£310 raised for Bow Foodbank - Thank You!

It was great to see so many of you at our Carols in the Square just before Christmas. There were around 150-200 of us. We had the usual drama of missing song sheets, the heavens decided to open up for a bit, but we soldiered on and had a great time. The professional singers helped to keep us in time and gave it more of a West End rather than West Ham sound.

Thanks to David for manning the collection box, Nicky for acting as compere, Sarah for getting presents together for Margaret (the high-viz elf) to distribute, Alice for the mince pies and Vivien for the liquid refreshments.

All told we raised £310 for the Bow Foodbank and our Treasurer Jakki has dropped this off.

CAROLS IN THE SQUARE - This Sunday 15th December, Tredegar Square at 5.30PM

Meotra's annual carol service is this Sunday 15th December at 5.30PM in Tredegar Square.

It is a great event and we'll be there come rain or shine, with songsheets and some presents for the little ones.  Although the event is free, every year there’s a collection for charity. This year as last year we’ve chosen Bow Food Bank to help families in need have a better Christmas.

Entrance to the event will be through both gates of the Square. Please do bring a torch, and an umbrella in case of wet weather.

It’s a wonderful chance to catch up with your neighbours and get into the Christmas spirit. In keeping with this, the MEOTRA committee will be going to the pub afterwards if anyone would like to join us.

Forthcoming Music Events at Bow Church (1st and 6th of December)

This Sunday sees Bow Church's final Lunchtime Recital of the season put on by students from Trinity Laban. Entry is FREE and the concert begins at midday.


The following Friday 6 December @ 7.15pm, Bow Church welcomes the Queen Mary jazz musicians for an evening of jazz in the company of QMJazz and their music director, Jamie Rogers. QMJazz brings together the cream of QMUL jazz. With a mix of jazz and song, get into the spirit of a Swinging Christmas! Includes jazz classics such as Song for my Father, A Night in Tunisia, Take the A Train, Dolphin Dance, Besame Mucho, All the things you are, Take Five, In the wee small hours. Tickets for this event are £10 (£3 students) and are bookable here: http://bit.ly/BowJazz2019

FREE heritage talk at Bow Church this Thurs 28 November (19.30)

This Thursday 28th November, Professor Arthur Burns will be giving a free talk at Bow Church entitled: "The urban challenge: life for clergy in Hanoverian and Victorian London"

By the end of the nineteenth century it was a common assumption that a clergyman’s task was far harder in the town than the countryside. But did earlier London clergymen share this view? What kind of clergymen took on the challenge of the metropolis? This illustrated lecture explores the sometimes surprising story of how an urban clergy emerged from an urbane one.

Entry is FREE, though booking is strongly advised.  Tickets are available via Bow Church's Eventbrite site: www.bowchurch.eventbrite.com 

All welcome!

The New Globe Pub - Works being carried out without planning consent

Does anyone know what's happening to the New Globe in Mile End? It has been a pub since 1820 but now.... pic.twitter.com/hAgERTkCDT

— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) November 5, 2019

Recently the above twitter post by @thegentleauthor of Spitalfields Life fame, alerted us to some alarming works going on at The New Globe Public House.

The pub is within the Clinton Road Conservation Area and is also locally listed, and thus should have some extra degree of protection. However, David Berridge (who keeps an eye on planning matters for MEOTRA) couldn't find any current planning applications for the site, but there is a building control application (IN/19/05693/NC) which includes infilling existing windows and creating a new flat and other works. 

windows and stall risers removed without consent

The Pub before works commenced

MEOTRA contacted Tower Hamlets Council's planning office to alert them of the works and ask that they investigate the matter urgently. 

Mayor John Biggs, Cllr Rachel Blake (Deputy Mayor - Planning, Tackling Poverty and Air Quality) and Christopher Ali-Hempstead (Planning Compliance Officer) have each written to MEOTRA and confirmed that the windows and stall risers have been removed without the appropriate planning consent having been granted.

The owners of the property have been instructed to cease all exterior works to the property and to apply for the relevant planning permission.

MEOTRA will let you know any further news.

Fireworks Display - Sunday 3rd November 2019, Victoria Park 7PM

WARNING: Strobe and flashing lights will be used as part of the display.

Stand by for another night of sky-filling fireworks in Victoria Park on Sunday 3 November. Organised by the council’s arts, parks and events team, this year’s display has the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing as its theme.

Residents can expect an astronomical explosion of space-inspired fun, with music tracks, soundscapes, spoken word storytelling and special effects created by Walk the Plank walktheplank.co.uk – a leading pyrotechnical and outdoor theatre company.

This year, the display is being supported by AEG Presents, producers of the All Points East event in Victoria Park, who are committed to supporting culture in the Tower Hamlets community.


Plan your visit:

• The event is free of charge and no booking is required
• The display is scheduled to start at 7pm with food & refreshments available to purchase from 5.30pm
• There is no funfair or other amusements on site
• The event is located on the eastern side of Victoria Park, off Grove Road
• Please note not all park gates will be available for entry and exit please refer to the event map

Further information is available on the council's website

Tudor Sights & Sounds - Bow Church Sat 14th Sept, 1-5PM

Courtier, or commoner, whoever you were in Tudor London daily life was an assault on the senses. Courtesy of ‘A Merrie Noyse’ and some of Bow Church's very own singers they'll bring some of the nicer experiences to life for you.

Pop into the church between 1pm and 5pm to hear music of the period – and have a chance to join in. There’ll be other fun activities too, all of which will give a glimpse of the lives of our predecessors back when Bow was a quiet hamlet by the bridge over the River Lea (long before it was the setting for Adèle’s heartbreak). Meet some minstrels, quiz them about the music, their instruments, what they’re wearing – and why – and enjoy a beverage while you’re there.