Facts about East London
Emergence
The East End began with the medieval growth of London beyond the city walls, along the Roman roads leading from Bishopsgate and Aldgate, and also along the river. Growth was much slower in the east, and the modest extensions there were separated from the much larger suburbs in the west by the marshy open area of Moorfields adjacent to the wall on the north side, which discouraged development in that direction.
Urbanisation accelerated in the 16th century and the area that would later become known as the East End began to take shape. The first known written record of the East End as a distinct entity, as opposed to its component parts, comes from John Strype’s 1720 ‘Survey of London’, where he describes London as consisting of four parts: the City of London, Westminster, Southwark, and That Part beyond the Tower.
General Info
East London is a popularly and informally defined part of London, capital of the United Kingdom. By most definitions, it is east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames. It broadly comprises the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The East End of London is a subset of East London, consisting of areas close to the ancient City of London.
