More than 75 free events are planned for the June celebration of Newham Heritage month.

Beginning on June 1st 2024, Newham Heritage month will see everything from the site of the Beatles’ first London gig to the pioneering radio station that helped create the UK Grime scene, the month will showcase Newham’s heritage through a dynamic programme of free live events. 

The events are organised with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will be held in dozens of venues across the Borough. 

Previously unheard stories will be brought to light and preserved for the future, including unique personal testimonies from local people who worked with the legendary theatre director Joan Littlewood and the remarkable history of influential underground radio station DejaVu FM. 

There’s also history of the traditional sort, with nine centuries of fascinating local history to be explored in the grounds of St Mary Magdalene Church in East Ham – the oldest Norman church in London still in weekly use; or the rare 18th century House Mill – the largest tidal mill standing in Britain; and the site of the Victorian Beckton Gasworks – once the largest gasworks in Europe, which subsequently found fame as a music video and film set. 

‘It’s a London Ting’ tells the inspiring and extraordinary story of the Stratford Centre as the epicentre of the London roller-skating community from the 1980s until the late 2000s. 

Filled with shoppers during the day, by night, it became a dazzling DIY hub of skill and innovation for young people who wanted to hone their craft; styles of skating originating here went on to influence the skate scene around the world, and its legacy can still be seen across TikTok today. East Londoners can immerse themselves in this joyful world, as artist Marilyn Fontaine invites locals to don skates and learn how to roll. 

Newham Heritage Month will also celebrate Newham’s green spaces, from micro allotments to vast medieval estates and everything in between. West Ham Park celebrates its 150th anniversary this year; while previously the site of a botanical garden, FA Cup football matches and home to the likes of Samuel Gurney and Elizabeth Fry, since becoming public, the park has touched many lives. ‘Park Lives’ will create an art trail in the park to celebrate its history. 

The line-up will also reveal the history of ground-breaking inclusive education in the Borough that found fame around the world, celebrate the stories of migrants and refugees, and trace the places and spaces in Stratford that hold significance for the LGBTQI+ community to create a “living archive” of documentaries, oral histories, and photographs. 

The 16 projects featuring in the 2024 festival thanks to community grant funding are: 

Newham Heritage Month events line-up is now live at www. newhamheritagemonth.org. The full programme will launch on 1 June 2024 at a party, taking place at Plashet Park, 325 Plashet Grove, London E7 8QR.

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