Talk: The Velho, the Novo, and the Hidden Legacy of Queen Mary University.
6th August 2026, 13:15
Speaker: Sharon Fell
Date & Time: Thursday 6th August at 1. 15 (talk at 2pm)
Venue: Clapton Community Football Club
The talk highlights and expands on the Cultural Explorers Group spring visit to this hidden place.
A spring visit to view the bluebells in a hidden cemetery at the heart of Queen Mary’s University campus in the middle of East London became an exploration of more than five hundred years of overlooked history.
This talk builds on the discoveries made during that visit, revealing how a seemingly forgotten space connects stories.
Through people, places, and surviving traces in the landscape, the talk uncovers how generations of migrants, benefactors, and local communities helped shape the area and contributed to a legacy that continues through education today.
What began as a seasonal visit became a journey through centuries of migration, identity, memory, and social change.
Join us to explore the stories hidden in the dead centre of campus.
