Café Royal Books | John Claridge — The Gorbals

“The Gorbals pictures were shot in 1965 over a two-day period for a charity to bring awareness of the dire circumstances people were living in. The majority of these pictures have never been published before. Only one or two have ever been seen.

Being from London’s East End I certainly felt an affinity. The people in the Gorbals seemed to have a similar resilience, generosity and sense of humour despite their terrible circumstances and living conditions. I would never want to change my background or where I came from. Times were hard, but in a strange way living was easy. Not one day went by without laughing at something. Sharing and spending time with people who have real soul. “

The Gorbals — John Claridge