Archive and Museum Collection
Each month, we’ll be sharing stories from the collections at Newham Heritage Centre. From rare photographs to historic objects to documents, our archive and museum collections reveal the rich, diverse history of the borough and its communities.
This regular feature highlights newly catalogued items, special finds, and fascinating pieces of local heritage — offering a glimpse into Newham’s past through the collections we care for.
Phases
April
Archiving Newham’s Rich Theatre Legacy
Our archive volunteers have completed the colossal task of cataloging and repackaging 150 posters from our Theatre Royal collection.
This theatre was established in 1884 and is still based in its beautiful Victorian building in Stratford. The theatre is known for its ground-breaking plays, association with pioneering director Joan Littlewood and fabulous panto season!
The Theatre Royal collection primarily contains posters from the 1970s and 80s and offers a fascinating insight into creativity in this period.
We hold material related to Smile Orange a satirical play written by Trevor Rhone in 1985. It follows waiter and con-man Ringo in his day-to-day life and explores the nature of the tourism industry in the Caribbean. By the time it came to Stratford, Smile Orange had also been made into a 1976 film starring Carl Bradshaw.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers to all their hard work.
Unearthing Stratford’s Monastic Past
We have been busy delving into our museum collection which contains thousands of objects related to the borough. Among them is excavated material from the site of Stratford Langthorne Abbey. Founded in 1135, it was home to an order of Cistercian monks who lived a largely sequestered life. The site sat between what is now Manor Road and the Channelsea River. Over the 400 years Langthorneyears Langthorne Abbey was active it grew to become England’s fifth largest Abbey.
The 1500s saw Langthorne Abbey demolished as part of the dissolution of the monasteries which saw all Catholic monasteries, priories, and convents disbanded. While little physical trace is left of the sprawling site, ruins of its Great Gate can still be seen in Abbey Gardens. Now it is mostly remembered in local street names like Abbey Road and Abbey Lane.