Canning Town Library, which is Grade II listed, and the neighbouring public hall hosted famous Left-wing political speakers such as trade unionist Keir Hardie and suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst.
After a meeting there in 1889, Will Thorne formed the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers, which later became the GMB. Thorne also helped organise the London Dock Strike of the same year.
The chicken restaurant was in negotiations to transform the first floor of the library into its latest branch. The plans were recommended for approval by Labour-led Newham council.
Commenting on Nando’s backing down, Warren Kenny, GMB regional secretary for London, said: “We’re delighted Nando’s has seen sense and shelved this proposal before it hatched. There is a time and a place for chicken, but a historic library that forms part of the fabric of Newham’s community was never it.
