Wednesday 13 September 18:30 - 1930

“When we looked out our bedroom window, there was Pearce rag stores, with all the rabbit skins hanging in the window.  If I had a stick I could have poked them!”

The People of the Quarter lived cheek by jowl with the industries of the river and Quay. JoJo Spinks dives into their testimony in celebration of the Working Class histories of the Quay.

Today it’s easy to see our beautiful Exeter Quay as a leisure resource but between the Wars it was a hive of maritime and other industry employing the people who lived on the cobbled streets of Stepcote Hill, Coombe St and Preston Street.  Today, the connection between these streets and the Quay has been disconnected by the modern road building but within living memory, the relationship was clear.

Those streets ran down to the river and the Quay was the heart of the City’s industry with a glorious wealth of Working Class Histories to tell.  Supported by the testimony and images of those who share that heritage, JoJo Spinks celebrates the People of the West Quarter in conversation.

You can also ‘save a seat’ to watch the live stream from home here.

This event builds on our previous community writing workshops with JoJo and Interwoven Productions CIC where participants were inspired by their personal heritage connected to the Quayside to have a go at creative writing. You can read more about the project here.

This event will be in-person at Exeter Custom House. We have increased capacity at Quay Words events, so you may be sitting next to someone who is not in your household. We are still taking precautions to ensure our audiences are protected from Covid 19. We will be keeping windows open to ensure good ventilation in the building so you may want to bring an extra layer. Please do not attend Quay Words events if you have symptoms of Covid-19 or are feeling unwell. This event is going to be filmed for live broadcast on Crowdcast. You may appear on screen. Please only book if you are happy with this.

You can find out more about the accessibility of the Custom House here. If you have any access needs you’d like to discuss with us before the event you can contact us on quaywords@literatureworks.org.uk.