The ‘Strangers’ Home was a residential home in Limehouse, in the Royal Docks area of East London. It provided temporary accommodation for Asian and black sailors (lascars) who came from across the British Empire and worked on European ships between the 16th century and the mid-20th century. The film tells the story of the lascars and their descendants living in East London by exploring the development of the Royal Docks as another home for strangers and its lasting impact on the surrounding areas. Many workers settled and had families, became part of the community and developed the present-day Royal Docks, Newham and East London, making it one of the most culturally diverse places anywhere in Britain.

The film mixes archive and contemporary footage, past and present, interviews with descendants of the community, and discussions with academics, to explore stories that have been lost, forgotten or misshapen by the media. The focus of the film is how the media portrayed migrants and mixed families, fuelling a moral panic during the 1930s. The film depicts how the workers were welcomed to cover the needs of the British Empire during the First World War, but were soon vilified and used as scapegoats by the government, the press, and locals for taking jobs, houses and suppressing wages. It is a story that is still being spun about immigrants today.

The film provokes questions and opens a dialogue that challenges the current limited narratives about migration, the British Empire and the media, that have shaped recent debates about immigration in modern Britain. The film’s title suggests a dialectic association between strangers and home, amplifying tensions between past and present, emphasising the cumulative effects of colonial practices on the development of the Royal Docks area. The ‘Strangers’ Home offers a glimpse between the images of past and present to unearth the unspoken stories of many voices and make the invisible visible.

Directed and edited by Fotis Begklis (2024)

A short film about the research project and the research participants.

LINKS:

https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/whats-on/places-of-change-the-strangers-home-20416