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
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Jellied eels might be the ultimate London delicacy
Caught in the Thames or shipped from abroad, eels have a long history of sustaining Londoners
Photographing hidden worlds on the banks of the Thames
Portraits of the barren underbelly of London’s bridges, wharfs and piers
Thomas Barnardo’s crusade against child poverty
The suffering children of London’s East End motivated Barnardo’s tireless social work
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Millwall Dock: The barque 'Elfrieda' lying at her berth with men ascending the ratlines in March, 1928. (cellulose acetate)
Linney, Albert Gravely
1928
West India Docks: The freighter 'Bulgarian' entering the Blackwall Basin from the river in September, 1928. (cellulose acetate)
Linney, Albert Gravely
1928
