Striking Sparks: The Story of the Matchgirls

At 7pm on the first Saturday night in July, over 100 community singers and musicians gathered, after weeks of preparation, to premiere A Fair Field. Families and friends of the performers, locals, activists, and music enthusiasts filled the Great Hall of the People’s Palace, where East Enders have been enjoying arts and culture since 1887. The concert celebrated the events of a piece of local history - the Matchgirls’ Strike of 1888, and over the course of the evening the audience journeyed through the events of strike, told in music, poetry, and passionate speeches.

“Grateful the event gave us an opportunity to celebrate this brave story of female solidarity together in east London. Very important strike considering the year and the poverty and societal pressures faced by women” - Audience Member

“It was fabulous. The ultimate local event: local history, local composer, local performers, iconic local venue” - Audience Member

In 1888 - only one year after the opening of the Great Hall, that 135 years later would echo with songs of the deeds of the Matchgirls - a group of girls changed the course of history. Most of the employees of the Bryant and May match factory in Bow were women and children, working gruelling 6-day weeks, often for 12 - 14 hour stretches. Wages were meagre, and the little that was earned was chipped away by harsh financial penalties for mistakes or infractions. Worse than the prospect of docked pay was ‘phossy jaw’, a cancer of the jaw caused by the particular chemicals, chosen for their attractively low cost, used in the matchmaking process. 

This heavily weighted balance, that had so far existed in uneasy equilibrium, was unsettled by a magazine article exposing the discrepancy between shareholder profits and employee wages and working conditions. The article sparked protests in the factory, leading to a factory-wide strike, march, and growing interest from the press, Parliament, and the London Trades Council. Eventual negotiation with the owners of the factory led to a landmark victory. The demands of the Matchgirls - which, reasonably, covered the basics of respect, abolishment of fines, living wages, and working conditions - were unilaterally agreed to. This unprecedented success became influential in the development of the trade union movement, and thereby in the rights and protections that we all benefit from today.

“It is unbelievable that their working conditions were so awful. It was inspiring how they fought to improve their lives” - Audience Member

“I had a moment during the performance of just realising what an immense privilege it was to be part of sharing the story” - Participant

A Fair Field, composed by local East London composer Jonathan Pease, tells the story of these historic events, with witty lyrics and striking musical settings. Designed for the community singers and musicians who performed it, the piece gently challenged participants, giving them renewed confidence in their skills and a fierce sense of achievement - a feeling the Matchgirls’ may well have recognised. 

“The music was outstanding and it was clear how much fun the participants and audience alike were having. It was a joy to see and experience!“ - Audience Member

East London Music Group produced and presented Striking Sparks: The Story of the Matchgirls in collaboration with The Matchgirls Memorial, a charity founded by the ancestor of one of the instigators of the events of the strike. The project was conceived in 2022, and A Fair Field commissioned the same year - and by the time of the culminating concert the subject matter couldn’t have been more timely, set as it was against a political backdrop of rail, university staff, and other industry strikes. Despite the troubled themes, the concert was enjoyed hugely by participants and audience members, proving once again, that music, art, and community continue to provide comfort, inspiration, and support in all times.

“The story teaches us a lot about human resilience, strength of the people of the East end particularly the poor at the time, the empowerment of women and has strong relevance for us today especially in the current social and economic climate. It's really important for people to know about the Matchgirls' story, particularly the children and young people who are our future” - Participant

“Really ambitious piece of work - but the participants seemed to really enjoy it, as did the audience. It was great to see the different groups working so well together to produce such a great outcome” - Audience Member

At East London Music Group, we were also proud to have been able to give local community choirs the floor in a professional and exciting concert hall. Aside from promoting awareness of the story, and its significance, we were keen that participants would feel inspired to continue making music in the community, and that their skills had been developed and improved in an enjoyable way. Being a catalyst for growth and promotion of music and cultural activity is integral to our work, so seeing East London Children’s Choir, which was formed for the purpose of performing in Striking Sparks, continue on its own path and collaborate with other choirs on the project is brilliant. 

“I joined a choir because liked the idea of being part of something, but I particularly liked this project as the choir was part of a bigger project, and it felt like we were sharing an important message and doing good in the community” - Participant

Telling a story that is deeply baked into the history of Bow and Tower Hamlets; set to music by a composer born and raised in East London; and performed by musicians who live and work on the streets walked by the Matchgirls on their marches, was something special. That the events had consequences reaching so far beyond our small slice of London, and that the messages are so timely and universal, made this project a true example of the importance and place of music and arts in our communities.

To find out more about the details of the story of the Matchgirls, please visit our collaborators, The Matchgirls Memorial’s website, which hosts information, resources, and photographs.

To view all the pictures from the event click here. Photos taken by Matthew Johnson.

With thanks to:

Poplar Singers

Victoria Park Singers

Aldersbrook Choir

East London Children’s Choir

Queen Mary University of London Choir

Matchgirls Memorial

East London Community Band

Jonathan Pease

Women's History Month, March 2023: Life in London for Victorian Women

In the 1800’s, life for working class women was turbulent and demanding. The century saw many revolutions in women’s rights, but gender inequality was deeply entrenched and despite some movement in the right direction, life for women was still fundamentally defined by their gender. 

Seeming wins for female independence were seen in increased education opportunities; the ability for women to earn a salary; and changes to laws on property ownership. Yet despite being literate, with money in the bank and stocks in their own names, throughout most of the 19th century women remained unable to vote, leave an abusive husband, nor attend university.

Over the 1800s, a series of innovations increased the yields from the agriculture industry in Britain, including transport infrastructure, crop rotation, and new innovations in equipment. This had the effect of freeing up working class women from agriculture, which was handy, since simultaneously the demand for factory workers had risen. However, skilled work in factories and industry remained almost exclusively open to men. Jobs that allowed workers to develop new skills and progress up the salary ladder, such as supervision and management roles, and work that utilised advances in technology, were mostly out of reach for women in the 1800s.

In the present day, studies consistently show that women in Britain still take on significantly more unpaid domestic labour than men. Today, a wife and mother might expect to do around 33% more than her partner, but for her 1800’s counterpart, this was likely to be 100%. Although it was a financial necessity for many working class women in the 1800s to bring money into the household, entrenched social expectations meant that cooking, cleaning, and raising children often remained the sole responsibility of women.

A woman employed in the Bryant and May match factory in Bow in the 1880s would have earned between 4 - 12 shillings per week, which was far lower even than bricklayers, carpenters, or even farm workers. 

The work days were gruelling, lasting between 10 - 12 hours, for which workers were exposed to dangerous chemicals, and heavy fines were inflicted for the smallest of mistakes. Factory management considered the physical health of the workers to be worth nothing - if it was considered at all - and so injury, such as loss of fingers, was commonplace. Just as commonplace, but even more disturbing, was the prevalence of ‘phossy jaw’, a form of bone cancer caused by the use of white phosphorus in the match-making process. In those times, when anaesthetic was not a given, the prospect of surgery was grim.

It is no surprise that in 1888, the girls and women of Bryant and May reached breaking point, and united in one of the influential examples of strike action in the UK. A social reformer and Fabian named Annie Besant published a newspaper article exposing working conditions at the factory, prompting the firing of one worker, which sparked a revolution amongst the remaining workforce. The victory of the Matchgirls set the foundations of the new labour movement and the formation of their Union of Women Matchmakers heralded the dawn of New Unionism.

Although there is still work to be done, in the UK injustices as vast and explicit as those lived by the matchgirls of the 1800s are firmly in the past. Women are no longer barred from any professions, and the number of women in senior management positions across all industries continues to rise steadily. 

We can’t make progress without continuing to honour the work done by those who have come before us. We are proud to have commissioned a musical work telling the story of the 1888 Matchgirls Strike for our project in partnership with The Matchgirls Memorial. The piece, A Fair Field, by Jonathan Pease, will be premiered by massed community choirs and community musicians on the 1st July, at the Great Hall of the People's Palace in Mile End.

Get your tickets here!

To learn more about the story, and the women of the strike, we encourage you to visit The Matchgirls Memorial’s website, where you can read more about the historic event and important work of the charity. 

Striking Sparks

In partnership with The Matchgirls Memorial, ELMG presents the inspiring story of the 1888 matchgirls’ strike with a new piece of music performed by choirs and musicians local to the site of the historic events.

Centering on female empowerment, workers rights, and unity against injustice, the story takes audiences on a search for equality and fairness that continues today. The Matchgirls Strike was an industrial action by the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant & May match factory in Bow, London.

Protesting against terrible working conditions and low pay, 1,400 women and girls walked out of the factory on 5 July 1888. Less than two weeks later, after press interest and discussion of the matter in parliament, the Bryant & May Directors agreed to all the strikers’ demands.This event was influential in the early trade union movement as a rare instance of women leading a successful action, resulting in far-reaching political consequences.

Their success was inspiration for the London Dock strike in 1889 and the development of New Unionism, the creation of unions that were open to workers from a wide range of related industries.

Five local choirs, whose members live and work in the streets trodden by the 1888 matchgirls will come together with a new children’s choir to premiere the piece of music, commissioned from composer Jonathan Pease by East London Music Group. ELMG welcomes East London Community Band, an inter-generational group of all-abilities musicians who will join the singers in a rousing performance of this timeless story of bravery and hope.

Date: Saturday 1st July 2023, 7pm

Venue: The Great Hall of the People’s Palace, Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS

Tickets: £7/£5 concessions. Can be purchased in advance online or on the door.

Click on this link to buy tickets!

New team members

We’re really pleased to introduce two new team members this October. It’s great to have them on board and we’re looking forward to working with them to expand and deliver on some great projects over the upcoming months.

Isabel: Fundraiser

After eight years in salaried roles, Isabel set up her own fundraising consultancy practice in 1996, working across the public, voluntary and community sectors.

She has worked with over 220 organisations in many sectors, including arts and heritage, disability, education, environment, health, homelessness, human rights and social welfare. In that time, she has raised over £24m, from individuals, charitable foundations and the corporate sector. She also advises clients on governance, strategic planning and ethical issues, offering a range of services, including training and mentoring.

The arts, however, have always been her passion, though fundraising for the arts has always been challenging and never more so than at the present time, with so many problems besetting us post Covid, with war in Ukraine and the economy in crisis. That said, Isabel feels that the arts, and music in particular, are vital in helping us make sense of this crazy and troubled world.

Ella: Assistant Producer

Since graduating with a degree in Music and a postgraduate degree in Creative Media Industries: Cultural Management, Ella has worked with a range of organisations across the creative sector including charities, commercial agencies, and arts organisations. Working in creative production teams, she has led and supported on production for international orchestral tours, corporate events, and multi-million pound public art programmes. Ella cares deeply about access to music for everyone, and believes strongly in the importance of place-based arts projects that engage communities and create positive and sustainable legacies. 

‘I love working with musicians and enabling fantastic performances that reach audiences outside of the big concert halls. ELMG’s approach, where community engagement is baked into projects from the start, is really inspiring and I look forward to getting stuck into planning and production!’

Howard Williams joins ELMG as trustee

We are delighted to announce the appointment of British conductor Howard Williams to the ELMG board of trustees. Williams is one of Britain’s most experienced conductors on the international platform, has covered a formidable range of work both in the opera house and concert hall. His exceptionally large symphonic repertoire is matched in the theatre by nearly a hundred opera and ballet titles and a love of orchestral and choral collaboration.