Egyptian Jazz Age splendour in Camden NW1, via Spain and Soho, Aldgate and Piccadilly
See and hear how a Georgian-era Spanish family of tobacco traders grew to become one of the world's largest independent cigarette companies, manufacturing from within an impressive and innovative Egyptian-style temple of trade at Mornington Crescent, Camden, north London.
This presentation tells the story of the Carreras company and how it flourished. See where the family's early shops were located and how advances in engineering changed the cigarette manufacturing process. Learn about famous brands, collectors' cards and brand loyalty schemes, plus music and dancing whilst working and, of course, the clever design features on the exterior of this impressive Grade II building.
See how this area of Camden evolved throughout the twentieth century thanks to this Art Deco 'Hygienic Wonder Factory' and what happened to the building after the company moved to a new town in Essex.
+50 annotated slides
Other Art Deco-themed talks available (London-centric): Art Deco Living / Demolished Deco / Alternative Art Deco / Theatreland / East End to West End / The Power of St Giles Gilbert Scott / Artists on the Adelphi (sculptors)
Views: 18 | Enquiries: 0I have been leading guided walks and hosting/presenting talks for almost ten years.
My walks and talks are about subjects that intrigue me personally, such as architecture, art deco, gas lamps, department stores, the changing face of our high streets, street markets, coal hole covers and other interesting ironmongery, cultural changes (such as French Soho), ghostsigns of many types, bygone businesses, artists, architects and sculptors, and specific people including Daniel Defoe, Agatha Christie, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Oscar Wilde and Daniel Defoe (all in relation to London).
I am fascinated by London's rich history and unusual details, constantly finding new and interesting subjects to investigate. As a child, I was often seeking out the hidden corners and quirky embellishments, keen to find out more about the things that I had discovered. This obviously continued into adult life(!). After starting work in the Covent Garden area in 1980 I became fascinated with the patchwork of history all around me. My thirst for more information about old pub signs, the river, the squares and gardens, boot scrapers, tiled façades and hand-painted signs, gradually evolved to become a website/blog called Jane's London and this in turn became Jane's London Walks (and talks).
Each of my presentations contains c.50 slides, mostly of my own photos shown at large format with clear annotation. I do not read from a pre-prepared script, nor do I read aloud bulleted text from the screen, preferring to talk to the audience as if I am simply sharing my observations and findings with a group of friends.
A list of pre-prepared presentations can be found here: https://www.janeslondonwalks.com/2023/10/overviews-of-talkspresentations.html
Other subjects can be easily pulled together from this list: https://www.janeslondonwalks.com/p/a-z-of-walks-and-talks.html Please note that these will likely incur extra costs to cover admin and design.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jane Amelia Parker – designer, photographer, typographer and, with my recycling hat on, a Thames foreshore creative mudlarker. I am an accredited badge-wearing Islington Guide at Canonbury Tower and St Mary's, Upper Street. I also a volunteer as a tour guide for The Royal Parks, leading tours in St James's Park and Kensington Gardens.
Please also see my blog www.janeslondon.com which is where this all began. I also share my thoughts and images on Substack and Instagram as @janeslondonwalks and @janeslondon
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