Whitechapel in 50 Buildings

2016 | History & Politics

Why Whitechapel? Outside of the Square Mile (the City of London) it is probably the best known area of greater London in the UK, if not the world. The buildings here range from the majestic, for example the Nicholas Hawksmoor churches at the eastern and southern end of the district (Christchurch and St Georges in the East) and the magnificent Royal London Hospital in the centre, to a wonderful series of social housing projects dating from 1695 to the present day. In-between are buildings of immense importance to the social history of the UK. We will follow in the footsteps of reforming pioneers who left their mark with many philanthropic ventures in the area, including the Brady Centre and Bishopsgate Institute, and we will identify exactly where Sir Frederic Treves first saw the 'Elephant Man'. The book will map the journey of the various immigrant communities who have lived and contributed to the area, from the Huguenot weavers in the eighteenth century, the large Jewish community of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the recent growth of the Bangladeshi community, as evidenced by the changing face of Brick Lane.

Louis Berk (Author)

Rachel Kolsky (Author)