The exhibition about Chinese Limehouse opened in St. Anne’s, Limehouse today (see below).
It’s a fascinating story, starting in the eighteenth century when the boats of the East India Company docked in Poplar and brought back examples of porcelain.
In the nineteenth century, China was both romanticised and demonised, as was Limehouse, written about by Sax Rohmer just before the First World War who popularised the idea of Limehouse as a haunt of opium dens.
The only thing I didn’t spot was any reference to Peter Ackroyd’s wonderful novel Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem which is a re-re-romanticisation of the Limehouse myth.
The exhibition is open Thursday to Saturday till July. And it’s an opportunity to see a great Hawksmoor church.
In Chinese Limehouse | Spitalfields Life https://share.google/LYwEMP5J1VQF1Rdgf
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
wish I were still in Limehouse to see this!
Don’t worry, the exhibition runs at St Anne’s Limehouse until July. We open Thursdays to Saturdays, 10-4pm, and Sunday mornings for service. Do come and visit anytime!
It was lovely to show you around St Anne’s last night! We enjoyed speaking to so many enthusiastic guests. Did you see your and Linda’s contribution to the displays? The best part of putting it all together was gathering eye witness accounts to the historic displays. Thank you!