Tower Hamlets
Taking in Spitalfields, Bow and, to the south, the Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets’ story dates back to Roman times.
The imprint of the many migrant communities who’ve made the area their home is everywhere – perhaps most notably in Brick Lane Jamme Masjid. Now a mosque, it was built in 1743 as a French Protestant church, before becoming a synagogue in 1898.
Tower Hamlets’ diverse influences are part of the draw for numerous creative people. Artists Gilbert & George and Tracey Emin are among those to have lived in the borough.
Tourists flock to bustling markets on Columbia Road and Petticoat Lane – and to explore the streets once roamed by Jack the Ripper.
But it’s also where bankers go to work among the sleek glass towers of Canary Wharf. And where Victoria Park opened in 1845 for the benefit of the East End working class – one of the first public parks in London.
The Roman Road market in 1968
Top-Results
Top-Results
Grime music: From the corner to the mainstream
Grime is a Black-British music genre that gives the youth a sense of belonging and a global audience
Michaela Coel: A vital modern storyteller
The superstar behind Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You has spun unique tales from London life
Thomas Barnardo’s crusade against child poverty
The suffering children of London’s East End motivated Barnardo’s tireless social work
Top-Results
Millwall Docks: The barque 'Ponape' alongside the quay on 5th June, 1931 (negative)
Linney, Albert Gravely
1931
Elevated view of St Katharine Dock, roofs of old tobacco warehouses and the western end of the London Docks (gelatin silver print)
Avery, John Henry
1921
