East End of London
The
East End of London, known locally as the
East End, is part of
London in
England.
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Christ Church, Spitalfields |
The term
East End was first applied to the districts immediately to the east of, and entirely outside, the
mediaeval walled
City of London. These included
Whitechapel and
Stepney. By the late 19th century the East End roughly corresponded to the
metropolitan boroughs of
Stepney,
Bethnal Green,
Poplar and
Shoreditch, which correspond to the modern boroughs of
Tower Hamlets and part of
Hackney.
The East End is an informal designation, and has no fixed boundaries. It is however to the north of the River Thames. Since
1900 development has spread far into districts which were formerly in the county of
Middlesex, but are now in
Greater London. Parts or all of
Newham are sometimes considered to be in the East End, however the
River Lee is often considered to be the eastermost boundary of the area and this definition would exclude the borough but place it at the heart of
East London.
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Brick Lane |
The East End has always been one of the poorest areas of London. The main reasons for this include the undesirability of living in the direction of the prevailing wind from the city centre in the days of open fires, the large amount of low paid employment in the docks and related industries, and the location of the court and political centre of London on the opposite western side of the
City of London. Throughout history the area has absorbed waves of
immigrants who have each added a new dimension to the culture and history of the area, most notably the French protestant
Huguenots, the
Jews and the
Bangladeshi community. Much of the east end has changed and the true east end no longer exists as the majority of the
cockneys have moved to Essex and further out. Racist events include an anti-semitic Fascist march in 1936 (which was famously abandoned when blocked by a larger force of locals; c.f. the
Battle of Cable Street), and recent anti-Asian violence and more recenty anti-white violence, including a council seat win for the
British National Party in 1993 (since lost), and a
1999 bombing in
Brick Lane.
In
1888 the area became notorious as the site of the
crimes of
Jack the Ripper. In
1911 it was the site of the
Sidney Street Siege, and in the
1960s it was the area most associated with
gangster activity, most notably that of the
Krays.
Traditionally the home of London's
docks and a large part of its
industry, especially industries based on processing foodstuffs and other imported raw materials, the area was a continuous target during the
blitz of
World War II. Much of what little housing remained was removed as part of 'slum clearance' programmes. Post war, specifically
1960s, architecture dominates the housing estates of the area. From the mid
20th century, the docks declined in use and they are now all closed. London's main port is now at
Tilbury outside the boundary of Greater London.
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Redevelopment of Isle of Dogs |
The East End is now home to various
urban regeneration projects, most notably
Canary Wharf, a huge commercial and housing development on the
Isle of Dogs. Many of the
1960s tower blocks have been demolished or have been renovated. The area around
Old Spitalfields market and
Brick Lane has been extensively regenerated and is famous, amongst other things, as London's curry capital, as well as being the home of a number of London's art galleries, including the famous
Whitechapel Gallery.
The area remains, however, one of the poorest in Britain and contains some of the capital's worst deprivation. This is in spite of rising property prices, and the extensive bulding of luxury apartments, centred largely around the dock areas and alongside the Thames. To quote 'Find A Property' (uk-based property website), on the Isle of Dogs:
'Memories of bitter disputes with the dictatorial London Docklands Development Corporation and high profile bankruptcies will fade with the proliferation of new gleaming office blocks, but unfulfilled promises to rejuvenate the deprived districts of Poplar and Millwall will haunt the district a lot longer. Whilst the glass towers continue to hold the reflection of grim council estates, the Isle of Dogs will remain two worlds apart, and be the poorer for it.'
With rising costs elsewhere in the capital, the East End has become a desirable place for business.
East End Film Society (EEFS) is a filmmaking club for people who live, work or study in East London. It is the UK's biggest film community with over 450 members. EEFS is supported by
Film Academy and is currently in partnership with the Fusion East project to facilitate network meetings, screenings, seminars, training workshops and more.
Fusion East has been devised by a consortium of three neighbouring local authorities:
London Borough of Hackney,
Newham and
Tower Hamlets, alongside Leaside Regeneration, and the Cultural Industries Development Agency (CIDA). For more details visit
East End Film SocietyThe film
To Sir, with Love and the
BBC soap opera EastEnders are set here.
* Compare to
West End of London.
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Cockneys*
The East End of London on the site of the
BBC.
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East London History
