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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London Dock
The Wapping drop-off point for wine, tobacco, spices and ivory between 1805 and 1968
The Backstreet: London’s iconic men-only leather bar
For 37 years, The Backstreet was an iconic part of London’s leather and gay bar scene
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East India Docks: Cases of bananas being discharged on the north quay of the Import Dock around 1929. (negative)
Linney, Albert Gravely
1929
