Dateline: Tuesday, 3 January 1911, 7.30 in the morning – Stepney, the East End of London.
Two desperate criminals, holed up on their own in a four-storey house begin firing on the large posse of police gathered below. Over the next six hours, hundreds of bullets are discharged on this normally quiet residential road. 1500 armed policemen are deployed, the Army are called out onto the London streets for the first time in a century. Home Secretary, Winston Churchill, then just 36 years old, attends and, typically, is seen instructing the police and troops.
Who were the gunmen? Where did they come from? Why were they on the run from the police? The tour starts at the site of a robbery staged three weeks earlier, and gradually reveals the build-up to this famous event, still talked about more than 100 years later.
The impetus for the crime lies more than 1700 miles away. The actions of the Russian Tsars over the last 50 years create East European refugees, mainly Jewish, who flee to the UK. Some start a new life; some regroup and attempt to fight back. On the walk to Stepney, we learn about why they had to emigrate, their lifestyle, religion, culture and politics and the causes of what became known as The Siege of Sidney Street.
THE MEETING POINT
The meeting point for The Siege of Sidney Street Walk is Liverpool Street Station. Meet Philip just outside the Liverpool Street exit, by the Kindertransport statue/McDonalds.
Jonathan Jones –
Fascinating walk given by an excellent guide who really knew his history. Highly recommended insights
into the East End of London over a hundred years ago and the people who lived there and the violent clash between the anarchists and the Metropolitan Police.
Karen –
Attended this walk 14/3. We had no prior knowledge of the event so really appreciated the background for context and all the small details Philip provided. Very informative walk including the Russian history. Definitely recommend to others
Ann McVey –
Really interesting walk, Philip incorporates description of the siege & the events that led up to it with the story of the East End of that time & today. Would recommend!
Tim Gifford –
Very interesting walk to understand the background and detail of the events. Our guide Phillip brought the story to life.
Arch Reeve –
A fascinating account of a significant incident over 120 years ago that showed to have unexpected contemporary parallels. I was anticipating it to be confined mainly to the events of the burglary and siege but, in addition, Philip provided a broad, comprehensive context of local immigration, the reasons for it, the (surprising) level of European anarchistic movement and protest and much more. His mastery of the plethora the Eastern European names was most impressive. I regret not doing more reading up beforehand to benefit more from Philip’s knowledge.
Well worth it.
Margaret Hyde –
Great walk to learn all about the seige as well as the background of the area in which it happened. Lots of detail in the strory telling. Not a circular tour, ends close to Whitechapel Undergroud Station.
Brian Altchuler –
I went on a walk with Philip this afternoon: The Siege of Sidney Street. Despite it being a large group, he was clear and informative and I enjoyed the walk.