location Flashcards
where
Brick lane is in east london, it is a very popular place for tourists which runs between Whitechapel and Shoreditch. Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End, it is north of the River Thames in East London.
history
Brick lane has been around since the 1500s as a field path outside London. But it wasn’t until the 17th century that large scale urban development was conducted there. During this time many roads connecting London and Brick Lane were laid out. Throughout history Brick Lane has been a place of immigration from within the British Isles and across the world.
An example of this would be in the 1680s where many Protestants huguenots from France came to Brick Lane to escape religious persecution, they brought with them silk weaving and later garment making, this community is now gone but their influence does still exist in the form of fine houses that line the street. Later on in the 19th century lots of Irish and Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to Brick Lane, Jewish immigration continued into the 20th century. In the later 20th century (1980s) Bangladeshi Bengalis from the sylhet.
change
The Tower Hamlets has been experiencing tremendous growth and change due to the regeneration. The population of the Borough has doubled in the past 30 years and it is predicted to rise by almost 100,000 by 2031. It has become increasingly diverse, with over 127 languages spoken in its schools. There has been a huge increase in job growth with twice as many jobs and a 44% increase in jobs. This is due to Urban generation.
Brick lane is a thriving street with vintage stores, graffiti, bagel shops and their authentic curry houses - it is a very independent street however a big change will be taking place as the council has decided to build a huge shopping mall in the middle of Brick lane.
But even before Brick lane was a thriving city and known for its authentic curry houses, it was very different. It used to be an area associated with immigration for centuries and wasn’t very pleasant, a report from the Guardian says Sir Christopher Wren reported that he had “viewed Brick lane on foot and found it unpassable for Coach adjoyning to Durty lands of meane habitations & far from any church.”
The market which first ran in the 17th century was held on Sunday to respect religious observances by the Jewish community, until the second half of the 20th century where Bengali migrants arrived in great numbers. There wasn’t as much diversity back then and there weren’t many Asian faces or stores and yet now, through gentrification and regeneration, curry houses are the most popular part about Brick Lane. It is also known as the ‘BanglaTown’.
How does the past link to the present?
Brick Lane:
Brick Lane was in existence by the 1500s as a field path in open countryside outside the City of London and originally the street took its name from the brick kilns first brought here by early Flemish settlers. Brick Lane has long been a place of immigration both from within the British Isles and across the world, with a mixing of many communities and voices, this makes it filled with culture and is why it’s a tourist attraction to this day. The coming of the Second World War also gave the area new impetus and settlers of Bengalis from the Sylhet district of what is now Bangladesh came to London, overtime they took over, or started new businesses of their own including the famous curry restaurants for which the area is now well known.
Tower Hamlets:
Here in Tower Hamlets, our community is strong. Diversity is one of our greatest strengths and we are proud of the role that the Bangladeshi community plays in making our borough such a vibrant and exciting place. Most were post-war economic migrants who had arrived here from a country then called East Pakistan, but many had arrived in Britain prior to 1948 as citizens of colonial India. This brought in a lot of culture to the place and it became a good place for tourists to go and visit.
A picture of a street in tower hamlets, can see a lot of indian food places.
