| Poplar | |
|---|---|
 FormerPoplar Town Hall, Bow Road | |
 Poplar within the County of London | |
| Area | |
| • 1911 | 2,328 acres (9.42 km2)[1] |
| • 1931 | 2,331 acres (9.43 km2)[1] |
| • 1961 | 2,348 acres (9.50 km2)[1] |
| Population | |
| • 1911 | 162,442[1] |
| • 1931 | 155,089[1] |
| • 1961 | 66,604[1] |
| Density | |
| • 1911 | 70/acre |
| • 1931 | 66/acre |
| • 1961 | 28/acre |
| History | |
| • Origin | Metropolis Management Act 1855 |
| • Created | 1855 |
| • Abolished | 1965 |
| • Succeeded by | London Borough of Tower Hamlets |
| Status | District (1855—1900) Metropolitan borough (1900—1965) Civil parish (1907—1965) |
| Government | Poplar District Board of Works (1855—1900) Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council (1900—1965) |
| • HQ | East India Dock Road (1856—1870) Poplar High Street (1870—1938) Bow Road (1938—1965) |
 Borough seal | |
| Subdivisions | |
| • Type | Civil parishes |
| • Units | Bow (1855—1907) Bromley (1855—1907) Poplar (1855—1907) Poplar Borough (1907—1965) |
 Map of borough boundary | |
Poplar was a local government district in the metropolitan area ofLondon, England. It was formed as adistrict of the Metropolis in 1855 and became ametropolitan borough in theCounty of London in 1900. It comprisedPoplar,Millwall,Bromley-by-Bow andBow as well asOld Ford,Fish Island andCubitt Town.
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The borough formed part of the thenLondon suburbs and was bordered by the metropolitan boroughs ofHackney,Stepney, andBethnal Green to the west and north, and the county borough ofWest Ham, then inEssex, to the east. To the south, theRiver Thames formed borders with the metropolitan boroughs ofBermondsey,Deptford andGreenwich.
It was formed from threecivil parishes:St Mary Stratford-le-Bow,St Leonard Bromley andAll Saints Poplar. In 1907, these three were combined into a single civil parish called Poplar Borough, which was conterminous with the metropolitan borough.[2] In 1965, the parish and borough were abolished, with their former areas becoming part of the newly formedLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets.
It included the districts of (from north to south):
In 1921, the borough council, underGeorge Lansbury and thePoor Law Union, were engaged in a dispute with theLondon County Council andcentral government overpoor law rates – it wished to pay out of work people more than usually permitted, and to get wealthier boroughs to contribute to its expenses. Several councillors were imprisoned briefly in 1921 concerning this. SeePoplar Rates Rebellion.
In 1951, Poplar was chosen as the site of theFestival of Britain's 'Exhibition of Live Architecture'. The East End of London had been heavily bombed during the war, and its reconstruction was showcased at the new Lansbury Estate. New building materials and planning concepts were demonstrated. The first example of 'live architecture' on the exhibition trail was theTrinity Congregational Church and Hall, located just across from the main reception area, with its Town Planning and Building Research Pavilions on East India Dock Road. The trail continued with theLansbury Estate andChrisp Street Market.
The formerPoplar Town Hall, located on Bow Road and designed by Culpin & Son (1937–38), is now a listed building,[3] as is its predecessor, theOld Town Hall (1870) in Poplar High Street.[4]
Poplar covered an area of 2,328 acres (9.4 km2). The population as given in the census from 1801 to 1961 was:
Constituent parishes 1801–1899
| Year[5] | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,278 | 13,548 | 18,932 | 25,066 | 31,122 | 47,162 | 79,196 | 116,376 | 156,510 | 166,748 |
Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961
| Year[6] | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 168,822 | 162,442 | 162,578 | 155,089 | [7] | 73,579 | 66,604 |
The borough had nocoat of arms, using instead a seal originally designed for the Poplar District Board of Works, its predecessor, created by theMetropolis Management Act 1855. The seal depicted the emblems of the three parishvestries merged into the board.
The top shield was the seal of Poplar Vestry, and showed the'Hibbert Gate' of the oldWest India Docks, with a sailing ship on top of the shield. A similar representation of the gate and ship formed the head of the vestry's civic mace, which was used by the board of works and borough council until 1965. The model ship from atop the gate, which was demolished in 1932, was placed by the borough council in Poplar Recreation Ground and Poplar Library before it collapsed.[8]
The shield on the left was the seal of Bow Vestry and showed a bridge between two bows. This represented the bow-shaped bridge over the River Lea.
The shield on the right was the seal of Bromley St Leonard Vestry, and depicts the saint dressed as a bishop.
There remain several street signs which have been preserved with the name of the former borough.
Under theMetropolis Management Act 1855, any parish that exceeded 2,000ratepayers was to be divided into wards; however, the parishes of the Poplar District Board of Works did not exceed this number, so they were not divided into wards.
In 1880, the population had increased enough for the parish of All Saints Poplar to be divided into three wards (electingvestrymen): South (27), East (27) and West (30).[9][10]
In 1885, the population had increased sufficiently for the parish of Bromley St Leonard to be divided into three wards (electing vestrymen): West (39), East (36), and South (33).[11][12]
In 1894, the population had increased enough for the parish of St Mary Stratford Bow to be divided into four wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 (15), No. 2 (15), No. 3 (36), and No. 4 (18),[13][14] while the parish of All Saints Poplar was similarly re-divided into four wards (electing vestrymen): Cubitt Town (15), Millwall (15), Blackwall (24), and West India Dock (30).[15][16]
The metropolitan borough was divided into fourteenwards for elections: Bow Central, Bow North, Bow South, Bow West, Bromley Central, Bromley Northeast, Bromley Northwest, Bromley Southeast, Bromley Southwest, Cubitt Town, Millwall, Poplar East, Poplar Northwest and Poplar West.[17][18]
For elections toParliament, the borough was divided into two constituencies:
In 1918, the boundaries of the borough's two seats were adjusted, and one was renamed:
In 1950, the borough's representation was reduced to one seat:
Local government districts abolished or transferred by theLondon Government Act 1963 | ||
|---|---|---|
| London | ||
| Essex | ||
| Hertfordshire | ||
| Middlesex,CC | ||
| Kent | ||
| Surrey | ||
| Transfers | Middlesex to Hertfordshire:Potters Bar
| |
