The East End has not always had the best reputation, especially with people running the City of London who tended to think of its residents as being a bit beneath them. In the 1700s, moves were made to do something to bring people living on the outskirts of the City back in line. Famous East …
Located in the East End’s Shoreditch, the Geffrye Museum combines charming displays on urban living through the ages with an insight into historic almshouse life in the area. This may not be one of London’s best known museums, but it is well worth a visit. The Geffrye Museum is embarking on a transformational £18m development …
Located on Commercial Street in the East End’s Spitalfields area, the Ten Bells pub may not look all that extraordinary from the outside. Its grand Victorian days are still visible in its imposing façade, and it has listed building status, but there is more to the pub than this. It has a very real history, …
Millwall is located on the west side of the Isle of Dogs in London’s East End. The area has a famous, or even infamous, football club and like many areas of the East End, strong connections with water-based trades. The Origins of Millwall Millwall was originally called Pomfret Manor and then Marshwall. Pomfret Manor is …
Limehouse got its name from the lime kilns in the area. These were used by potteries that crafted products for shipping companies and ships in the East End docks. Some also believe that the name referred to the sailors who disembarked from their ships in this area. They were nicknamed “Limeys” or “Lime Juicers” as …
The Blind Beggar is one of the most famous pubs in the East End of London, if not in London itself, although some of its history is more infamous than famous. For some, it is most associated with local gangsters, the Kray twins, who audaciously murdered a criminal in its saloon bar. Historic East End …
Located in Wapping, the Prospect of Whitby is one of London’s oldest pubs, and it is thought by some to be the oldest riverside pub on the Thames. There has been a pub on this site since the time of Henry VIII and the first pub was probably built in 1520. You can still see …
Although we tend to think that Shakespeare spent most of his time in The Globe theatre on the banks of the Thames, he actually spent a fair amount of time honing his writing skills and performing his plays in the heart of the East End of London. Before the Globe was built, Shakespeare was an …
Historians believe that Shoreditch got its name from water that ran across the area’s marshland. It was originally known as Soersditch, or Sewer’s Ditch. A more romantic, though untrue, meaning connects Shoreditch with royalty. Some people like to believe that the area was named after Jane Shore, who was a mistress of Edward IV. She …
The first recorded names for Bethnal Green were Blithehale and Blythenhale. These could be translated as “happy corner”, although nobody is exactly sure where the name came from. Over time, the area became known as Blethenal Green and then Bethan Hall Green. The current name for the area probably came from the local pronunciation of …
The East End’s Whitechapel may be most associated with Jack the Ripper, but there is more to this part of London than tales of his infamous crimes. Like many areas of the East End, Whitechapel made its mark on its own outside of the main city areas and it has an interesting, eclectic and varied …
Legend has it that you can only be a true Cockney if you were born within the sound of Bow bells. You won’t, however, make a child a Cockney by camping close to Bow Church, as the legend actually relates to the bells of St Mary-le-Bow, which are in the City of London. You also …
Although badly damaged by bombing raids in the Blitz and affected by the closure of its docks industry, the East End’s Wapping area still has some little historical gems that are worth a visit. Wapping has been inhabited since Saxon times and has played a part in some of London’s more interesting moments. Places to …
London’s Docklands area has always played an important role in the wealth of the city and in the fortunes of the East End. Once the hub of imports and exports and manufacturing, this area is now home to one of the leading financial centres in the world. Over the years, the Docklands have had their …
Spitalfields is one of the more curious areas of the East End of London. Close to Liverpool Street, it is the home to many financial industry workers by day, but it retains many of its traditional East End roots. Places to Visit in the East End of London – Spitalfields Like much of the East …
If you’re looking for an East End museum that will really engage the kids, or fancy taking a trip down memory lane to your own childhood, then a visit to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green is a must. The V&A Museum of Childhood The museum originally opened in 1872 as the Bethnal Green …
The gasworks at Beckton in the borough of Newham played a major role in East End industry for over 100 years. Its story also illustrates just how this once thriving industrial area has declined and changed its focus. Formerly the largest gasworks in Europe, Beckton gasworks was in use from 1870 to 1969 when it …
Eastenders who want to get into London or out into Essex have various tube lines to choose from. As well as using London Underground’s Central, District, Jubilee and Hammersmith and City lines, they can also access the glories of the Docklands on the Docklands Light Railway. Fun Facts about East End Tube Lines and Stations. …
London’s East End is one of the city’s richest areas for markets. You can visit anything from traditional street markets selling fruit and veg and bargain basement products through to eclectic alternative markets that sell something different every week. Explore East End Street Markets Let’s look at some markets you really should be visiting if …
One of the UK’s favourite TV soaps, Eastenders, is set in a fictional square in the East End of London. The program was first broadcast in 1985 and has remained one of the top three prime-time soaps ever since. Over the years, all of the country has enjoyed watching the lives of fictional Eastenders as …
Located in the Barbican, the Museum of London is, as its name suggests, a site dedicated to London. The Museum of London Like many other major museums in the capital, entry is free and this is the perfect spot for a either a quick browse through London’s history or a fascinating full day out. History …
London’s Brick Lane has a fascinating history and is one of the most popular places to visit in the East End today, especially on a Sunday when the street’s gets the area buzzing. The East End’s Brick Lane Sitting in the heart of the East End, Brick Lane was a poor slum area in the …
