Newham
Newham is located in east London and takes in communities such as Plaistow, West Ham and Upton, with the Thames at its southern border.
It’s here that the Royal Docks operated from the 1850s until 1981. In their heyday, they provided many jobs, leading to the growth of Newham’s working-class community.
This influenced the borough’s politics, with West Ham South being the first seat in the country to elect a Labour MP. It’s also where a meeting by striking workers in 1889 led to the formation of what became known as the National Union of General Workers.
The Royal Docks area has now been redeveloped, partly as London City Airport, opened in 1987. Further regeneration transformed the Stratford neighbourhood for the London 2012 Olympics. The purpose-built Olympic Park continues its legacy as a home of London sport today.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture designed by Sir Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Blogs-And-Stories
Photographs of Stratford before the 2012 Olympics
The communities and industries that called the Olympic Park site their home
Silvertown 1917: London’s largest explosion
73 people died when an east London factory making TNT caught fire and exploded
The history of the Docklands Light Railway
The DLR was built to transform London’s docklands
25 ways to fix the city: Meet the London initiatives
25 projects across London that are working to make the city a better place
The London 2012 Olympics
A dreamlike opening ceremony. A successful haul of golds. And an area of east London transformed
City of London Cemetery & Crematorium
This Newham cemetery is one of the country’s biggest
