| Description | Mainly publications, including newsletters, reports and flyers but also correspondence, poster and photographs.
Includes:
'THAP News' October 1976
'THAP 82-83' information report (red ring binding)
Also: 'THAP Members' colour photograph.
Alan Gilbey sent the following caption for the photograph, 18 August 2026 and recounts:
The photograph does not show all the members at that time. The 'face paint (we never did clowning!) indicates we'd been asked to do something at a community event, possible the E.1. Festival, which was held just around the corner from our first bookshop'.
'Starting in the back row, from the left:
CHRIS LILLY - A student teacher in the East End, Chris became a volunteer with THAP, then a community arts worker making videos with kids on council estates in Poplar and the Isle of Dogs. Later he was a key member of staff at the THAP bookshop when it moved to Whitechapel, before returning to teaching.
Chris still lives on the island and is very involved in the promotion of London pub theatre, as well as writing novels.
PHIL SHEPHERD - Phil was the London Brough of Tower Hamlets first arts officer, employed to administer and promote the Thames TV money that funded the initial Tower Hamlets Arts Project.
A bold choice for a local council, Phil's previous experience as part of the Bath Arts Workshop brought a very 'alternative' vibe to the post, which gelled well with younger local people. Phil was retained as Arts Officer for several years, changing the public perception of what had previously been the Leisure Department.
Phil returned to the West Country where he makes and distributes independent films to this day.
HARVEY MILDINER
One of several members of the Mildiner family of Stepney, who became involved in early THAP, Harvey painted community murals and for a time ran a pottery workshop in the basement of the first bookshop.
Harvey was also one of the founder members of Controlled Attack, a THAP supported punk poetry/performance group which performed plays and cabaret sets at The Half Moon Theatre and other London venues, with a changing line-up, for close to a decade.
DAN JONES (at the back with the beard.)
Dan arrived in the East End as a youth worker in the 1970's and never left. After working in youth clubs and adventure playground around Cable Street, he co-founded the Basement Community Arts Workshop, in the basement of a former town hall. There local teens could make films, silkscreen posters, explore photography, nick the cameras, or join a fortnightly writing group. Later there was a school for compulsive truants in the basement too.
He was a major figure in the Tower Hamlets Trades Council, painted large-scale paintings of East End events, and illustrated several children's books. He later became artist-in-residence at Amnesty International, who named a studio after him.
ALAN GILBEY
A founder member of East End group the Basement Writers, Alan left secondary school early to become a THAP volunteer and was one of the first paid workers in their community bookshop. He drew many book covers and cartoons for East London groups.
Another member of Controlled Attack, Alan was later employed by LBTH as a drama worker at the Island Arts Centre, where he co-created many new productions with workshop groups of local people, including 'A View Of The River', a community play with a cast of sixty staged in an abandoned warehouse on Canary Wharf.
This led to him becoming a full-time writer, scripting new work for fringe companies and BBC radio drama. He went on to write several animated films and TV series which won Baftas. Alan still lives in Tower Hamlets where he curates walks, talks, and public events about local history.
MAGGIE PINHORN
Maggie's community arts work predates the THAP project by some years. Formerly a film designer, she was very active in the creation of the Basement Community Arts Workshop, especially the film group which made the acclaimed 'Tunde's Film.' She also designed 'The Big Show' at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, which culminated THAP's first year. Maggie later founded Alternative Arts and still co-ordinates the East End Photography and Women's History months.
WILLIAM (BILL) CROOKS
A Bethnal Green councillor for many years, Bill worked for the local libraries and was involved in protests against the Thames TV 'Eyesites' scheme, which led to the creation of THAP. Part of an earlier generation of local artists and writers who published a regular East London arts magazine, Bill created elaborate calligraphy pieces on local history themes which THAP later exhibited and sold copies of in their bookshop. A block of flats in Bethnal Green is named after him
STEVE MURRAY (at the back with red face paint)
One of several graduates from East 15 drama school in Newham who became involved in the early THAP, Steve was a founder member of THUD Theatre, who toured self-devised shows to schools, pensioners clubs, and community festivals in Tower Hamlets
Steve later became the co-ordinator of Tower Hamlet Community Transport, as well as a regular performer on the alternative comedy circuit where he tortured a great many innocent teddy bears. He also made several appearances on 'Tonight with Jonathan Ross.'
Later Steve joined the ranks of unlikely LBTH Arts Officers, then became head of the parks department too, but didn't promote any teddy bears picnics.
PAUL WALLER AND ANST FISHER (also in face paint)
The other members of Thud Theatre, Paul and Anst eventually left London to work in community and wellness projects elsewhere.
PETER CONWAY (at the front, left)
The third of our arts officer collection, Pete followed on from Phil and worked for LBTH for many years, where he showed a particular interest in music, especially Jazz.
Pete later became a music promoter and still programmes events at the Blackheath Halls, as he has for many years.
GLADYS MCGEE (behind him, in an apron)
Sometimes known as the Bard of Stepney ('barred from the pubs and betting offices') Gladys was a member of the Basement Writers for almost twenty years. She performed regularly on the London poetry circuit of the 1980's, as well as on the emerging alternative comedy scene.
It was a surprising later-life development for Gladys, and you can see her in full performance glory (dressed as Brittania) in an extract from a Channel Four documentary she appeared in, now posted on You Tube.
There are currently plans to publish a retrospective collection of her work.
LESLIE MILDINER (front, middle)
Another Basement Writer and founder member of Controlled Attack, at age 15 Leslie and his friend Billy House wrote a well-received novel about their experiences as school refusers, published by a community bookshop in Hackney.
With Controlled Attack he explored the theme further in their play 'A Secondary Education' as well as performing on the early alternative circuit with Alan and even younger THAP volunteer Eamonn Duggan from Poplar.
In the 1980's Leslie relocated to Canada, where he still lives and performs today, He is the author of many plays and musicals, one man shows, and walk-about performance pieces inspired by the Bath Arts Workshop.
ONE OF OUR STUDENT PLACEMENTS (front right)
THAP had several over the years.' [Name to be confirmed with further enquiries]. |