purchase exmouth market caught in the clench of two barrows!
Are they still selling the barrows and wheels? I would love something. Is there a contact phone number or email or are they all gone now? I always enjoy reading your stories particularly this one. Sadly another piece of old England is about to disappear.
I hope the remaining barrows and equipment go to somebody who will appreciate them. What strangely moving pictures. They could do worse than pile up some of these wheels in the nave of Tate Britain. Sad to see the passing of yet another old profession…BUT surely all this must be of some interest to a museum? It would be a tragedy if it all got thrown away. Thank heavens you ian purchase exmouth market always recording these testaments to London history with marvellous photos.
Surely some of the artists you have promoted on your blog would love to go in and paint these scenes too?? Great Pictures GA,bought back my childhood,we often went in their on a Sunday mourning too see old Tom the rag man, who would give us some Goldfish from a rusty old pickled jar, for exchange for some old clobber we had had that was no longer able to wear!!!!
They lived until the following few weeks, then back for some more. Not very PC now but back then who cared. Purchased from Oswald Mosley…wonder if he misheard when he was told Mr Hiller was interested….
Even in the main thoroughfare of Westfield Stratford City. They could be let out as individual units and would pay for themselves in no time at all. Beautiful and emotional photos. So many of the old customs and businesses continue to slip away into history. Thank you, GA, for properly memorializing them. Inthere was a William G. Hiller, wheelwright, in Globe Road. He appears to have been the son of a William Hiller, cabinet maker. InWilliam G. Hiller was living with his family at 67 James Street.
His son Alfred J. It fills me with great sadness to hear that my old boss, Bob Hiller, has passed away. Apparently it was a dodgy affair. Bob never liked to waste a penny and lived ian purchase exmouth market a hermit in Walthamstow with his partner Ann who came from the family Priestley I think which owned the bakers in Bethnal Green Rd opposite Barnet Grove. I remember him telling us that he had just saved a packet by buying material to make his own curtains rather than buying ready-mades and that they then had enough material left over for Ann to make a dress for herself.
Another time he lost his keys only to come into work about three weeks later to tell us ian purchase exmouth market he was pulling the jumper he was wearing ian purchase exmouth market day from the back of the sofa when his keys popped out at the same time! But that said, Bob was a generous employer. Every winter he bought us new overcoats for working outdoors ian purchase exmouth market were very expensive and paid us cash bonuses.
He even helped one of his other workers buy their first house. Comments may be edited. Your email address will never be published. Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS. There are more than 3, stories by The Gentle Author with 35, pictures to be found in the categories and archives on this site.
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