83-518: The Relay Building , originally known as One Commercial Street , is a 21-storey residential block in Whitechapel at the junction of Whitechapel High Street and Commercial Street , London E1. Despite the building's former name, the main entrance is in Whitechapel High Street, and the postal address is 114 Whitechapel High Street. The building opened in 2014. The developer was Redrow ; and
166-524: A blade of light deserves to build again in such a sensitive location." In July 2014, the building was nominated for the Carbuncle Cup , awarded for "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months". The International Property Awards, on the other hand, honoured the building as "Best Residential High-Rise Development UK, 2013–14". The entrance lobby is notable for incorporating
249-671: A building named Golden Cross House. The railway station opened in 1864, fronted on the Strand with the Charing Cross Hotel. In 1865, a replacement cross was commissioned from E. M. Barry by the South Eastern Railway as the centrepiece of the station forecourt. It is not a replica, being of an ornate Victorian Gothic design based on George Gilbert Scott 's Oxford Martyrs' Memorial (1838). The Cross rises 70 feet (21 m) in three main stages on an octagonal plan, surmounted by
332-626: A commonly agreed central datum point , various points were used for this purpose. John Ogilby 's Britannia of 1675, of which editions and derivations continued to be published throughout the 18th century, used the "Standard" (a former conduit head) in Cornhill ; while John Cary 's New Itinerary of 1798 used the General Post Office in Lombard Street . The milestones on the main turnpike roads were mostly measured from their terminus which
415-613: A director of the new owners, Hondo Enterprises, agreed to meet with Class War, and they declared a temporary truce. On 7 March 2022, a fire broke out on the 17th floor, with glass panels and other debris falling to the streets below. The London Fire Brigade was called at 3:53pm GMT and fifteen fire engines and more than 125 firefighters were sent to put out the blaze, using the tallest ladder in Europe. 51°30′55.2″N 0°4′20.7″W / 51.515333°N 0.072417°W / 51.515333; -0.072417 Whitechapel Whitechapel
498-578: A dome and minaret was built in the heart of Whitechapel, attracting thousands of worshippers every week, and it was further expanded with the London Muslim Centre in 2004. A library, the Whitechapel Idea Store , constructed in 2005 at a cost of £12 million by William Verry to a design by David Adjaye , was nominated for the 2006 Stirling Prize . Charing Cross Charing Cross ( / ˈ tʃ ær ɪ ŋ / CHARR -ing )
581-472: A hotel, a theatre , and a music hall (which had lain beneath the arches of the railway station). Charing Cross Road , the main route from the north (which became the east side of Trafalgar Square), was named after the railway station, itself a major destination for traffic, rather than after the original cross. By the late 18th century, the Charing Cross district was increasingly coming to be perceived as
664-497: A large sum for a schoolmaster to teach literacy, numeracy and the "principles of the Church of England" to forty boys of the parish. In the same deed Henry and Sarah Gullifer undertook to provide for the education of thirty poor girls; namely a schoolmistress was to teach them the "catechism, reading, knitting, plain sewing, and any other useful work". In 1701 an unknown donor gave the foundation £1,000 (equivalent to £190,000 in 2023) so
747-533: A man to destroy it; however he instead hid it and brought it back to the new King, Charles II (Charles I's son), and his Parliament who had the statue erected here in 1675. A prominent pillory , where malefactors were publicly flogged, stood alongside for centuries. About 200 yards to the east was the Hungerford Market , established at the end of the 16th century; and to the north was the King's Mews , or Royal Mews,
830-467: A monument to resemble the one lost under Cromwell's low church Britain took place in 1864 in Britain's main era of medieval revivalism. The next year the memorial was completed and Cardinal Wiseman died, having been appointed the first Archbishop of Westminster in 1850, with many Anglican churches also having restored or re-created their medieval ornamentations by the end of the century. By this time England
913-576: A reputation for severe poverty, overcrowding, and the social problems that came with it. William Booth began his Christian Revival Society , preaching the gospel in a tent, erected in the Friends Burial Ground , Thomas Street, Whitechapel, in 1865. Others joined his Christian Mission , and on 7 August 1878 the Salvation Army was formed at a meeting held at 272 Whitechapel Road. A statue commemorates both his mission and his work in helping
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#1732884273548996-620: A river bend, in this case, referring to a bend in the Thames . A debunked folk etymology claimed the name is a corruption of chère reine ("dear queen" in French), but the name pre-dates Queen Eleanor's death by at least a hundred years. The suffix "Cross" refers to the Eleanor cross made during 1291–94 by order of King Edward I as a memorial to his wife, Eleanor of Castile . This place latter comprised little more than wayside cottages serving
1079-644: A section of a London Underground C Stock train, used as a seating area. It displays "Aldgate East" as its destination. The unit bears the number 5721, which was the number of one of the final C Stock units to run on the Underground before they were withdrawn from service in 2014, but this is not its original number: the genuine 5721 is preserved at the London Transport Museum's Acton depot . The Relay Building includes, in compliance with planning legislation , an element of " affordable housing ". This part of
1162-506: A spire and cross. The shields in the panels of the first stage are copied from the Eleanor Crosses and bear the arms of England, Castile , Leon and Ponthieu ; above the 2nd parapet are eight statues of Queen Eleanor. The Cross was designated a Grade II* monument on 5 February 1970. The month before, the bronze equestrian statue of Charles, on a pedestal of carved Portland stone, was given Grade I listed protection. The rebuilding of
1245-516: Is a junction in Westminster , London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London " and became the point from which distances from London are measured . Clockwise from north, the routes that meet at Charing Cross are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road ; the Strand leading to
1328-509: Is a legacy of that part of the community. Writing of the period 1883–1884, Yiddish theatre actor Jacob Adler wrote, "The further we penetrated into this Whitechapel, the more our hearts sank. Was this London? Never in Russia, never later in the worst slums of New York, were we to see such poverty as in the London of the 1880s." This endemic poverty drove many women to prostitution. In October 1888
1411-512: Is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets . It is in east London and part of the East End . It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough town centre. Whitechapel is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) east of Charing Cross . The district is primarily built around Whitechapel High Street and Whitechapel Road , which extend from
1494-512: Is still home to Freedom Press, the anarchist publishing house founded by Charlotte Wilson . On Sunday 4 October 1936, the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley , intended to march through the East End, an area with a large Jewish population. The BUF mustered on and around Tower Hill and hundreds of thousands of local people turned out to block the march. There were violent clashes with
1577-504: The Aldgate on the Roman Road to Essex resulted in significant population growth, so a chapel of ease , dedicated to St Mary was established so people did not have to make the longer journey to Stepney's parish church St Dunstans . The earliest known rector was Hugh de Fulbourne in 1329. Whitechapel takes its name from that church, St Mary Matfelon , which like the nearby White Tower of
1660-693: The Chief Minister of West Bengal . Also in 2022 a historical marker was placed in Whitechapel, on the site of the former Adler House at the junction of Adler and Coke Streets by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation UK Branch. Adler House was named in honour of the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Herman Adler, 1891–1911. The marker recognises the significance of Whitechapel as
1743-542: The City ; Northumberland Avenue leading to the Thames Embankment ; Whitehall leading to Parliament Square ; The Mall leading to Admiralty Arch and Buckingham Palace ; and two short roads leading to Pall Mall . Historically, the name was derived from the hamlet of Charing ('Riverbend') that occupied the area of this important road junction in the middle ages, together with the grand Eleanor cross that once marked
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#17328842735481826-458: The City of London boundary to just east of Whitechapel station . These two streets together form a section of the originally Roman Road from the Aldgate to Colchester , a route that later became known as the Great Essex Road . Population growth resulting from ribbon development along this route, led to the creation of the parish of Whitechapel, a daughter parish of Stepney , from which it
1909-518: The City of London that had attracted them. The Whitechapel Mount was a large, probably artificial mound, of unknown origin, that stood on the south side of Whitechapel Road, about 1200 metres east of the Aldgate , immediately west of the modern Royal London Hospital. The Mount is widely believed to have formed part of London's defences during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the mid-17th century. This
1992-603: The Long Parliament or Oliver Cromwell himself in the Civil War . A 70 ft (21 m)-high stone sculpture in front of Charing Cross railway station , erected in 1865, is a reimagining of the medieval cross, on a larger scale, more ornate, and not on the original site. It was designed by the architect E. M. Barry and carved by Thomas Earp of Lambeth out of Portland stone , Mansfield stone (a fine sandstone) and Aberdeen granite ; and it stands 222 yards (203 metres) to
2075-493: The Metropolitan Borough of Poplar to form the new London Borough of Tower Hamlets . The new borough of Tower Hamlets covered only part of the historic Tower Division (or Tower Hamlets). At the same time, the area became part of the new Greater London , which replaced the older, smaller County of London . Whitechapel, along with areas such as neighbouring Shoreditch , Holborn (west of the city) and Southwark (south of
2158-603: The Metropolitan Police estimated that there were 1,200 prostitutes "of very low class" resident in Whitechapel and about 62 brothels. Reference is specifically made to them in Charles Booth 's Life and Labour of the People in London , especially to dwellings called Blackwall Buildings belonging to Blackwall Railway. Such prostitutes were numbered amongst the 11 Whitechapel murders (1888–91), some of which were committed by
2241-524: The Royal Mews in the northern area of Trafalgar Square , and built specifically for the Palace of Whitehall (much of the east side of Whitehall ). A variant from the hazy Middle English orthography of the late fourteenth century is Cherryngescrouche . The stone cross was the work of the medieval sculptor, Alexander of Abingdon . It was destroyed in 1647 on the orders of the purely Parliamentarian phase of
2324-539: The Tower Division (also known as the Tower Hamlets) . The role of the Tower Division ended when Whitechapel became part of the new County of London in 1889, and most civil parish functions were removed when the area joined the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney in 1900. In 1965 there was a further round of changes when the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green and
2407-519: The Tower Garrison and surrendered. The Eleanor Cross was pulled down, by order of Parliament, in 1647, at the time of the English Civil War , becoming the subject of a popular Royalist ballad : Methinks the common-council shou'd Of it have taken pity, 'Cause, good old cross, it always stood So firmly in the city. Since crosses you so much disdain, Faith, if I were you, For fear
2490-709: The Tower of London was at one time whitewashed to give it a prominent and attractive appearance. The etymology of the Matfelon element is unclear and apparently unique. Around 1338, Whitechapel became an independent parish, with St Mary Matfelon , originally a chapel of ease within Stepney, becoming the parish church. Whitechapel's spine is the old Roman Road, that ran from the Aldgate on London's Wall , to Colchester in Essex ( Roman Britannia's first capital), and beyond. This road, which
2573-522: The "centre" of the metropolis (supplanting the traditional heartland of the City to the east). From the early 19th century, legislation applicable only to the London metropolis used Charing Cross as a central point to define its geographical scope. Its later use in legislation waned in favour of providing a schedule of local government areas and became mostly obsolete with the creation of Greater London in 1965. Road distances from London continue to be measured from Charing Cross. Prior to its selection as
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2656-591: The BUF around Tower Hill, but most of the violence occurred as police tried to clear a route through the crowds for the BUF to follow. The police fought protesters at nearby Cable Street – the series of clashes becoming known as the Battle of Cable Street – and Tower Hill, but the largest confrontations took place at Aldgate and Whitechapel, notably at Gardiner's Corner , at the junction of Leman Street , Commercial Street and Whitechapel High Street . The Halal restaurant on
2739-573: The Chapel and Hospital of St Mary Rounceval was founded at Charing. It occupied land at the corner of the modern Whitehall and into the centre of Northumberland Avenue , running down to a wharf by the river. It was an Augustinian house, tied to a mother house at Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees . The house and lands were seized for the king in 1379, under a statute "for the forfeiture of the lands of schismatic aliens". Protracted legal action returned some rights to
2822-462: The City of London boundary, originally marked by Aldgate Bars around 180 metres east of the Aldgate itself, to vicinity of the junction with Cambridge Heath Road where it met the boundaries of Mile End and Bethnal Green . The northern boundary included Wentworth Street and parts of Old Montague Street. The parish also included an area around Goodman's Fields , close to the City and south of St Mary's,
2905-601: The City. Some of these structures were later moved or destroyed, but reference to them persisted as if they still remained in place. An exaggerated but well-meaning criticism was that "all the Books of Roads ... published, differ in the Situation of Mile Stones, and instead of being a Guide to the Traveller, serve only to confound him". William Camden speculated in 1586 that Roman roads in Britain had been measured from London Stone ,
2988-560: The King should rule again, I'd pull down Tiburn too. At the Restoration (1660 or shortly after) eight of the regicides were executed here, including the notable Fifth Monarchist , Colonel Thomas Harrison . A statue of Charles I was, likewise in Charles II's reign, erected on the site. This had been made in 1633 by Hubert Le Sueur , in the reign of Charles I, but in 1649 Parliament ordered
3071-631: The Other Half Lives , donned ragged clothes and boarded in Whitechapel, detailing his experiences in The People of the Abyss . The Siege of Sidney Street (also known as the Battle of Stepney , after the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney of which Whitechapel was part) in January 1911 was a gunfight between police and military forces, and Latvian revolutionaries. Then Home Secretary Winston Churchill took over
3154-614: The Pavilion this way: "A large East-end theatre capable of holding considerably over 3,000 persons. Melodrama of a rough type, farce, pantomime, &c. " In the early 20th century it became the home of Yiddish theatre, catering to the large Jewish population of the area, and gave birth to the Anglo-Jewish 'Whitechapel Boys' avant-garde literary and artistic movement. Since at least the 1970s, Whitechapel and other nearby parts of East London have figured prominently in London's art scene. Probably
3237-450: The Thames), was one of London's earlier extra-mural suburbs. Beyond controls of the City of London Corporation , Whitechapel was used for more polluting and land-intensive industries the city market demanded, such as tanneries, builders' goods yards, laundries, clothes dyers, slaughterhouse -related work, soaperies, and breweries. Whitechapel was strongly notable for foundries, foremost of which
3320-515: The arch – crash – knock – children look round – mother's head off – sandwich in her hand – no mouth to put it in – head of family off." The story echoes an accident of 11 April 1800, when the Chatham and Rochester coach was emerging from the gateway of the Golden Cross, and "a young woman, sitting on the top, threw her head back, to prevent her striking against the beam; but there being so much luggage on
3403-471: The architects were Sigma Seifert. The contractor was John Sisk & Son, a member of the Sisk Group . Construction had been suspended in 2008, but with the recovery in the London housing market, the development was purchased by Redrow. As well as 207 apartments, there is 110,000 sq ft of offices over six floors, retail space on the ground floor and car parking in the basement. The ground floor incorporates one of
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3486-561: The area's most prominent art venue is the Whitechapel Art Gallery , founded in 1901 and long an outpost of high culture in a poor neighbourhood. As the neighbourhood has gentrified, it has gained citywide, and even international, visibility and support. From 2005 the gallery underwent a major expansion, with the support of £3.26 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The expanded facility opened in 2009. Whitechapel in
3569-560: The centre of British Jewish refugee life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Local council facilities will be grouped within the old Royal London Hospital building as a civic centre. The local library , now called an Idea Store is located on Whitechapel Road . Whitechapel Road was the location of two 19th-century theatres: The Effingham (1834–1897) and The Pavilion Theatre (1828–1935; building demolished in 1962). Charles Dickens Jr. (eldest child of Charles Dickens ), in his 1879 book Dickens's Dictionary of London , described
3652-561: The children might be suitably clothed as well as educated. Between 1783 and 1830 the school received twenty gifts totalling over £5,000. Typical income seems to have been about £500 per year, which was much more than most vicar's and rector's livings, net. Supporting modern education, the Davenant Centre continues and the Davenant Foundation School has, since 1966, been based at Loughton in Essex . The London Infirmary
3735-483: The development has its own name, "Houblon Apartments"; and a separate entrance, at one side of the building in Tyne Street. In July 2014, an investigation by The Guardian newspaper – commenting particularly on One Commercial Street – noted a growing trend for new housing developments in London to include separate, segregated entrances of this kind, known as " poor doors ". In November 2014, Vice reported that, "for
3818-425: The early 21st century has figured prominently in London's punk rock and skuzz rock scenes, with the main focal point for this scene being Whitechapel Factory and Rhythm Factory bar, restaurant, and nightclub. This scene includes the likes of The Libertines, Zap!, Nova , The Others , Razorlight, and The Rakes, all of whom have had some commercial success in the music charts. The total population of Whitechapel in 2021
3901-570: The eastern portion of the property. In June 1874, the duke's property at Charing Cross was purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works for the formation of Northumberland Avenue. The frontage of the Rounceval property caused the narrowing at the end of the Whitehall entry to Charing Cross, and formed the section of Whitehall formerly known as Charing Cross, until road widening in the 1930s caused
3984-432: The forecourt of this terminus station stands the ornate Queen Eleanor Memorial Cross , a taller emulation of the original, and built to mark the station's opening in 1864. A bronze equestrian statue of Charles I , erected in 1675, stands on a high plinth, situated roughly where the medieval monumental cross (the 'Charing Cross') had previously stood for 353 years (since its construction in 1294) until destroyed in 1647 by
4067-424: The historic station which underwent a massive redevelopment that started in 2010. In order to prepare for Crossrail, in January 2016, the old Whitechapel station was closed for refurbishment and modernisation work in order to improve services and increase capacity in the station. The Royal London Hospital was closed and re-opened behind the original site in 2012 in a brand new building costing £650m. The old site
4150-538: The junction of St Mark Street and Alie Street opened in 1939 to serve the many Indian seamen living in the area. It is now the oldest Indian restaurant in East London. Whitechapel remained poor through the first half of the 20th century, though somewhat less desperately so. It suffered great damage from enemy bombers during the Blitz , and from the subsequent German V-weapon attacks. The parish church, St Mary Matfelon ,
4233-423: The latter, the dangers to public safety of the quite low archway to access the inn's coaching yard were memorably pointed out by Mr Jingle : "Heads, heads – take care of your heads", cried the loquacious stranger as they came out under the low archway which in those days formed the entrance to the coachyard. "Terrible place – dangerous work – other day – five children – mother – tall lady, eating sandwiches – forgot
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#17328842735484316-663: The leading city of the nation that had invented modern capitalism. He concluded that English poverty was far rougher than the American variety. The juxtaposition of the poverty, homelessness, exploitative work conditions, prostitution, and infant mortality of Whitechapel and other East End locales with some of the greatest personal wealth the world has ever seen made it a focal point for leftist reformers and revolutionaries of all kinds, from George Bernard Shaw , whose Fabian Society met regularly in Whitechapel, to Vladimir Lenin , led rallies in Whitechapel during his exile from Russia. The area
4399-462: The legendary serial killer known as " Jack the Ripper ". These attacks caused widespread terror in the district and throughout the country and drew the attention of social reformers to the squalor and vice of the area, even though these crimes remain unsolved today. London County Council , founded 1889, helped deliver investment in new housing and slum clearance ; objectives which were a popular cause at
4482-544: The mass mobilisation of the local Bengali community. The gardens of the former churchyard were later renamed Altab Ali Park in his memory. The Metropolitan line between Hammersmith and Whitechapel was withdrawn in 1990 and shown separately as a new line called the Hammersmith & City line . Crossrail calls at Whitechapel station on the Elizabeth line . Eastbound services will be split into two branches after leaving
4565-515: The north-east of the original cross, focal to the station forecourt, facing the Strand . Since 1675 the site of the cross has been occupied by a statue of Charles I , the king beheaded during the Cromwellian era, mounted on a horse. The site is recognised by modern convention as the centre of London for determining distances (whether geodesically or by road network) in preference to other measurement points (such as St Paul's Cathedral which remains
4648-461: The operation, and his presence caused a political row over the level of his involvement during the time. His biographers disagreed and claimed that he gave no operational commands to the police, but a Metropolitan Police account states that the events of Sidney Street were "a very rare case of a Home Secretary taking police operational command decisions". The Freedom Press , a socialist publishing house, thought it worthwhile to explore conditions in
4731-470: The parish church. The area became an independent parish around 1338. At that time parish areas only had an ecclesiastical (church) function, with parallel civil parishes being formed in the Tudor period. The original purpose of the civil parishes was poor relief. The area was part of the historic (or ancient) county of Middlesex , but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by
4814-403: The past 20 weeks, every Wednesday between 6PM and 7PM, a group of locals from the anarchist action group Class War have stood outside the slick glass carbuncle with a banner promising to 'devastate the avenues where the wealthy live' – a nod to a 1915 quote from firebrand Chicago anarchist Lucy Parsons ." After 18 weeks, the developer Redrow disposed of the freehold of the building. A week later,
4897-483: The poor. The population grew quickly with migrants from the English countryside and further afield. Many of these incomers were Irish or Jewish. Western Whitechapel, and neighbouring areas of Wapping, became known as Little Germany due to the large numbers of German people who came to the area; many of these people, and their descendants, worked in the sugar industry. The St George's German Lutheran Church on Alie Street
4980-455: The prior, but in 1414, Henry V suppressed the 'alien' houses. The priory fell into a long decline from lack of money and arguments regarding the collection of tithes with the parish church of St Martin-in-the-Fields . In 1541, religious artefacts were removed to St Margaret's , and the chapel was adapted as a private house; its almshouse were sequestered to the Royal Palace. In 1608–09, the Earl of Northampton built Northumberland House on
5063-418: The rebuilding of the south side of the street which created a wide thoroughfare. In 1554, Charing Cross was the site of the final battle of Wyatt's Rebellion . This was an attempt by Thomas Wyatt and others to overthrow Queen Mary I of England , soon after her accession to the throne, and replace her with Lady Jane Grey . Wyatt's army had come from Kent, and with London Bridge barred to them, had crossed
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#17328842735485146-465: The revolutionary government of Oliver Cromwell . The famously beheaded King, appearing ascendant, is the work of French sculptor Hubert Le Sueur . Charing Cross is marked on contemporary maps as the road junction around the statue's traffic island, though it is also a thoroughfare in postal addresses: Drummonds Bank , on the corner with The Mall, retains the address 49 Charing Cross and 1-4 Charing Cross continues to exist. The name previously applied to
5229-517: The river by what was then the next bridge upstream, at Hampton Court . Their circuitous route brought them down St Martin's Lane to Whitehall. The palace was defended by 1000 men under Sir John Gage at Charing Cross; they retreated within Whitehall after firing their shot, causing consternation within, thinking the force had changed sides. The rebels – themselves fearful of artillery on the higher ground around St James's – did not press their attack and marched on to Ludgate , where they were met by
5312-401: The roof of the coach as to hinder her laying herself sufficiently back, it caught her face, and tore the flesh in a dreadful manner." The inn and its yard, pillory, and what remained of the Royal Mews, made way for Trafalgar Square, and a new Golden Cross Hotel was built in the 1830s on the triangular block fronted by South Africa House . A nod to this is made by some offices on the Strand, in
5395-403: The root of the English and Welsh part of the Great Britain road numbering scheme ). Charing Cross is marked on modern maps as a road junction, and was used in street numbering for the section of Whitehall between Great Scotland Yard and Trafalgar Square. Since 1 January 1931 this segment has more logically and officially become the northern end of Whitehall. At some time between 1232 and 1236,
5478-481: The site. The medieval monumental cross, the Charing Cross (1294–1647), was the largest and most ornate instance of a chain of medieval Eleanor crosses running from Lincoln to this location. It was a landmark for many centuries of the hamlet of Charing, Westminster , which later gave way to government property; a little of the Strand; and Trafalgar Square. The cross in its various historical forms has also lent its name to its locality, including Charing Cross Station . On
5561-412: The stables for the Palace of Whitehall and thus the King's own presence at the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster). The whole area of the broad pavements of what was a three-way main junction with private (stables) turn-off was a popular place of street entertainment. Samuel Pepys records in his diaries visiting the taverns and watching the entertainments and executions that were held there. This
5644-418: The time. The "Elephant Man" Joseph Merrick (1862–1890) became well known in Whitechapel – he was exhibited in a shop on the Whitechapel Road before being helped by Frederick Treves (1853–1923) at the Royal London Hospital , opposite the actual shop. There is a museum in the hospital about his life. In 1902, American author Jack London , looking to write a counterpart to Jacob Riis 's seminal book How
5727-495: The unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper . These factors and others have led to Whitechapel being seen by many as the embodiment of London's East End, and for that reason it is often used to represent the East End in art and literature . Landmarks include Tower Hamlets Town Hall, the Royal London Hospital and the East London Mosque . Whitechapel was originally part of the Manor and Parish of Stepney , but population growth resulting from its position just outside
5810-421: The western entrances to Aldgate East tube station . The developer Redrow described the building as "like a blade of light, its glass fin protruding dramatically to add a sculptural quality to Redrow London's first flagship development". Building Design , however, commented: "First flagship development? Please God let it also be their last. No one who can liken this incoherent hulk of ill-fitting glass sheets to
5893-415: The whole stretch of road between Great Scotland Yard and Trafalgar Square, but since 1 January 1931 most of this section of road has been designated part of the 'Whitehall' thoroughfare. Erect a rich and stately carved cross, Whereon her statue shall with glory shine; And henceforth see you call it Charing Cross. The name of the lost hamlet, Charing, is derived from the Old English word cierring ,
5976-461: Was 18,841. Bangladeshis are the largest ethnic group in the area, making up 40% of the Whitechapel ward total population. The East London Mosque at the end of Whitechapel Road is one of the largest mosques in Europe. The mosque group was established as early as 1910, and the demand for a mosque grew as the Sylheti community grew rapidly over the years. In 1985 this large, purpose built mosque with
6059-617: Was badly damaged in a raid on 29 December 1940, a raid so damaging that it caused the Second Great Fire of London . The remains were demolished in 1952. St Mary's traced stone footprint and former graveyard remain, as part of Altab Ali Park . On 4 May 1978, three teenagers murdered Altab Ali , a 24 year old Bangladesh-born clothing worker, in a racially motivated attack, as he walked home after work. The attack took place on Adler Street, by St Mary's Churchyard, where St Mary Matfelon had previously stood. The reaction to his murder provoked
6142-653: Was combined with the south of the mews when Trafalgar Square was built on the site in 1832, the rest of the stable yard becoming the National Gallery primarily. A major London coaching inn, the "Golden Cross" – first mentioned in 1643 – faced this junction. From here, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, coaches linked variously terminuses of: Dover , Brighton , Bath , Bristol, Cambridge , Holyhead and York . The inn features in Sketches by Boz , David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens . In
6225-477: Was either as part of a ring of fortifications known as the Lines of Communication which were in operation from 1642 to 1647, or additionally or alternatively, as one of the three forts which replaced that system of defence immediately afterwards. The mount was removed to allow residential development in 1807–1808. In 1680, Ralph Davenant (rector of the parish of Whitechapel), his wife and his sister-in-law bequeathed
6308-418: Was established as a voluntary hospital in 1740, and within a year soon moved from Finsbury to Prescot Street, a very densely populated and deprived part of southern Whitechapel. Its aim was "The relief of all sick and diseased persons and, in particular, manufacturers, seamen in the merchant service and their wives and children". The hospital moved to the then largely rural Whitechapel Road site in 1757, and
6391-459: Was later named the Great Essex Road , is now designated the A11 . This historic route has the names Whitechapel High Street and Whitechapel Road as it passes through, or along the boundary, of Whitechapel. For many centuries travellers to and from London on this route were accommodated at the many coaching inns which lined Whitechapel High Street. The area of the parish extended around 1400 metres from
6474-617: Was peripheral to the free-passage urban, London roads. Ten of these are notable: Hyde Park Corner , Whitechapel Church , the southern end of London Bridge , the east end of Westminster Bridge , Shoreditch Church , Tyburn Turnpike (Marble Arch), Holborn Bars , St Giles's Pound , Hicks Hall (as to the Great North Road ), and the Stones' End in The Borough . Some roads into Surrey and Sussex were measured from St Mary-le-Bow church in
6557-628: Was renamed the London Hospital. It became known as the Royal London Hospital on its 250th anniversary in 1990. The new building, adjacent to the old building it replaced, was opened in 2012. In 2023 the old hospital building became the new Tower Hamlets Town Hall , replacing the Mulberry Place site in Poplar . In common with many other parts of the East End of London , Whitechapel gained
6640-533: Was separated, in the 14th century. Whitechapel has a long history of having a high proportion of immigrants within the community. From the late 19th century until the late 20th century the area had a very high Jewish population, and it subsequently became a significant settlement for the British Bangladeshi community. Whitechapel and neighbouring Spitalfields were the locations of the infamous 11 Whitechapel murders (1888–91), some of which were attributed to
6723-533: Was the Whitechapel Bell Foundry , which later cast Philadelphia 's Liberty Bell , Westminster's Big Ben , Bow Bells and more recently the London Olympic Bell in 2012. Population shifts from rural areas to London from the 17th century to the mid-19th century resulted in great numbers of more or less destitute people taking up residence amidst the industries, businesses and services ancillary to
6806-513: Was the epicentre of the Gothic Revival . It was intertwined with deeply philosophical movements associated with a re-awakening of "High Church" or Anglo-Catholic self-belief (and by the Catholic convert Augustus Welby Pugin ) concerned by the growth of religious nonconformism. The cross, having been revived, gave its name to a railway station , a tube station , a police station, a hospital ,
6889-494: Was then repurchased by the local council to open a new town hall, replacing the existing Town Hall at Mulberry Place. In March 2022, Whitechapel station signs had "হোয়াইটচ্যাপেল" in Bengali installed. The British-Pakistani Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was "delighted" that the signage was installed ahead of Bangladesh Independence Day on 26 March. The installation was attended by Bangladeshi diplomats and Mamata Banerjee ,
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