The Bower & Collier Family History
Research by Colin Bower
Silk Weavers named Collier
Town House at 5 Fournier Street, Spitalfields
5 Fournier Street is an early 18th Century building. It was a former weaver's house until 1820 and was formerly 30 Church Street.
The website - british-history.ac.uk - states that 5 Fournier Street is a single fronted house, two rooms deep with a cellar basement, three storeys and a roof garret.
It has been refronted and like many interiors of houses in the street much altered.
Among the previous occupants were:
- silk weavers: Etienne Sorel, Robert Ball and William Cotes/Cootes
- Abram/Abraham Miller furrier. He was the grandfather of Jonathan Miller, the famous intellectual and producer and director of operas.
A photo taken in the early 20th Century shows Fournier Street with houses having uppermost floors/attics with large windows to let in the maximum light for the weavers.
Number 5 is the third house from the left:
From 1942-2000, it was known as the Market Cafe and the ouline of the name can still be seen above the shop windows:
At the time of our visit in June 2015, it was being run as a gallery with a basement kitchen serving as a coffee house:
It has been a very enjoyable little project and I found the following articles interesting:
Articles in Spitalfields Life
The Huguenots of Spitalfields 2013
Unveiling of Huguenots Map at 5 Fournier Street 2015
Jonathan Miller at 5 Fournier Stret 2019
Article about The Town House, Spitalfields including a list of Occupants over the years
List of Occupants of 5 Fournier Street 2021
Colin Bower 31 August 2023
Links to:
