Newham at play
Before the arrival of television and computers, people in Newham
spent their time in a variety of ways: putting in East Ham's
Central Park; paddling in West Ham Park; a night at the speedway at
Custom House Stadium, or catching a film - a silent one, before the
'talkies arrived - at one of the area's cinemas.
Here we look at how Newham's forefathers spent their spare time.
Staff at the Thames Ironworks - football and much
more
Thames Ironworks played a crucial role in Newham's development.
Today, the Ironworks is most famous for giving birth to
West Ham United Football Club (WHUFC), founded
in 1900 after evolving from the works football team (hence the
'Hammers').
 Early photographs of WHUFC
The staff at Thames Ironworks enjoyed a wide range of pastimes ,
from rowing to operatics:
 Gallery:
Thames Ironworks, - at play
Parks - from paddling to putting
Many public parks were once private estates. West Ham Park is
the most famous, dating back to the 16th century when it
was called The Grove. Since opening to the public in 1874, West Ham
and the area's other parks have been enjoyed in a variety of ways
by Newham residents.
 Gallery:
Newham's parks, early photos
Cinemas
The first cinemas in Newham opened in the early 20th
century. By 1917 there were 19 cinemas in the old borough of West
Ham, a number that remained constant throughout the 1920s and
1930s. Several of these were bombed during the Second World War
cinemas and by 1950 there were only seven.
Gallery: early cinemas, East and West
Ham
Gone today, here tomorrow
Fashions and passions come and go. Until recently, speedway was
a popular night-time event, but today there are relatively few
speedway stadiums in Britain.
The Stadium at Custom House hosted speedway and opened in 1928, but
has not survived.
Programme for
speedway at the Stadium, Custom House,
1938
However a venue of different sort, the Theatre Royal, which opened
as far back as 1884, remains and is thriving.
Theatre Royal 1971
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