Renounced a brewing fortune to help the East End poor. Born Bow Road, the heir to Charrington’s Brewery in Stepney. He entered the business but, aged 19, experienced a religious conversion and became an evangelical Christian. He became aware of the harm that alcohol, the source of his wealth, did to the poor and so he left the business and devoted his life to helping the poor in the East End, particularly through the Temperance movement. Campaigned against prostitution and music halls. Either he kept some of his ill-gotten gains or he was good at raising funds because he managed to open a school, the Tower Hamlets Mission and to build the Great Assembly Hall in Mile End. Founded a retreat for alcoholics at Osea Island off the coast of Essex. Some were wealthy (Sickert is rumoured to have stayed) others would do community work as payment. He was one of the original members of the London County Council, 1889-95. Working on almost identical ground Barnardo and Charrington began supportive of each other but this developed into a bitter feud. Died in the London Hospital.
His campaign against prostitution had two unseen consequences: by closing down brothels he forced the prostitutes out onto the streets, thus, possibly, providing easy victims for Jack the Ripper. This campaign also brought him into contact with prostitutes and thus, inevitably, he has been named as a suspect for Jack the Ripper himself.
George Powell is a good source of more information.
