Poplar, London
Poplar is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is an inner-city suburb located five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross and lays on the western bank of the River Lea and is part of the London Docklands.
Poplar is identified as a major district centre in the London Plan, with its district centre being Chrisp Street Market, a significant commercial and retail centre surrounded by extensive residential development.
Originally part of the Manor and Ancient Parish of Stepney, the Hamlet of Poplar had become an autonomous area of Stepney by the 17th century, and an independent parish in 1817. The Parish and later Metropolitan Borough of Poplar. After a series of mergers, Poplar became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1965.
History
Origin and administrative history
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Poplar_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg/220px-Poplar_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg.png)
Poplar was formerly part of the
By the seventeenth century the area had become a Hamlet, a territorial sub-division of Stepney,[3][4] with a degree of independence. The Hamlet of Poplar became an independent civil and ecclesiastical parish in 1817.
The area was part of the
The role of the Tower Division ended when Poplar became part of the new County of London in 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965.
In 1855, Poplar joined with neighbouring
Social and economic history
In 1654, as the population of the district began to grow, the East India Company ceded a piece of land upon which to build a chapel and this became the nucleus of the settlement.[6]
There was a major ship fitting industry from at least the 15th century, and the maritime trades became more important after the East and West India Docks were opened in 1806.[5] Thames Ironworks at Leamouth Wharf was a major employer till its closure in 1912, its works team becoming known as West Ham United F.C. The docks attracted very heavy bombing to the area during the Blitz.
In 1921, the
The importance of the maritime industries attracted many overseas migrant to the area, including the Chinese community in the Pennyfields area of Poplar. This area, on the border with Limehouse was a part of the old East End Chinatown, most closely associated with Limehouse.[8]
The
In 1998, following ballots of the residents, Tower Hamlets Council transferred parts of the Lansbury estate and six other Council housing estates within Poplar to Poplar HARCA, a new housing association set up for the purpose of regenerating the area. The following year, tenants on further estates voted to remain with the council. However, after a lengthy consultation of all Council estates in Tower Hamlets begun in 2002, most estates in Poplar did transfer to Poplar HARCA, East End Homes and other landlords between 2005 and 2007.
Wartime bombings
The first
The East End of London was one of the most heavily targeted places. Poplar, in particular, was struck badly by some of the air raids during the World War I. Initially these were at night by Zeppelins which bombed the area indiscriminately, leading to the death of innocent civilians.
The first daylight bombing attack on London by a fixed-wing aircraft took place on 13 June 1917. Fourteen German Gotha G.IV bombers led by Hauptmann Ernst Brandenberg flew over Essex and began dropping their bombs. It was a hot day and the sky was hazy; nevertheless, onlookers in London's East End were able to see 'a dozen or so big aeroplanes scintillating like so many huge silver dragonflies'. These three-seater bombers were carrying shrapnel bombs which were dropped just before noon. Numerous bombs fell in rapid succession in various districts. In the East End alone 104 people were killed, 154 seriously injured and 269 slightly injured.
The gravest incident that day was a direct hit on a primary school in Poplar. In the Upper North Street School at the time were a girls' class on the top floor, a boys' class on the middle floor and an infant class of about 50 pupils on the ground floor. The bomb fell through the roof into the girls' class; it then proceeded to fall through the boys' classroom before finally exploding in the infant class. Eighteen pupils were killed, of whom sixteen were aged from 4 to 6 years old. The tragedy shocked the British public at the time.[10]
In World War II, Poplar suffered heavily in the Blitz of that war, the Metropolitan Borough losing 770 civilian dead as a result of enemy action.[11] At the height of the bombing, ten Poplar schools were evacuated to Oxford.[12]
Built environment
Architecturally, the area is a mixture of 18th- and 19th-century
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/St._Mary_and_St._Joseph%2C_Lansbury_Estate.jpg/220px-St._Mary_and_St._Joseph%2C_Lansbury_Estate.jpg)
A new Church Green next to St. Mary and St. Joseph Church was created in 2012 on the site of the former Blitz-bombed Catholic church, across the road from the current church designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott. It is open to the public during the day and public sculptures include, the former Catholic Boys' School entrance statue dedicated to dockers and seafarers, a 15-foot crucifix that stood on the site of the old high altar and a contemporary granite and light sculpture, A Doorway of Hope, by sculptor Nicolas Moreton.[13]
The original
The
Industry
Poplar still remains a part of the Port of London as Northumberland Wharf is still retained as a working wharf with special status from the Mayor of London and the Port of London Authority (PLA) as a safeguarded wharf. It is run by Cory Riverside Energy who also managed the Reuse and Recycling Centre which is next to the wharf and for the transportation of waste by barge along the River Thames.[25][26]
Poplar Borough Council had been authorised in 1893 to supply electricity to the borough.[27] Electricity supplies began in October 1900 from a power station on the corner of Glaucus Street and Yeo Street.[28] The station was later known as Poplar Watts Grove (off Devons Road).[29] The generating capacity of the station and the electricity generated over the operational life is as follows:[30][31][29][32][33]
Year | Generating capacity, MW | Electricity generated, GWh
|
---|---|---|
1903/4 | 1.6 | 2.47 |
1912/3 | 10.20 | 15.41 |
1918/9 | 13.25 | 24.38 |
1923/4 | 16.0 | 28.12 |
1936/7 | 40.0 | 14.76 |
1946 | 28 | |
1960/1 | 24.0 | 1.31 |
1961/2 | 25.0 | 2.85 |
1962/3 | 25.0 | 7.92 |
1963/4 | 25.0 | 1.93 |
1965/6 | 25.0 | 18.07 |
1966/7 | 15.0 | 6.44 |
In 1903-04 there were estimated to be 320 arc lights, 1,649 incandescent lamps, and 130 electric motors connected to the public electricity supply in Poplar.[27] The power station used water from the adjacent Limehouse Cut canal together with cooling towers to condense steam and for cooling.[32]
Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership of the station passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Generating Board. The CEGB closed the station in 1967 when the thermal efficiency was only 8.39 per cent.[32]
Politics
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Bow_Business_Centre%2C_Bow_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_434827.jpg/220px-Bow_Business_Centre%2C_Bow_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_434827.jpg)
Until 1965, Poplar had its own council which was based at Poplar Town Hall.[34] Since 1965, the area has formed part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with its council based at Mulberry Place.[35] The council moved to a new Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel Road on 1 March 2023.[36]
The
Education
Langdon Park School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form, located northeast of Chrisp Street Market.
The George Green's School was founded in 1828 by George Green, a shipbuilder and shipwright. It was originally located on East India Dock Road. Today it is a voluntary controlled school supported by the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights located on the Isle of Dogs peninsula.[39]
Transport
Rail
Poplar is connected to other areas of
Poplar DLR station is a focal point for the DLR network, where several different routes converge.
The nearest London Underground station is Canary Wharf, which is served by Elizabeth line and Jubilee line trains.
The nearest National Rail station is at Limehouse, which is served by c2c trains between London Fenchurch Street (in the city) and destinations in South Essex, including Southend Central.
Buses
Poplar is served by London Buses routes 15, 115, 309, D6 and night bus routes N15 and N551.[41]
Road
Poplar is well connected to destinations in East London and East Anglia by road:
- The A12 runs along the eastern edge of Poplar and carries traffic northbound towards Stratford and Hackney Wick. It continues towards the M11, Romford, and Chelmsford. Its southern terminus is in Poplar, at a junction with the A13 and A102.
- The A13 (East India Dock Road) runs through the centre of Poplar west-east. Westbound, the A13 links the area to Limehouse, Aldgate, and the city. Heading east, the road runs towards Canning Town, Barking, Tilbury, and Southend-on-Sea.
- The south-east London.
- The A1206 (Cotton Street) runs from the A13 through the eastern edge of Poplar. South of Aspen Way, the road runs around the outer rim of the Isle of Dogs, connecting Poplar to Canary Wharf and Millwall.
- The A1261 (Aspen Way) runs along the southern rim of Poplar, separating the area from Canary Wharf. Aspen Way runs eastbound towards the Limehouse Link and the A13, both of which continue towards Limehouse and the city. Westbound, the road runs to Blackwall, the A13, and the A1020 towards the ExCeLand City Airport.
Poplar High Street runs through the centre of Poplar.
Cycling
National Cycle Route 13 follows the route of CS3 through Poplar. This long-distance route links Tower Hill to Fakenham, Norfolk. The route does not run continuously; however, east of Poplar, the route runs non-stop as far as Purfleet, via the ExCeL and Rainham.[43]
In art, entertainment, and media
Balfron Tower has been featured in various other music videos, films and television programmes, as have various other locations in Poplar. According to movie website IMDb, locations around Poplar have been used in the following feature films:
- 1984 (1956)
- To Sir, With Love(1967)
- A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
- Return of Spinal Tap (1992; Coldharbour) David and Nigel reminisce about their upbringing in 'Squatney, London', outside their childhood homes No.45 & 47. 'The Gun' public house can also be seen in the background.
- The World Is Not Enough (1999)
- The Da Vinci Code (2003)
- 28 Days Later (2002; Woodstock Terrace and Balfron Tower)[44]
Film
- The documentary film Fly a Flag for Poplar (1974) features Poplar and the people who live there, seen in their day-to-day lives and organising their own local festivals. Poplar today is looked at in the light of the past, the importance of the Labour movement in the beginning of the century, highlighted by the great strikes and events of 1921 when the Poplar Council went to prison.[45]
- A documentary film about Chrisp Street Market, E14: A Dying Trade, was filmed in 2011.[46]
Television
- The BBC One television series, Call the Midwife, is set in Poplar in the late 1950s through 1968 in season 12.[47]
Art
- The AB Foundry is in Poplar[48] and has worked with artists like Anthony Gormley, Henry Moore, Gavin Turk, Rachel Whiteread, and Barry Flanagan.
- The Poplar Union was built as an art centre within a Poplar HARCA's resident building. Poplar Union is now home to e5 Roasthouse. It supports the local community through art, culture and wellbeing, and offers a programme of events, including family activities, performances in comedy, spoken word, music, dance and theatre, health and wellbeing classes.[49][50]
- While not as famous as a street art destination as its chihuahua on the side of the building opposite All Saints DLR station.[52][53] There is also a small work by Banksy near to the chihuahua.[54]
- Notable artists who have lived in the area are Ian Berry, Elizabeth Fritsch MA(RCA) CBE and Stuart Semple, who all lived and worked in the Spratts complex[55][56] and in 2014 many artists took up spaces with Bow Arts Trust in Balfron Tower.[57][58][59][60]
Notable residents
- Commonwealth Boxing Bantamweight Champion 1928–30[61]
- Neil Banfield, coach at Arsenal F.C.
- Will Crooks MP, social reformer and first Labour mayor in London; the Will Crooks estate on Poplar High Street is named after him
- Alfie Doughty, footballer for Luton Town
- Tommy Flowers, designer of the first programmable electronic computer used for code breaking at Bletchley Park, born at 160 Abbott Road
- Alfred Hitchcock, film director, lived in Salmon Lane as a child. His family had a fishmongers there and lived above the shop.
- Sir Nicholas de Loveyne held the manor of Poplar and made his will there in 1375, four days before he died.
- Charlie Magri, world champion flyweight boxer, grew up on the Burdett Estate.
- Arthur Morrison, author and journalist.
- John McDougall, politician, represented Poplar from 1889 to 1913. A small park near Millwall Dock is named after him.
- John Mucknell, "The King's Pirate" (born 1608, lived in Poplar after he married)[62]
- Queens Park Rangers football clubs. Father of Jamie Redknapp, the former Liverpoolcaptain
- Richard Spratly, discoverer of the Spratly Islands in 1843
- H. M. Tomlinson, travel-writer, journalist, and author of The Sea and the Jungle (1912)
- Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife author
- Dicken Medalrecipient.
References
- ^ a b The History of the Countryside, Oliver Rackham, 1986, p207
- ^ The Concise Dictionary of English Place Names, 4th Edition, Ekwall
- ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
- ^ Joel Gascoyne's maps of Stepney in 1703 show the Hamlets of the parish occupying the same boundaries as when they subsequently became independent parishes
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 89.
- OCLC 647659045.
- ^ Brooke, Mike (26 July 2016). "Poplar Baths makes a splash reopening after 30 years—in good spirits". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ 'Pennyfields', in Survey of London: Volumes 43 and 44, Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs, ed. Hermione Hobhouse (London, 1994), pp. 111–113. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols43-4/pp111-113 [accessed 11 December 2021].
- ^ "Modern Docklands: Modern commercial developments | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ Air Commodore Lionel Charlton, "The Air Defence of Britain", Penguin Books, London, October 1938
- ^ CWGC List of Civilian War Dead, Poplar Metropolitan Borough.
- ^ London Children in War-Time Oxford: A Survey of Social and Educational Results of Evacuation. Oxford: Barnett House, 1947, p. 12
- Josephites-CJ. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 December 2013. CJ 2012-31
- ^ "Poplar High Street: Introduction". www.british-history.ac.uk. British History online. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ Brooke, Mike (22 January 2014). "Fury at Tower Hamlets over knock-down sale of old Poplar Town Hall". East London Advertiser.
- ^ "Poplar Bowls Club". bowlsclub.org.
- ^ "THE WORKHOUSE LEISURE CENTRE London E14 0AF". sports-facilities.co.uk.
- ^ Fuller, Tony (1998). Memorial Inscriptions at the East India Chapel, Poplar. Hornchurch: Armenians in India Press.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Matthias (1065793)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ "Guildmore". June 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "Poplar Baths reopens after closing its doors nearly 30 years ago". Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Heritage at risk 2016". Historic England. 21 October 2016.
- ^ "Museum of London Docklands | Free museum in London". www.museumoflondon.org.uk.
- ^ Historic England. "Warehouses and general offices at western end of North Quay (1242440)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Christou, Marianna (19 September 2017). "Cory confirmed as preferred bidder for Tower Hamlets contract".
- ^ "Cory Awarded 10-Year Tower Hamlets Waste Contract". 10 October 2017.
- ^ a b London County Council (1905). London Statistics 1904–5 vol.xv. London: London County Council. pp. 434–435.
- ^ Old Ordnance Survey Maps Poplar 1914, Alan Godfrey Maps, Consett
- ^ a b "British Power Stations operating at 31 December 1961". Electrical Review. 1 June 1962: 931. 1 June 1962.
- ^ London County Council (1926). London Statistics 1924–25 vol 30. London: London County Council. pp. 300–01.
- ^ London County Council (1939). London Statistics 1936–37. London: London County Council. pp. 382, 384–85.
- ^ a b c CEGB Statistical Yearbook (various dates). CEGB, London.
- ^ CEGB Annual Report and Accounts, various years
- ^ "Poplar Town Hall". Manchester History. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Hobhouse, Hermione (1994). "'Modern Docklands: Gazetteer of modern non-housing developments', in Survey of London: Volumes 43 and 44, Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs". London: British History Online. pp. 707–724. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "Historic Whitechapel building reopens as Tower Hamlets' new town hall". East London Lines. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ BBC "on this day" report accessed: 17 April 2007
- ^ "September 2004 Byelection Results". Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ "George Green's School - The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights". Shipwrights.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ "DLR map" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "Buses from Poplar" (PDF). Transport for London. 30 September 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- ^ "Cycle". Transport for London (TfL). Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "Route 13". Sustrans. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Balfron 2.0: how Goldfinger's utopian tower became luxury flats". the Guardian. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Fly a Flag for Poplar". Time Out. 1974. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- IMDb
- ^ Reynolds, Laura (17 January 2016). "The Real Poplar Nurse Behind Call The Midwife". Londonist. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to AB Fine Art Foundry". Welcome to AB Fine Art Foundry. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "About | Poplar Union". Poplar Union. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Spotlight on Poplar Union". www.londoncalling.com. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "The Street Art of Chrisp Street in Poplar - Inspiring City". Inspiring City. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Street Artists Boe & Irony Paint a Giant Chihuahua on Chrisp Street in East London - Inspiring City". Inspiring City. 22 June 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Street Artist Paints 46 Shop Shutters in 48 Hours". Londonist. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "The Hidden Banksy in Poplar · Look Up London · Revealing secrets above your eyeline..." Look Up London · Revealing secrets above your eyeline... 3 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Step Inside London's Spratt's Factory". Warehouse Home. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Michael Green". Axisweb. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Artist squares up to Regulator over "manifestly unreasonable" fundraising investigation". ArtsProfessional. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "The Balfron Tower: a tale of gentrificiation". Eastlondonlines. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Balfron Tower". www.balfrontower.com. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Low Cost Residential Accommodation for artists". Bow Arts. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Teddy Baldock World Boxing Bantam Weight Champion 1927". www.teddybaldock.co.uk.
- ^ Stevens, Todd. The Pirate John Mucknell. p. 18.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Poplar photographs in the Local History Library