The Bow Quarter is a gated community in Bow, London. The building was originally the Bryant and May match factory, and was the site of the Match Girls' strike in the 1880s. The factory was redeveloped in the 1980s, in one of east London's first urban renewal projects.
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From the mid-19th century to more than three-quarters of the way through the 20th century it was the location of the famous Bryant and May match factory. At one point at the turn of the two centuries it was London's largest factory.
The 3 acre (1.2 hectare) site, acquired by William Bryant and Francis May in 1861, contained a number of factories that had once been used for the manufacture of candles, crinoline and rope but had fallen into disrepair.[1] Assistance in adapting the site for match making was provided by John Edvard Lundström, the Swedish safety match maker.[1]
Bryant and May were influential in fighting against the dreadful disease known as phossy jaw, caused by the white phosphorus used in the manufacture of early matches. Some of the first welfare institutions in Britain for industrial workers began on this site, including the provision of a dentist.[1]
The factory saw many famous historical events: the London matchgirls strike of 1888 started there, culminating in the establishment of the first British trade union for women.[1] A blue plaque outside the entrance commemorates the role of social pioneer and feminist Annie Besant in leading the demands for better pay and conditions. It finally closed in 1979, when 275 people worked there, the work being transferred to Liverpool.[2] At full production, in 1911, the Bow site employed more than 2,000 women and girls.[3]
The site fell into disrepair until 1988, when developers embarked upon one of east London's first urban renewal projects. Today Bow Quarter consists of 733 one- and two-bedroom apartments and penthouses, together with a handful of workers' cottages built around late 19th century. Set in 7 acres (28,000 m2) of landscaped grounds, amenities include a residents' gym, a bar and restaurant and a convenience store.
The majority of the apartments today are housed in former factory and office buildings. Arlington for example was built as offices in 1874; Lexington and Manhattan date from the factory site redevelopment in 1911. The Victorian cottages near the entrance provided accommodation for the company directors whilst Staten was built as extra office accommodation in the late 1950s. The Park buildings (East, Central and West) were added in the mid 1990s.
In 2004 the TV series If... shot scenes in the fictional gated community Regent's Court inside Bow Quarter, some residents were also interviewed by the production team during the making of the programme.[4] [5]
Previous residents have included John Barrowman and Steve Strange. Former resident Danny Wallace declared his flat a micronation in the TV series How to Start Your Own Country.