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
July
From Green Street to Boleyn Castle: Digitising Newham’s Hidden Histories
Since the beginning of June, our dedicated digitisation volunteers have been working hard to scan and catalogue our photographic collection. A small selection of this material can be found at Newham Photos, but the full collection consists of around 10,000 images! These photographs capture all aspects of the borough’s history, including celebrations, home life, industry, and social activities. They span from the late 1800s to the present day.
One of our volunteers has recently digitised a series of photographs of Green Street. The image above shows Boleyn Castle in 1891. Also known as Green Street House, the castle was a stately home in modern day Upton Park. Built in the 16th century, local legend claims it was once home to Anne Boleyn, although there is no evidence to support this. West Ham United’s former Boleyn Ground was constructed to its east in 1904. The castle was ultimately demolished in 1955.
Mapping the Tracks: West Ham Corporation Tramways
What’s in a street name? Sometimes, they can offer us a clue to a lost piece of local history. Stratford’s Tramway Avenue was so named because it was the site of the depot for the North Metropolitan Tramways. They operated horse-drawn trams until 1901, when the service was taken over by West Ham Corporation Tramways, who converted to electric tramcars in 1904.
Recently, we took an iron sign for Tramway Avenue out of storage to assess it for display at Newham Heritage Centre. We don’t have an exact date for when the sign was made, but it predates the formation of the London Borough of Newham. Like any piece of used street furniture, it has a few scratches and scrapes, but is overall very robust. We've made an Instagram video showing the unwrapping of the sign.