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The East End of London, known locally as the East End, is part of London in the United Kingdom.
Location
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.
History
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 these have been the French protestant Huguenots, the Jews and the Bangladeshi community much of the east end has changed and the true east end no longer exisits 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 also 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.
Today
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.
Media
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 Society
The film To Sir, with Love and the BBC soap opera EastEnders are set here.
See also
- Compare to West End of London.
- Cockneys
External links
- The East End of London on the site of the BBC.
- East London History
"East End of London"