British documentary photographer Paul Trevor has released a collection of black and white images of Brick Lane in the 1970s and 1980s

A self-taught photographer Paul Trevor, who lived in East London neighbourhood, spent many years during the 70s and 80s capturing life on London’s most iconic East End street.

Paul Trevor became a photographer at 25 after abandoning his accountancy job. He photographed inner cities across Britain throughout his career.

In his new photography book, Once Upon a Time in Brick Lane, images show humour, grit and children playing out in the streets, capturing the area’s vibe before it went through dramatic social change to be- come a London’s hipster corner, with independent boutique shops, cafes and bars.

Screenwriter Alan Gilbey writes in the book’s intro- duction: “Looking at Paul’s photographs, you can see all the special, fleeting, human moments… With the flick of a shutter, at the perfect time, these people live again. Even in monochrome, there is so much life.”

Paul Trevor’s photographs have been widely pub- lished in books, magazines, films and on TV. His work is motivated by a keen social impulse and his personal projects include the ‘Eastender Archive’, which docu- ments the changing community of the Brick Lane area over 25 years.

Once Upon a Time in Brick Lane by Paul Trevor, published by Hoxton Mini Press, RRP £25 hoxtonminipress.com