London Borough of Tower Hamlets

London Borough of Tower Hamlets
—  London borough  —
Coat of arms Council logo
Tower Hamlets shown within Greater London
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Status	London borough
Admin HQ	Clove Crescent, Blackwall
Incorporated	1 April 1965
Government
- Type	London borough council
- Body	Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
- Leadership	Helal Abbas (Council) (Labour)
- Mayor	Motin Uz-Zaman
- MPs	Rushanara Ali Jim Fitzpatrick
- London Assembly	John Biggs AM for City and East
- EU Parliament	London
Area
- Total	7.6 sq mi (19.77 km2)
Area rank	320th (of 326)
Population (2008 est.)
- Total	220,500
- Rank	67th (of 326)
- Density	28,886.8/sq mi (11,153.3/km2)
- Ethnicity[1]	44.2% White British 1.8% White Irish 7.9% Other White 0.8% White & Black Caribbean 0.4% White & Black African 0.8% White & Asian 0.6% Other Mixed 2.1% Indian 1.0% Pakistani 30.5% Bangladeshi 1.0% Other Asian 2.2% Black Caribbean 2.8% Black African 0.5% Other Black 2.3% Chinese 1.2% Other
Time zone	GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postcodes	{{{postcode_areas}}}
Police force	Metropolitan Police
Website	towerhamlets.gov.uk

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets (pronunciation) is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks and Canary Wharf. Many of the tallest buildings in London are located on the Isle of Dogs in the south of the borough. Tower Hamlets is one of five London boroughs which have been designated host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The borough has one of the highest ethnic minority populations in the capital, consisting mainly of Bangladeshis.^[2]

Administration

Civic history

The name "Tower Hamlets" was historically applied to the Tower division of the county of Middlesex, covering not only the present borough, but also part of the present-day London Borough of Hackney. The Constable of the Tower of London had special jurisdiction over the area from the 16th century until 1889. Inhabitants of Tower Hamlets were originally required to provide yeomen for the Tower of London. Later the Constable became Lord Lieutenant of the area, raising and organising the local militia. Under the Reform Act 1832 the area became a parliamentary borough. The name continued to be used for constituencies until 1918.

The borough was formed in 1965, and took this historic name, through amalgamation of the former metropolitan boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney. These boroughs were the heart of the East End of London.

Politics

Parliament

For the most recent election to Parliament, the Borough was split into two constituencies:

• Bethnal Green & Bow, represented by Rushanara Ali, (Labour)
• Poplar & Limehouse, represented by Jim Fitzpatrick(Labour)

The Borough is a part of the London constituency for election to the European Parliament. The political history of the borough has been characterised as leaning heavily to left-wing parties, often explained by the migrant minorities that have lived within it. In the main, this has meant large Labour majorities in terms of national and local elections, although other left-wing parties have won seats including Communists and more recently the Respect Unity coalition.

London Assembly

The borough lies within the City and East constituency, and is represented by John Biggs, Labour.

London Borough Council

The controlling and majority group is Labour. The current composition follows the defection of five Respect councillors to Labour since the May 2006 elections, the defection of one Respect and one Labour councillor to the Conservatives, the defection of one Liberal Democrat to Labour and one Labour by-election gain from the Liberal Democrats.

Details of individual ward councillors can be found at the Borough's ward pages (below).^[3]

Previous election results are as follows:

Geography

Physical geography

Tower Hamlets is located to east of the City of London and north of the River Thames in east London. The London Borough of Hackney lies to the north of the borough while the River Lee forms the boundary with the London Borough of Newham in the east. The River Lee also forms the boundary between those parts of London historically in Middlesex, with those formerly in Essex.

The Isle of Dogs is formed from the lock entrances to the former West India Docks and the largest current meander of the River Thames and the southern part of the borough forms a part of the historic flood plain of the River Thames;^[4] and but for the Thames Barrier and other flood prevention works would be vulnerable to flooding.

The Regent's Canal enters the borough from Hackney to meet the River Thames at Limehouse Basin. A stretch of the Hertford Union Canal leads from the Regent's canal, at a basin in the north of Mile End to join the River Lee at Old Ford. A further canal, Limehouse Cut, London's oldest, leads from locks at Bromley-by-Bow to Limehouse Basin. Most of the canal tow-paths are open to both pedestrians and cyclists.

Victoria Park was formed by Act of Parliament, and administered by the LCC and its successor authority the GLC. Since the latter authority's abolition, the park has been administered by Tower Hamlets.

Areas within the borough

Areas included in the borough:

History

Tower Hamlets forms the main area of the East End of London, more detailed local histories should be available for each of the districts (above) within Tower Hamlets.

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets forms the core of the East End, it lies east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames, use of the term "East End", in a pejorative sense began in the late 19th century,^[5] as the expansion of the population of London led to extreme overcrowding throughout the area and a concentration of poor people and immigrants in the districts that make it up.^[6] These problems were exacerbated with the construction of St Katharine Docks (1827)^[7] and the central London railway termini (1840–1875) that caused the clearance of former slums and rookeries, with many of the displaced people moving into the area. Over the course of a century, the East End became synonymous with poverty, overcrowding, disease and criminality.^[8]

The East End developed rapidly during the 19th century. Originally it was an area characterised by villages clustered around the City walls or along the main roads, surrounded by farmland, with marshes and small communities by the River, serving the needs of shipping and the Royal Navy. Until the arrival of formal docks, shipping was required to land its goods in the Pool of London, but industries related to construction, repair, and victualling of ships flourished in the area from Tudor times. The area attracted large numbers of rural people looking for employment. Successive waves of foreign immigration began with Huguenot refugees creating a new extramural suburb in Spitalfields in the 17th century.^[9] They were followed by Irish weavers,^[10] Ashkenazi Jews^[11] and, in the 20th century, Bangladeshis.^[12] Many of these immigrants worked in the clothing industry. The abundance of semi- and unskilled labour led to low wages and poor conditions throughout the East End. This brought the attentions of social reformers during the mid-18th century and led to the formation of unions and workers associations at the end of the century. The radicalism of the East End contributed to the formation of the Labour Party and demands for the enfranchisement of women.

Official attempts to address the overcrowded housing began at the beginning of the 20th century under the London County Council. World War II devastated much of the East End, with its docks, railways and industry forming a continual target, leading to dispersal of the population to new suburbs, and new housing being built in the 1950s.^[8] During the war, in the Boroughs making up Tower Hamlets a total of 2,221 civilians were killed, and 7,472 were injured, with 46,482 houses destroyed and 47,574 damaged.^[13] The closure of the last of the East End docks in the Port of London in 1980 created further challenges and led to attempts at regeneration and the formation of the London Docklands Development Corporation. The Canary Wharf development, improved infrastructure, and the Olympic Park^[14] mean that the East End is undergoing further change, but some of its districts continue to contain some of the worst poverty in Britain.^[15]

Local landmarks

Canary Wharf, seen from a high-level walkway on Tower Bridge

Historical landmarks

• Brick Lane
• Cable Street - site of the Battle of Cable Street
• Hawksmoor's Christ Church, Spitalfields
• site of two historic Royal Mints
• Tower of London
• Victoria Park

Modern landmarks

The Canary Wharf complex, within Docklands, on the Isle of Dogs forms a group of some of the tallest buildings in Europe. One Canada Square was the first to be constructed and remains the tallest. Nearby are the HSBC Tower, Citigroup Centres and One Churchill Place, headquarters of Barclays Bank. Within the same complex are the Heron Quays offices.

The unusual Green Bridge, opened in 2000, links sections of Mile End Park that would otherwise be divided by the Mile End Road. The bridge contains gardens, water features and trees around the path.

Climate

This data was taken between 1971 and 2000 at the weather station in Greenwich, around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the Town hall, at Mulberry Place:

Demographics

By 1891, Tower Hamlets – roughly the civil parish of Stepney – was already one of the most populated areas in London. Throughout the 19th century, the local population increased by an average of 20% every ten years. The building of the docks intensified land use and caused the last marshy areas in the south of the parish to be drained for housing and industry. In the north of the borough employment was principally in weaving, small household industries like boot and furniture making; and in new industrial enterprises like Bryant and May. The availability of cheap labour drew in employers. To the south of the parish, employment was in the docks and related industries – such as chandlery and rope making. By the middle of the century, the district of Tower Hamlets was characterised by overcrowding and poverty. The construction of the railways caused many more displaced people to settle in Tower Hamlets, and a massive influx of Eastern European Jews at the end of the 19th century added to the population. This influx peaked at the end of the century and population growth entered a long decline, as the more affluent moved away; and new suburbs were opened up in Essex, east of the River Lee.

The metropolitan boroughs suffered badly during World War II, during which considerable numbers of houses were destroyed or damaged beyond use. This coincided with a decline in work in the docks, and the closure of many traditional industries. The Abercrombie Plan for London (1944) began an exodus from London towards the new towns.^[17] This decline began to reverse, with the establishment of the London Docklands Development Corporation bringing new industries and housing to the brownfield sites along the river; and new immigration from Asia, beginning in the 1970s. According to the 2001 census, the population of the borough is approximately 196,106.

Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group, (Percentages), 2007

Tower Hamlets has one of the smallest indigenous populations of the boroughs of Britain. In 2001, White Britons constituted 42.9% of the population. Bangladeshis, who constituted 33% of the population, form the largest minority community, with Somalis representing the second largest minority ethnic group (at around 15,000 inhabitants).^[18][19] There are also a number of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Pakistani, and Black African/Caribbean residents (with the latter community representing 7% of the population).^{[18] [20]}

The population of the Bangladeshi community counted on the 2001 census was 65,553. Bangladeshis are more likely to have large families living together. The number of Bangladeshis aged under 18 is almost double the proportion for all Londoners. Most Bangladeshi children in London were born in the UK, while most adults were born in Bangladesh, 70% of the Bangladeshi community are below the age of 30, where 40% of these are aged 0–15 and 9% are aged 16–19.^[21] The Bangladeshi population in the borough has been decreasing over the years, based on Neighbourhood Statistics (ONS) estimates, the percentage of Bangladeshis has dropped from 33.1 per cent in 2001 to 29.4 per cent in 2007 (estimate),^[22] About 9 in 10 Bangladeshi residents have origins in the Sylhet region.^[23]

The main religious groups are Christians (38.6%), and Muslims (36.4%).^[24] The Muslim proportion of the borough's population is the largest out of all local authorities in England & Wales.^[25] There are 21 active Church of England churches in Tower Hamlets, which include Christ Church of Spitalfields, St Paul's Church of Shadwell and St Dunstan's of Stepney^[26] and also churches of many other Christian denominations. There are a total of 40 confirmed mosques, including Islamic centres, the largest are the East London Mosque, the Brick Lane Mosque and the Markazi Mosque.^[27]

Economic profile

8 Canada Square, the head office of HSBC

One Churchill Place, the head office of Barclays

Part of the borough is within the boundary of the Thames Gateway development area.

HSBC has its head office in 8 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, Tower Hamlets. Barclays has its head office in One Churchill Place, Canary Wharf.^[28]

Education

37,500 pupils go to 98 schools in Tower Hamlets. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is the local education authority for state schools within the borough.^[29]

Further education colleges

• College of Technology London
• George Green's Sixth Form
• Tower Hamlets College

Universities

• Queen Mary, a constituent college of the University of London which includes Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry
• London Metropolitan University

Volunteering

• Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets,^[30] helps people living, working or studying in Tower Hamlets find the right volunteering opportunity. It also provides support to organisations involving volunteers.

Sports and leisure

Mile End Stadium, within Mile End Park hosts an athletics stadium, and facilities for football and basketball. Two football clubs, Bethnal Green United F.C. and Sporting Bengal United F.C. are based there. The borough also has its own football club named Tower Hamlets Borough which was formed in 2009.

A leisure centre including a swimming pool at Mile End Stadium was completed in 2006. Other pools are located at St Georges, Limehouse and York Hall, in Bethnal Green. York Hall is also a regular venue for boxing tournaments, and in May 2007 a public spa - Spa London was opened in the building's renovated Turkish Baths. Official London Spa website

The Olympics

Tower Hamlets is one of five host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics, with the Olympic Park to be constructed in the Lea valley.

Parks in Tower Hamlets

Museums

• Island History Trust
• Museum in Docklands
• Ragged School Museum
• V&A Museum of Childhood

Transport

Transport radiates across the borough from the City of London, with the A13 starting at Aldgate and heading east passing the entrance to the Blackwall Tunnel towards Newham, and south-east Essex. The A12 also starts at Aldgate, crosses the Lea at Bow, towards Colchester and Great Yarmouth. Roads are busy at all times, particular during the rush hours; and much of the borough is a controlled parking zone, to prevent commuter parking.

The principal rail services commence in the City at Fenchurch Street, with one stop at Limehouse; and Liverpool Street, with stops at Bethnal Green and Cambridge Heath.

The Docklands Light Railway was built to serve the docklands areas of the borough, with a principle terminus at Bank and Tower Gateway. An interchange at Poplar allows trains to proceed north to Stratford and south via Canary Wharf towards Lewisham.

Three London Underground services cross the district: the District and Hammersmith and Citys share track between Aldgate East and Barking. The Central Line has stations at Bethnal Green and Mile End - where there is an interchange to the District Line. The Jubilee Line has one stop at Canary Wharf.

London Buses routes 8, 15, 25, 26, 35, 40, 42, 47, 48, 55, 78, 100, 106, 108, 115, 135, 205, 254, 276, 277, 309, 323, 339, 388, 425, 488, D3, D6, D7, D8, RV1, Night route N8, N15, N26, N35, N55, N550 and N551.

References

External links

• Tower Hamlets Council
• LBTH find your councillor
• LBTH Ward data report (2005) information on Tower Hamlets at the Ward level
• Local Area Partnership
• Tower Hamlets Borough FC
• London Metropolitan University East End Archive: the Paul Trevor Collection - photographs of the Spitalfields area from the 1970s to 1990s
• New Spitalfields Market
• Old Spitalfields Market
• Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust
• Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets

London Borough of Tower Hamlets Districts Bethnal Green · Blackwall · Bow · Brick Lane · Bromley-by-Bow · Cambridge Heath · Cubitt Town · Globe Town · Isle of Dogs · Limehouse · Mile End · Millwall · Old Ford · Poplar · Ratcliff · Shadwell · Spitalfields · Stepney · Wapping · Whitechapel Attractions Tower of London · Tower Bridge · St Katharine Docks · Christ Church, Spitalfields · Museum of Childhood · Museum in Docklands · Whitechapel Art Gallery Street markets Petticoat Lane · Brick Lane · Columbia Road · Old Spitalfields · Roman Road Parks and open spaces Altab Ali Park · Island Gardens · Mile End Park · Mudchute · Tower Hamlets Cemetery · Victoria Park Constituencies Bethnal Green and Bow · Poplar and Limehouse Other topics People · Public art · Schools