Saffron Hill is the name of a street in the south eastern corner of the London Borough of Camden, between Farringdon 
and Hatton Garden. The name of the street derives from the fact that it was at one time part of an estate on which saffron grew.
and Hatton Garden. The name of the street derives from the fact that it was at one time part of an estate on which saffron grew.
In 1850 it was described as a squalid neighbourhood, the home of paupers and thieves. In Charles Dickens's 1837 novel "Oliver Twist" (Chapter 8), the Artful Dodger leads Oliver to Fagin's den in Field Lane
, "In such a neighbourhood...stands Jacob's Island, surrounded by a muddy ditch, six or eight feet deep and fifteen or twenty wide when the tide is in, once called Mill Pond, but known in these days as Folly Ditch. It is a creek of inlet from the Thames, and can always be filled at high water by opening the sluices...At such times, a stranger, looking from one of the wooden bridges thrown across it at Mill-lane, will see the inhabitants of the houses on either side lowering from their back-doors and windows, buckets, pails, domestic utensils of all kinds, in which to haul the water up; and when his eye is turned from these operations to the houses themselves, his utmost astonishment will be excited by the scene before him. Crazy wooden galleries common to the backs of half a dozen houses, with holes from which to look upon the slime beneath; windows, broken and patched: with poles thrust out, on which to dry the linen that is never there; rooms so small, so filthy, so confined, that the air would seem too tainted even for the dirt and squalor which they shelter; wooden chambers thrusting themselves out above the mud, and threatening to fall into it-as some have done; dirt-besmeared walls and decaying foundations; every repulsive lineament of poverty, every loathsome indication of filth, rot, and garbage; all these ornament the banks of Folly Ditch
the southern extension of Saffron Hill: "a dirty and more wretched place he [Oliver] had never seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours".
, "In such a neighbourhood...stands Jacob's Island, surrounded by a muddy ditch, six or eight feet deep and fifteen or twenty wide when the tide is in, once called Mill Pond, but known in these days as Folly Ditch. It is a creek of inlet from the Thames, and can always be filled at high water by opening the sluices...At such times, a stranger, looking from one of the wooden bridges thrown across it at Mill-lane, will see the inhabitants of the houses on either side lowering from their back-doors and windows, buckets, pails, domestic utensils of all kinds, in which to haul the water up; and when his eye is turned from these operations to the houses themselves, his utmost astonishment will be excited by the scene before him. Crazy wooden galleries common to the backs of half a dozen houses, with holes from which to look upon the slime beneath; windows, broken and patched: with poles thrust out, on which to dry the linen that is never there; rooms so small, so filthy, so confined, that the air would seem too tainted even for the dirt and squalor which they shelter; wooden chambers thrusting themselves out above the mud, and threatening to fall into it-as some have done; dirt-besmeared walls and decaying foundations; every repulsive lineament of poverty, every loathsome indication of filth, rot, and garbage; all these ornament the banks of Folly Ditchthe southern extension of Saffron Hill: "a dirty and more wretched place he [Oliver] had never seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours".
Saffron Hill is mentioned in the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons", as the Italian Quarter where the Venucci family can be found
Saffron Hill formed a liberty which became part of the County of London in 1889. It was abolished in 1900 and formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn until 1965.
If we sometimes think of organised crime as a feature of the modern day underworld, occasionally it’s worth remembering that it has in fact been with us for longer than most of us realise. In this series of posts we’ll have a look at some of the gangs who burnt brightly in their era but no longer exist.
The main focus of these gangs eventually became the chaotic racetracks, especially Epsom and Ascot, at which unlicensed bookmakers regularly fleeced customers. These bookies used the gangs as protection (from angry customers and other bookies) and the Brummagem Boys, led by the clever and charismatic Billy Kimber, had fingers in this protection racket all over the country.
The Brummagem Boys had alliances with the Hoxton Gang and the Leeds Mob and used these alliances to spread their influence further. Their main rivals the Italian Mob, led by Charles ‘Darby’ Sabini, also had their eyes on the racetracks and this rivalry led to one of the most notorious and brutal events of the 1920s.
On the first day of the Epsom Derby in 1921, the Italian Mob were known to be visiting the racetrack. The Brummagem Boys and the Leeds Mob had made their way to the racetrack separately to confront the Italians but the presence of so many Metropolitan Police officers made them think again. Leaving by car, the Brummagem Boys set up an ambush on the route back towards London and waited for the Italians to drive by.
When two cars appeared on the road near the village of Stoneleigh in Surrey, the Brummagems blocked the road, rushed from behind the bushes and attacked the cars with bricks, hammers and other metal implements. Dragging the occupants from the car, they proceeded to batter and slash the men with knives until it looked like someone would be killed. Suddenly one of the injured men recognised the attackers and realised the error, shouting “Stop it, we’re the Leeds Mob” – the Brummagems had ambushed and attacked the Leeds Mob rather than the Italians. By this time however the attack had taken on a life of its own and did not stop until the Brummagem Boys were satisfied.
By 1921 the police were becoming more effective in tracking down and prosecuting the gangs and when the Brummagems car was spotted outside the George and Dragon pub near Richmond Park in London, several officers were sent to investigate. Unusually, one of the officers, Sergeant Dawson, was armed with a revolver and it proved vital. When the gang saw the police they attempted to rush Dawson but he drew his weapon and calmly said “I shall shoot the first man who tries to escape!“ Twenty three gang members were sentenced to prison terms in the ensuing trial.
If we sometimes think of organised crime as a feature of the modern day underworld, occasionally it’s worth remembering that it has in fact been with us for longer than most of us realise. In this series of posts we’ll have a look at some of the gangs who burnt brightly in their era but no longer exist.
The Brummagem Boys
In post-First World War England (1914-1918), crime was rife and threatening to spiral out of control. Into this mix a number of regional criminal enterprises emerged to take advantage of the situation. London had the Hoxton Gang, the Italian Mob and the Bethnal Green Mob, Yorkshire had the Leeds Mob and Birmingham had its notorious Brummagem Boys.The main focus of these gangs eventually became the chaotic racetracks, especially Epsom and Ascot, at which unlicensed bookmakers regularly fleeced customers. These bookies used the gangs as protection (from angry customers and other bookies) and the Brummagem Boys, led by the clever and charismatic Billy Kimber, had fingers in this protection racket all over the country.
A group of 1920s gangsters before they fell out - Kimber is on the back row, second from left
On the first day of the Epsom Derby in 1921, the Italian Mob were known to be visiting the racetrack. The Brummagem Boys and the Leeds Mob had made their way to the racetrack separately to confront the Italians but the presence of so many Metropolitan Police officers made them think again. Leaving by car, the Brummagem Boys set up an ambush on the route back towards London and waited for the Italians to drive by.
When two cars appeared on the road near the village of Stoneleigh in Surrey, the Brummagems blocked the road, rushed from behind the bushes and attacked the cars with bricks, hammers and other metal implements. Dragging the occupants from the car, they proceeded to batter and slash the men with knives until it looked like someone would be killed. Suddenly one of the injured men recognised the attackers and realised the error, shouting “Stop it, we’re the Leeds Mob” – the Brummagems had ambushed and attacked the Leeds Mob rather than the Italians. By this time however the attack had taken on a life of its own and did not stop until the Brummagem Boys were satisfied.
By 1921 the police were becoming more effective in tracking down and prosecuting the gangs and when the Brummagems car was spotted outside the George and Dragon pub near Richmond Park in London, several officers were sent to investigate. Unusually, one of the officers, Sergeant Dawson, was armed with a revolver and it proved vital. When the gang saw the police they attempted to rush Dawson but he drew his weapon and calmly said “I shall shoot the first man who tries to escape!“ Twenty three gang members were sentenced to prison terms in the ensuing trial.
No comments:
Post a Comment