Programme & Souvenir of Poplar's Great Fete

This souvenir programme was issued on the occasion of the Great fete at Poplar, on 8th July 1920. The event featured marching bands, stalls, bowling matches, tug of war competitions, dancing displays and an evening concert, and all money raised went in support of local charities. Despite the strangely rural vignettes on the cover of the programme, Poplar was one of the most deprived industrial boroughs in London with over 86,500 unemployed to support. The program features a forward by the Mayor of Poplar, George Lansbury, who nine months later led the local council in a 'rate strike' which resulted in 25 male and five female councillors being sent to prison. A month later, in the face of growing public support for what became known as 'Poplarism', the Councillors were set free and the rating system of London boroughs revised to eliminate an unfair balance against the poorer areas.