Brick Lane

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

Northeast of City of London
In Tower Hamlets -East End
Neighbours many rich areas

Question 2

1600

Answer 2

French protestants - Huguenots - brought with them the art of silk weaving

Question 3

1666

Answer 3

Great Fire of London forced many to relocate outside of original city
East End became an area that attracted the working class

Question 4

Late 1600s

Answer 4

Irish linen workers came to the area

Question 5

1880s-1970s

Answer 5

Jewish refugees.
Spitalfields is one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe (>40 synagogues)

Question 6

1888

Answer 6

Jack the Ripper

Question 7

1880s

Answer 7

Spitalfields was an undesirable area to live due to fumes being blown east.
Also, slums, brothels, crime and cholera

Question 8

1970s

Answer 8

Most of the Jews had moved on and there was an influx of Bangladeshi immigrants

Question 9

2024

Answer 9

Evidence of the people + communities that have given Brick Lane its unique character

Question 10

Regeneration - Truman Brewery Site

Answer 10

One of the largest breweries in 18th century. It began to struggle due to competition from imported lagers + closed in 1989
Now an 11 acre site containing exhibition space, workshops, boutiques and cafes

Question 11

Regeneration - Spitalfields Market

Answer 11

Been a market for 350 years
Now a popular fashion, arts and crafts, and food destination
Tables made from 100% recycled materials. 100% renewable energy
Food truck start-ups

Question 12

Regeneration - Fournier Street

Answer 12

Increase in house prices: £16 for 2 students in 1968. Now, famous residents include Keira Knightley whose house sold for £2m. Previous culture hasn’t been lost; grand Christ Church, Bangladeshi street signs, ‘S.Schwartz’ Jewish street sign

Question 13

Regeneration - cereal killer cafe

Answer 13

Increase in ‘trendy’ restaurants
Many saw it as an unwelcome gentrification and felt the culture and spirit of Brick Lane would be lost
Anti-gentrification protest stood outside cafe wearing masks and wielding torches

Question 14

Census 2021

Answer 14

Slight male majority 48:52% due to industry dominated by men and more likely to immigrate
High proportion of working age (77% compared to 64% national avg.)
Very diverse/multicultural - 52% Asian, 36% White, 5% Black

Question 15

Tower Hamlets qualitative data

Answer 15

Population 310k
Average age - 30 - lowest in England
50% born in England, 14% born in Bangladesh
40% in socially rented housing

Question 16

Changes from 2011-21

Answer 16

↑ Asian ↓ British
↑ atheism ↓ Christianity follows nationwide change
↓ social housing (gentrification)

Question 17

IMD

Answer 17

Majority of Tower Hamlets 1st-3rd most deprived decile

Question 18

Positives of quantitative sources

Answer 18

Easily comparable
Breaks down area into smaller scale
More specific and accurate
Objective - gov. verified, peer-reviewed
Easier to compare

Question 19

Negatives of quantitative sources

Answer 19

Data can be cherry-picked or manipulated to present particular viewpoint
Misleading if collated incorrectly or people had untruthful
Can’t show lived experience, individuality, or characteristics

Question 20

Street art

Answer 20

‘A couple holding hands in the street’ - racial equality and multiculturalism
Fashion Street - ‘Mecca of London Street Art’

Question 21

Brick Lane - Monica Ali

Answer 21

Book
Bangladeshi immigrant experience
Reinforced negative stereotypes on arranged marriages
Some Bangladeshis living in London felt it misrepresented their experiences

Question 22

Spitalfields Life - Adam Dant

Answer 22

Counter-mapping, strong sense of place - personal meaning of the area - lived experience

Question 23

Charles Booth poverty map

Answer 23

Knocked on every door - mini census
Indicates that the area had mixed fortunes at the time from very poor to affluent
Contrast to East End where poverty was much more widespread

Question 24

Positives of qualitative sources

Answer 24

Can show individual experience / sense of place
Subjectivity can encourage debate
Can show dynamics of the community
More expressive compared to raw stats
Can paint a mental picture - helpful for understanding a distant place as an outsider

Question 25

Negatives of qualitative sources

Answer 25

People may see it in a different way to its actual purpose
Less accurate - smaller sample of source material (e.g. individual perspective)
Bias
Can be harder to interpret
Harder to make direct comparison

Question 26

Positives of gentrification

Answer 26

Social media content advertising local businesses - Caribbean + Bengali clothing and food stalls
More investment and open spaces - changing flows of money

Question 27

Negatives of gentrification

Answer 27

↑ cost to live there - less affordable housing, more ‘trendy or vintage’ shops/restaurants
- leading much of the ethnic community to leave the area
Poor reflection of cultures on social media