The pigeon slaughterer of Gower's Walk
Contributed by eric on Nov. 1, 2016
Memories of Eric Shorter, b. 1936
Many times I saw a man with bulging pockets in Aldgate. One pocket bulged with permits from many councils. He was entitled to shoot pigeons, for food, they were sold to Sainsburys after the war. He came into Gower's Walk, where birds would sit on the edge of The Tilbury roof, so high up. I saw him stand with his back to the Tilbury warehouse wall, take aim upwards, and bring down a pigeon. His other pockets bulged with pigeons.
I also saw a gas-lighter man come to light/extinguish old gas lamps. He had a pole with a hook on its end. The hook would engage with little chains from the gas taps, one chain for off and the other for on.
Memories of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway goods warehouse, 1940s
Contributed by eric on Nov. 1, 2016
Memories of Eric Shorter, b. 1936
Looking out from my bedroom window at 49 Gower's Walk I could see the Tilbury building opposite. Whichever way, up, down, left, or right, it occupied my sight to the exclusion of all else. It was VAST. It had windows around its exterior, but these were not enough. Its Victorian-era design included three enormous ‘light-wells’ which let light in from the roof down to all floors. The actual windows were never cleaned in my lifetime, and were black with grime, and although my bedroom window was on a level with the first-floor Tilbury windows, I could not see in. I wanted to see in, to see if the hissing sounds that could be heard were steam engines simmering away between duties. In later years I learned that steam engines were not allowed inside the Tilbury because the goods platforms were wooden, and could be set alight from engine activity.
Ladies of the night in Gower's Walk, 1940s
Contributed by eric on Nov. 1, 2016
Memories of Eric Shorter, b. 1936
At the week-ends, Faircloughs vehicles seemed to work less, and hence on a Saturday night meat trailers would be lined up all down by the Tilbury Warehouse wall. The Tilbury had no pavement by its side, but did have very wide kerb stones to prevent vehicles scraping against it. At night these wide shadowy places would be used by ‘ladies-of-the-night’, who would be brought by pimps in large black cars. They would tout for business along the Commercial Road, and bring their customers back to go behind the trailers. When the trailers were removed Gowers Walk was filled with spent contraceptives. I remember one embarrassing incident where, one night, I watched the goings-on from my bedroom window. Turning my head I saw my parents looking at me out of another window.