Join us for a special night exploring the heritage of women and their work in Bethnal Green through talks and archive.

The night will include:

Photographer Sarah Ainslie in Conversation 

Tower Hamlets based photographer Sarah Ainslie has spent her career documenting the lives of local women. Since capturing women’s working lives in Hackney over 30 years ago, she has created a remarkable archive of life in East London. Her latest exhibition Women of Bethnal Green at Work continues this theme and offers contemporary insight into this topic. Sarah will be sharing stories and photographs in an informal talk discussing her work and process. You can see some her of photographs below.

Pop Up Archive

Oxford House will be hosting a pop-up archive handling session in this event. We will be showcasing objects and material from our collection related to women and their stories. Many of these objects will be shown publicly for the first time in decades.

Women of Bethnal Green at Work Exhibition

This will be an opportunity to see our current photography exhibition Women of Bethnal Green at Work after hours. From tradeswomen, to community organisers, faith leaders, artists, and shopkeepers; this exhibition showcases and celebrates the many women who contribute to life in Bethnal Green.

About our Through the Lens Programme

This project is part of our two-year heritage programme Through the Lens.  This exhibition forms part of a project inspired by our ongoing research into the working lives of many of Oxford House’s early women and their contributions – a history which has remained largely hidden. Alongside this exhibition, there will be talks, workshops and creative programmes exploring this topic and the lives of women past and present in Bethnal Green. This project has been made possible with funding by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.