FARRINGDON’S HATTON GARDEN SECRETS REVEALED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION
Hatton Garden has been the centre of London’s jewellery trade since the 18th Century, yet most of its fascinating history remains hidden. A group of jewellery students from the capital set out to change this when their documentary Stories From Hatton Garden broadcasts on national television channel Community Channel in March.
The documentary, produced by Digital-Works with the help of students from Kensington and Chelsea College, weaves through the maze of workshops and ancient passageways hidden behind the shop fronts to chronicle the area’s past and reveal how it became defined for its gold, silver and jewellery trade.
Featuring candid interviews with crafts men and women, many of whom have worked in London’s jewellery business for generations, the documentary providing a rare insight into the East London street’s history.
Sav Kyriacou, Digital-Works filmmaker said: “Matthew Rosenberg and I were fascinated by the sense that hidden behind the plush shops in London’s famous jewellery district of Hatton Garden, highly skilled people in filthy workshops were toiling away producing beautiful objects using techniques that dated back hundreds of years. We wanted to work with jewellery students to reveal this secret side to the area, and to explore the incredible manufacturing history at a time when the area and industry is on the cusp of change. We are committed to oral history as a vital means of exploring history and so we are very excited to have the Community Channel as a platform for sharing this widely.”
Stories From Hatton Garden comes to Community Channel as part of the channel’s Do Something Brilliant campaign, funded by Big Lottery Fund, to celebrate the talented people and organisations across the British Isles doing brilliant things to make a big difference.
Alexander Kann, General Manager of Community Channel, said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to share Stories From Hatton Garden with Community Channel viewers. Hatton Garden is home to a diverse community, who not only brought trade to the London borough but also helped to create this wonderfully unique area.
As part of our three-year campaign Do Something Brilliant we are encouraging communities to tell their stories about the little brilliant things they do which make a big difference. If you have a story you would like showcased on national television that you think would inspire the public please tell us about it.”
Stories From Hatton Garden broadcasts on Community Channel on Saturday 29th March at 8pm.