Changing Places - Brick Lane Case Study Flashcards
Where is Brick Lane located?
1) Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
2) Runs from Swanfield Street in the northern part of Bethnal Green, passes through Spitalfields and links to Whitechapel High Street to the south.
History of Brick Lane (1400s)
Original name was Whitechapel Lane, believed to be renamed Brick Lane due to the local earth used by brick and the manufacturers in the 1400s.
History of Brick Lane (1700s)
Big influx of French Huguenots driven out of France due to religious conflict. Architecture was brough over by these migrants and is visible today (windows, shutters, separate doors etc.)
History of Brick Lane (1900s)
Jewish people escaping programs in the Russian Empire flocked to Brick Lane.
History of Brick Lane (1900s-2000s)
Areas transformed into Banglatown. Those from the Sylheti region of the nation see Brick Lane as the place to settle in London (huge diaspora).
Lived experience of Brick Lane (Pre 1960)
Name first recorded in 1542. Late 17th century built well know Truman Brewery.
Lived experience of Brick Lane (1960s)
Large influx of Bengali immigrants. Decline of Jewish Immigrants and culture.
Lived experience of Brick Lane (1970s)
Jewish Immigrants keep declining. Widespread violence and racist attacks directed at Bengali community.
Lived experience of Brick Lane (1980s)
East London Mosque opens in 1985 off White Chapel Street
Lived experience of Brick Lane (1990s)
Tower Hamlet Borough began to enhance Brick Lane
Lived experience of Brick Lane (2000s)
£1.85 million plan to improve Brick Lane Cultural Trail
Lived experience of Brick Lane (2013)
Extremely poor area, 16% unemployment, increase in art and youth culture.
Why is the future of Brick Lane feared for?
Gentrification of the area resulting in increasing rent and housing costs. Fears of gentrification normalising Brick Lane (clone town??)
How has the demographic of Brick Lane changed over time?
1) French Huguenots.
2) Jewish.
3) Bengali Immigrants.
4) Banglatown
What are the cultural characteristics of Brick Lane?
The fantastic cultural vibrancy and diversity of Brick Lane seen today is the result of centuries of change, as wave after wave of immigrants have settled in the area and each added their unique ingredients to the strong cultural mix of the East End.
What are the economic characteristics of Brick Lane?
1) Deprivation is widespread in Tower Hamlets and the borough is one of the most deprived areas in the country.
2) The 2015 Index of Multiple Deprivation found fewer areas of Tower Hamlets to be among the most deprived 10% than in 2010.
3) Gentrification accounted for some of this trend as middle-class families moved into traditionally poorer parts of London while the poor moved to boroughs in the outskirts where housing costs and rents were lower.
What is the multiple deprivation and inequality like in Brick Lane?
1) 19.2% of the population was income-deprived in 2019.
2) 51% neighbourhoods were among the 20% most income deprived in 2019.
3) Average house price = £443,000
How is Brick Lane represented in art?
‘The Mecca of London’ street art, a square mile of street art to compare with the financial square mile of the City of London. The nearby Shoreditch saw an influx of artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hurst in the 1990s.
How is Brick Lane represented in media?
The geographical area of Brick Lane and Spitalfields has numerous websites devoted to it. The website of the Old Truman Brewery and The Lonely Planet. YouTube videos have also been made from people’s experiences of Brick Lane.
How is Brick Lane represented in literature?
Sally Flood’s poetry and Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane published in 2003.
AO3 information on Brick Lane
1) Artistic representation by Tracey Emin and Damien Hurst in the 1990s.
2) The Lonely Planet Guide - “Full of noise, colour and life, Brick Lane is a vibrant mix of history and modernity.”
3) Sally Flood 1980 – “Brick Lane is a mixture of aromatic spices, curries, onions and bad drains”.
4) Monica Ali 2003 – “All this money, money everywhere. Ten years ago, there was no money here.”
