Lewisham Voices

“I went up to the town hall to put in for a house and they said there was one on Bellingham [estate]…It was a vast improvement, it was absolutely unbelievable! Toilet inside, my own bathroom…Well! We used to think we were living in heaven in those days!”
(Kitty Gentile, born in London, 1911)

How local people contributed to the project

Using digital technology, and armed with a portable laptop and scanner, Lewisham Voices collected memories and stories of local people across the borough of Lewisham. By going out of the Museum, visiting local community groups and talking to individuals in their homes, the project collected over 550 digital images, which were donated by participants and include personal and family album photographs. Over 20 new oral history recordings were carried out with local people speaking about their lives and the areas in which they had lived.

Whether contributed by individuals born in Lewisham, or by those who made it their home from other parts of the UK or the world, this new material represents memories and experiences of family life, and of living, working, and settling in the local area.

Find out more about:

• the Lewisham Voices project
• how local people contributed to the project

Lewisham Voices is a collaboration between the Museum of London and the Libraries and Heritage Department of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is just one part of the London’s Voices project, which aims to extend access to the oral history collection of the Museum of London.

Wedding of Mr and Mrs Emmanuel, Sri Lanka, 1957
Courtesy of Mr and Mrs Emmanuel

Pauline Hayler and Michael Payne at the time of their engagement, Grove Park, 1955
Courtesy of Mr and Mrs Payne