Bella was married to boxer (and bank robber, see OldTimeMusicHall) Dick Burge. They took on the lease of the Surrey Chapel, an ex-chapel which had become a boxing ring in 1910. Renamed "The Ring" it became one of the first indoor venues for working class boxing. Bella and her female friends attended the boxing bouts, which was very unusual at that date. Dick died in 1919 and Bella carried on the Ring, expanding into all-in wrestling in 1932. Bombs in 1940 and 1941 destroyed the building and the site was redeveloped, most recently into the Palastra Building. This information all comes from the wonderful Nickel in the Machine, where you will find some fascinating pictures.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Bella Burge
Commemorated ati
Other Subjects
W. Young & Son
The Young family began fishing the Thames for whitebait in 1750. In 1811 William Young married Elizabeth Martha who had been selling fish at the Greenwich quayside. They set up a fish shop and the ...
1 memorial
Sir Horace B. Marshall (Junior)
Publisher and newspaper distributor and Lord Mayor of London, 1918–1919. Born Streatham, son of Sir Horace Brooks Marshall, whose business he joined. His daughter married J. Arthur Rank. Searc...
2 memorials
Ernest Eugene Pither
Art dealer and importer as "E. E. Pither and Sons". 1881 "Commission Agent" living with his mother and brother. 1882-99 operated out of various addresses in the area including 53 and 38 Mortimer S...
1 memorial
1 memorial
Manze's pie and mash shops
The Manze family came to Bermondsey from Ravello in Italy. Initially they were ice-merchants, and then ice-cream makers. Michele Manze branched out and opened their first eel, pie and mash shop in ...
2 memorials
Previously viewed
Suffragettes
The wonderful Spitalfields Life published a map on the East End Suffragette activities. And London Historians has a post 'Parliament and Votes for Women'.
4 memorials
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The borough was formed in 1965 by the merging of the separate former boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. It was originally planned to call it just Kensington, but Chelsea was added after local prot...
31 memorials
Francis Bret Harte
American writer, best know for his accounts of pioneering life in California. Born New York. Came to London in 1885 via Germany and Glasgow. Buried at Frimley, Surrey. Some sources, contradicti...
1 memorial
Smithfield Market Fire, 1958
On 23 January 1958, a fire broke out in the basement of Union Cold Storage Co at the Smithfield Poultry Market. The fire spread throughout the maze of basements under the market and burned for thre...
1 memorial
World War 1
We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came along at which point it was renamed as World War One or the First World War. But the term was first used in print in 1920...
402 memorials
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