Tower Bridge after dark
The Tower of London proudly overlooks a meandering River Thames that has witnessed many of the World's most famous Statesmen, Kings, Queens, and Seamen. from here ventured forth Sir Francis Drake, Martin Frobisher, Captain Cook, Admiral Nelson, and many others.
ADMIRAL NELSON
From 1939 to 1945, this stretch of River played a major role in helping to liberate Europe from Hitler's tyrannical and oppressive regime, in the 1940s it saw the construction of huge floating 'Mulberry' harbours without which the landing of allied Troops on the beaches of Normandy in France could have ended in total disaster, these cleverly contrived harbours helped to ensure ultimate victory and the liberation of Europe from Hitler fascism.
LONDON'S IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
An indomitable spirit was shown by the people of East London during Hitler's prolonged blitz on their City, Her Majesty, the Queen Mother singled out the brave people of East London for special mention after Buckingham Palace was bombed, she praised their qualities of spirit and endurance, and said: 'now I can look the East End straight in the eye'.
Yes, in world war two, the people of East London made huge sacrifices to liberate the World from racial and religious intolerance, hatred, and persecution, they have stoutly defended all people's right to Liberty, to be free to live in Peace with Justice and dignity no matter what their race, creed, or colour. In war or peace this great City has been, is, and must always remain, a beacon of hope for the oppressed.
After the war everybody was glad to be out of air-raid shelters and the streets became thronged with happy people greeting one another, imagine, having spent such long periods living in darkly lit underground air-raid shelters, theirs was a tremendous feeling of relief, even exhilaration to be out into the day light once more 'the lights came on again all over the World'.
Public Transport was cheap, plentiful, and punctial, it made for reliability, people used it and they turned up on time. East End cinemas became packed to capacity, no TV then to distract the masses. For 'a 4pennyone' you could take the bus or tube up West to socialise or dance to famous Big Bands like Oscar Rabin at the 'Lyceum', Joe Loss at the 'Palais de Dance', Harry Leader at the 'Astoria', and you could wine, dine, and romance too at the famous'Cafe De Paris'.
A thriving London docks once brought Sailors from many Lands to these shores, those looking for a good night out soon found that their was plenty going on in East London, unlike today, Cable Street was a notorious 'red light' district after dark, seedy cafe's were open until the early hours, and many surrounding Streets were paraded by prostitutes.
By the late 50s.people had started moving out of the City attracted to newer Towns, as a result many jobs became vacant which had to be filled, an influx of new immigrants from the West Indies in the 60s saved the day, but industrial relations had deteriorated by the time a Labour Government under Harold Wilson was returned to Power in 1964 by only 4 seats, it faced an immediate challenge from the Unions, strikes were damaging the economy badly and the Dockers leader, Jack Dash, constantly clashed with his bosses over pay and modernisation.
It soon became clear that Harold Wilson needed a much bigger working majority to tackle Union unrest and poor industrial relations, he got this in 1966 when he went to the Country once more, but the race to bring 'containerisation' to the Docks had already been lost to Rotterdam, this was the final blow that signalled the end of London Docks as a major port, and by the early 70s it had finally closed.
The River Thames has a proud record of ship building , once Peter The Great, Tsar of all Russia from 1672-1725, learnt ship-building skills at Boatyards in Deptford and Rotherhithe.
If you want to travel by river, Make sure you Book early with "City Cruises", especially for the Summer season.They are based at Rotherhithe and carry on a fine tradition with Gary Beckwith their Director, at the 'helm', they now have an impressive fleet of modern little ships on the Thames which will enhance your experience of river travel. Daily services run to and from Greenwich, the Tower, Westminster, and further.
THE TOWER OF LONDON
The Tower is on the North side of the Thames with Rotherhithe and Southwark on the South side, It is well worth taking a stroll South across remarkable Tower Bridge, the breathtaking views from the Bridge are a memorable experience that you will always cherish.
Walking East from the Tower through Wapping's cobbled high Street you will find the most famous Pubs in the Country, as well as some of the newest eating houses in London, follow the High Street along the River and you will tread the path of famous historic figures like Samuel Pepys. Captain Cook, Frobisher, Bligh and many others, you may still catch the scent of Cinnamon and spice from old converted warehouses along the route where famous celebrities now live, this part of London which once thrived as a centre for World trade is now a much sought after location.
The 'Captain Kidd' and 'Town of Ramsgate' are historic Pubs well worth a visit, quench your thirst or get a good meal at reasonable prices, for 'teatotalers' new italian Cafes now supply traditional fare along the route, and just past the Metropolitan Wharf on the left is the award winning 'Women's Playhouse' Restaurant, established to conserve the original 'Pump House' building in Wapping, it serves high quality food and drink, just opposite is the oldest of all Public Houses, the famous 'Prospect of Whitby', (see below), once a notorious meeting place for seafarers and old tyme smugglers from across the World who met there to do their nifty trading:
THE PROSPECT OF WHITBY
THE MAP BELOW SHOWS WAPPING & SHADWELL:
CLICK to enlarge view
THE BRUNEL EXPERIENCE
ABOUT BRUNEL:
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was recently acclaimed Britain's greatest ever engineer, the son of French immigrant Marc Brunel, also an engineer of repute, he was voted only second to Sir Winston Churchill on TVs 'Greatest Briton'
EAST OF TOWER BRIDGE
Wapping East of Tower Bridge boasts a fine variety of top quality eating houses these days, offering an excellent choice of new restuarants for every taste, Crane Wharf', has the "River View" Chinese Restaurant, The chick Italian cafe 'el Bordello, is an outstanding Pizzeria' at 75-81 Wappping High Street, or turn left into 'Wapping Lane', to discover another Italian 'PizzaExpress' at no.70-80, where you can listen to live Jazz while dining, or further along the Lane on the right is a popular Indian Bengali Restuarant serving those who like spicier dishes.
Most are licenced to serve alcohol with food, but if you just desire the simple 'take away' on your travels, Wapping has good old cockney nosh too, Fish and Chip shops are a British tradition which began in London's East End in 1860, you can still find local shops open till late, and if you feel like walking an extra mile from Wapping to Aldgate High street, you will find Tubby Isaacs' famous jellied eel stall on the corner of Goulston street, (pictured below), recognised for serving the best cockles and whelks in Town.
Tobacco Dock is truly unique, two majestic old sailing ships, 'The Three Sisters' and 'Sea Lark', proudly proclaim you've arrived in Captain Bligh's Wapping. The original Tobacco Dock was imaginatively converted in the 80s. by an 'East End' Lad who had made good, he created an impressive new development of modern shops, Restaurants, bars and cafes, similar to 'Covent Garden', but this exciting venture failed to take off at that time, now, with the increasing appeal of Wapping, this part of East London.currently offers a potential investor the remarkable opportunity to share in the growing prosperity of Docklands.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
The diversity of this area has come from its mix of peoples and cultures over many Centuries, immigrants from all over the World have left their mark on the East End of London, many came to escape persecution in their own Countries, they sought and found solace here and chose to make this their home and to live in that area bordering Spitalfields, Whitechapel and Brick Lane.
Religious persecution first brought the French Huguenots to Spitalfields, followed in the late 19th Century, by an influx of
Jews fleeing from the pogroms of Tzarist Russia. many being skilled in trades and professions prospered here and moved on to suburbia. In the early 60s, because of the movement of populaion, the need to fill vacancies grew, there was a new influx of immigrants from the West Indies and Asia and Muslems chose to settle Spitalfields where Hugenots and Jews had previously lived, there are many fine historic old Churches and Synagogues to see, and now, new Mosques have added to the remarkable diversity of East London. Check out the BBC Multifaith Calendar
PLACES OF WORSHIP
Since the movement of population in the 60s, the majority of
East End Synagogues have closed, many important old Churches have also suffered from neglect during this period, they are steeped in significant local history, for example, St Pauls Church in Shadwell, known as 'the sea Captains Church' because so many were buried there including Captain Cook's son who was baptised there, more importantly it is famous for American President Thomas Jefferon's Mother who lived in Shadwell with her Mother, and worshipped at St Pauls Church in Shadwell, she was later to name her American home 'Shadwell'. The fascinating history, the diversity, and cultural heritage, will never cease to amaze any visitor.
The International Port of London has always welcomed genuine immigrants, many fleeing persecution, etc, skilled craftsmen and tradesmen from abroad were always in demand to fill many vacancies, Immigrants have brought many skills, they have helped to make East London a leading centre of innovation in the Arts, Carpentry, and design, the Whitechapel Art Gallery (see below) became famous all over the World for putting on challenging exhibitions:
The record clearly shows that past immigrants have made a huge economic contribution to Britain, they have introduced many skills and trades to these shores, most immigrants arrived here with little or nothing and persevered against all odds to establish major Companies that became household names throughout Britain, they now provide many jobs at home and abroad.
'Tesco'
'Marks & Spencer'
'Sassoons'
'Amstrad'
'Sainsbury's'
Today Britain is a part of a wider European Community within which people can travel freely to find work, London is the popular choice with many immigrants as it is a leading City in the Global economy, new immigrants from Eastern Europe and elsewhere are bringing much needed skills which can earn them far higher wages than at home, most are unlikely to stay as their own economies improve, the 'economic migrant' is a a new and challenging phenomena of our time and is likely to shape the Global economy for many years to come.
FAMOUS STREET MARKETS
A variety of trades are on offer to attract visitors from across the World, so don't fail to visit the World famous Street market 'Petticoat Lane'. Experience the delights of the East by taking a stroll down Brick Lane with its spice shops, Tandoori Restaurants and trades of every description. Adjoining is Club Row with its famous Columbia Road Flower Market All these Markets open early every Sunday Morning, you can haggle away there until closing time at 2pm. Visit the Street Markets
The old Spitalfields Fruit Exchange nearby was used as an underground air-raid shelter during ww2, London's original 'Spitalfields Fruit Exchange Market moved to Leyton with the closure of London's Docks, the large dealer's area left behind was imaginatively converted to a unique complex of small shops, restaurants and attractive stalls which has become very popular with visitors.
WHITECHAPEL ART GALLERY
RING OUT
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is one of the oldest in the World, it has produced many
famous Bells including the 'Liberty Bell' and Big Ben which are still ringing out across the World.
FAMILY ROOTS? TRACE THEM HERE
Many World famous Entrepreneurs began their careers in the back street poverty of East London, aspiring Fashion designers, Hairdressers, Chefs, Writers, Artists, Actors, Actresses, and Musicians of every kind overcame an adverse start to life, many to reach the top of their trades and professions and become famous throughout the World.
Tower Hamlets has a remarkable history it is a memorable place that you will wish to return to again and again...........
LONDON IS EVERYON'E'S CITY
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