TheLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets is aborough inLondon, England. Situated on the north bank of theRiver Thames and immediately east of theCity of London, the borough spans much of the traditionalEast End of London and includes much of the regeneratedLondon Docklands area. The 2019 mid-year population for the borough is estimated at 324,745.
The borough was formed in 1965 by merger of the formermetropolitan boroughs ofStepney,Poplar, andBethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally an alternative name for the historicTower Division; the area of south-eastMiddlesex, focused on (but not limited to) the area of the modern borough, which owed military service to theTower of London. The Tower of London itself is located in the borough, adjacent to its western boundary with the City of London.
Thelocal authority isTower Hamlets London Borough Council. In 2017, a joint study byTrust for London andNew Policy Institute found Tower Hamlets to be the 2nd most deprived London borough (afterBarking and Dagenham) based on an average calculated across a range of indicators; with high rates ofchild poverty, unemployment and pay inequality compared to other London boroughs.[1] However, it has the lowest gap for educational outcomes at secondary level.[2]
Some of the world's major headquarters andtallest buildings in London occupyCanary Wharf, the country's second largest financial district, andAldgate East. Between 2014 and 2024, Tower Hamlets saw the completion of 71 skyscrapers, more than any other London borough.[3] Also, part of theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park is in the borough.
Demographically, Tower Hamlets has a large population ofBritish Bangladeshis, forming the largest single ethnic group in the borough at 32%.[4] The2011 census showed Tower Hamlets to have the highest proportion ofMuslims of any English local authority and was the only location whereIslam outnumberedChristianity.[5] The borough has 50Mosques and manymadrasahs,[6] including theEast London Mosque, the country's largest.[7]Whitechapel restaurants, neighbouring street market and shops provide the largest range ofBangladeshi cuisine, woodwork,carpets and clothes in Europe.[8][9]Brick Lane is also a major centre ofhipster subculture.[10][11][12]
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The earliest reference to the name "Tower Hamlets" was in 1554, when the Council of theTower of London ordered a muster of "men of the hamlets which owe their service to the tower". This covered a wider area than the present-day borough, and its military relationship with the Tower is thought to have been several centuries earlier than the 1554 record.[13]
In 1605, theLieutenant of the Tower was given the right to muster the militia and the area east of the tower came to be a distinct military unit, officially calledTower Hamlets (or the Tower Division).[14] The Hamlets of the Tower paid taxes for the militia in 1646.[15]
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets forms the core of the East End. The population of the area grew enormously in the 19th century, leading to extreme overcrowding and a concentration of poor people and immigrants throughout the area.[note 1] These problems were exacerbated by the construction ofSt Katharine Docks (1827)[note 2] and thecentral London railway termini (1840–1875) with many displaced people moving into the area following theclearance of former slums androokeries. Over the course of a century, the East End became synonymous with poverty, overcrowding, disease and criminality.[16]
The area was once characterised by rural settlements clustered around the City walls or along the main roads, surrounded by farmland, with marshes and small communities by the River, serving the needs of shipping and theRoyal Navy. Until the arrival of formal docks, shipping was required to land goods in thePool of London, but industries related to construction, repair, and victualling of ships flourished in the area fromTudor times. The area attracted large numbers of rural people looking for employment. Successive waves of foreign immigration began withHuguenot refugees creating a new extramural suburb inSpitalfields in the 17th century.[17] They were followed byIrish weavers,[18]Ashkenazi Jews[19] and, in the 20th century,Bangladeshis.[20]
Many of these immigrants worked in the clothing industry. The abundance of semi- and unskilled labour led to low wages and poor conditions throughout the East End. This brought the attentions of social reformers during the mid-18th century and led to the formation ofunions and workers associations at the end of the century. The radicalism of the East End contributed to the formation of theLabour Party and demands for theenfranchisement of women.
Official attempts to address the overcrowded housing began at the beginning of the 20th century under theLondon County Council. Aerial bombing inWorld War II devastated much of the East End, with its docks, railways and industry forming a continual target. In the separate boroughs making up today's Tower Hamlets a total of 2,221 civilians were killed and 7,472 were injured, with 46,482 houses destroyed and 47,574 damaged.[21] This led to some dispersal of the population to outlying suburbs. New housing was built in the 1950s for those that remained.[16]
The closure of the last of the East End docks in thePort of London in 1980 created further challenges and led to attempts at regeneration and the formation of theLondon Docklands Development Corporation. TheCanary Wharf development, improved infrastructure, and theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park[22] mean that the East End is undergoing further change, but some of its districts continue to see some of the worst poverty in Britain.[23]
The area of the modern borough had historically been part of thehundred ofOssulstone in county ofMiddlesex. Ossulstone was subsequently divided into four divisions, one of which was theTower Division, also known as the Tower Hamlets, which covered a larger area than the modern borough, also including parts ofHackney. From at least the 17th century the Tower Division was aliberty with judicial and administrative independence from the rest of the county. The liberty appears to have arisen from much older obligations on inhabitants of the area to provide military service to theConstable of the Tower of London.[24]
From 1856 the area was governed by theMetropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across themetropolis of London.[25] In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made theCounty of London. From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised variousparish vestries and district boards. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised intometropolitan boroughs, including theMetropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green, theMetropolitan Borough of Poplar and theMetropolitan Borough of Stepney.[26][27]
The modern borough was created in 1965 under theLondon Government Act 1963. It was a merger of the old boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney, and was named Tower Hamlets after the historic liberty.[26]
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Tower Hamlets is in East London, north of theRiver Thames. TheCity of London lies to the west, theLondon Borough of Hackney to the north, while theRiver Lea forms the boundary with theLondon Borough of Newham to the east. The River Lea also forms the boundary between thehistoric counties ofMiddlesex andEssex. The borough's Thames frontage extends from theTower Dock inlet,[note 3] immediately west of theTower of London, through several miles of former docklands, including theIsle of Dogs peninsula, to the confluence of the Thames and Lea atBlackwall. Areas along the Thames and Lea flood plains were historically frequently flooded, but theThames Barrier, further east, has reduced that risk.
Regent's Canal enters the borough from Hackney to meet the River Thames atLimehouse Basin. A stretch of theHertford Union Canal leads from the Regent's canal, at a basin in the north ofMile End, to join the River Lea atOld Ford. A further canal,Limehouse Cut, London's oldest, leads from locks atBromley-by-Bow to Limehouse Basin. Most of the canal tow-paths are open to both pedestrians and cyclists.
The borough includes open spaces such asVictoria Park,King Edward Memorial Park,Mile End Park,Island Gardens and part of theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Areas within the borough include:
TheCanary Wharf district on theIsle of Dogs in theDocklands forms a group of some of the tallest buildings inEurope.One Canada Square was the firstskyscraper to be constructed and is the third tallest in London. Nearby are theHSBC Tower,Citigroup Centres andOne Churchill Place, headquarters ofBarclays Bank. Within the same complex are theHeron Quays offices.
Part of theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park, developed for theLondon 2012 Olympics, lies within the borders of Tower Hamlets.
In 2021 theEmbassy of China in London was proposed to move in to the formerRoyal Mint building inEast Smithfield,[28] however these plans were later rejected unanimously by the Tower Hamlets council.[29]
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The local authority is Tower Hamlets Council, based atTower Hamlets Town Hall onWhitechapel Road.[30] Since 2010 the council has been led by the directly electedMayor of Tower Hamlets.[31]
Since 2000, the borough lies within theCity and East constituency,one of fourteen constituencies which make up theLondon Assembly, and is represented byUnmesh Desai of the Labour Party.
For the2019 general election, the borough was split into twoconstituencies:
Due to the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the subsequentgeneral election saw Tower Hamlets elect MPs in three constituencies. These are:
The data below were taken between 1971 and 2000 at the weather station inGreenwich, around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the borough's former town hall, atMulberry Place:
Climate data forGreenwich Park, elevation: 47 m (154 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–2004 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 25.3 (77.5) | 29.0 (84.2) | 34.5 (94.1) | 35.3 (95.5) | 37.5 (99.5) | 30.2 (86.4) | 26.1 (79.0) | 18.9 (66.0) | 16.4 (61.5) | 37.5 (99.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) | 9.2 (48.6) | 12.1 (53.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.4 (70.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 15.8 (60.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 8.9 (48.0) | 15.8 (60.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 6.2 (43.2) | 8.4 (47.1) | 10.7 (51.3) | 13.8 (56.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 18.8 (65.8) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.9 (60.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 8.8 (47.8) | 6.3 (43.3) | 11.9 (53.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) | 3.2 (37.8) | 4.7 (40.5) | 6.0 (42.8) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.0 (53.6) | 13.9 (57.0) | 14.1 (57.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.0 (48.2) | 6.1 (43.0) | 3.8 (38.8) | 8.1 (46.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −12.7 (9.1) | −9.4 (15.1) | −6.7 (19.9) | −4.8 (23.4) | −1.0 (30.2) | 1.1 (34.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 5.3 (41.5) | 1.1 (34.0) | −2.1 (28.2) | −8.0 (17.6) | −10.5 (13.1) | −12.7 (9.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 43.9 (1.73) | 39.9 (1.57) | 36.5 (1.44) | 38.6 (1.52) | 44.0 (1.73) | 49.3 (1.94) | 36.3 (1.43) | 53.0 (2.09) | 52.4 (2.06) | 58.3 (2.30) | 59.9 (2.36) | 50.7 (2.00) | 562.9 (22.16) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.5 | 9.2 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 105.6 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 44.4 | 66.1 | 109.7 | 152.9 | 198.7 | 198.6 | 209.2 | 198.0 | 140.6 | 99.7 | 58.5 | 50.1 | 1,526.4 |
| Source 1:Met Office[32][33][34] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[35][36] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 130,871 | — |
| 1811 | 160,718 | +22.8% |
| 1821 | 195,941 | +21.9% |
| 1831 | 231,534 | +18.2% |
| 1841 | 275,250 | +18.9% |
| 1851 | 330,548 | +20.1% |
| 1861 | 410,101 | +24.1% |
| 1871 | 489,653 | +19.4% |
| 1881 | 569,205 | +16.2% |
| 1891 | 584,936 | +2.8% |
| 1901 | 578,143 | −1.2% |
| 1911 | 571,438 | −1.2% |
| 1921 | 529,114 | −7.4% |
| 1931 | 489,956 | −7.4% |
| 1941 | 337,774 | −31.1% |
| 1951 | 232,860 | −31.1% |
| 1961 | 195,883 | −15.9% |
| 1971 | 164,699 | −15.9% |
| 1981 | 139,989 | −15.0% |
| 1991 | 167,985 | +20.0% |
| 2001 | 196,121 | +16.7% |
| 2011 | 254,096 | +29.6% |
| 2021 | 310,300 | +22.1% |
| Note:[37] | ||
By 1891, Tower Hamlets – roughly the ancientcivil parish of Stepney – was already one of the most populated areas in London. Throughout the nineteenth century, the local population increased by an average of 20% every ten years. The building of the docks intensified land use and caused the last marshy areas in the south of the parish to be drained for housing and industry. In the north of the borough, employment was principally in weaving, small household industries like boot and furniture making and new industrial enterprises likeBryant and May. The availability of cheap labour drew in many employers. To the south, employment was in the docks and related industries – such aschandlery and rope making.
By the middle of the nineteenth century, the district now recognised as Tower Hamlets was characterised by overcrowding and poverty. The construction of the railways caused many more displaced people to settle in the area, and a massive influx of Eastern EuropeanJews at the latter part of the nineteenth century added to the population growth. This migration peaked at the end of that century andpopulation growth entered a long decline through to the 1960s, as people moved away eastwards to newer suburbs of London andEssex. The area's population had neared 600,000 around the end of the nineteenth century, but fell to a low of less than 140,000 by the early 1980s.
The metropolitan boroughs suffered very badly duringWorld War II, during which considerable numbers of houses were destroyed or damaged beyond use due toheavy aerial bombing. This coincided with a decline in work in the docks, and the closure of many traditional industries. TheAbercrombie Plan for London (1944) began an exodus from London towards thenew towns.[38]
This decline began to reverse with the establishment of theLondon Docklands Development Corporation bringing new industries and housing to the brownfield sites along the river. Also contributing was new immigration from Asia beginning in the 1970s. According to the2001 UK Census the population of the borough is approximately 196,106. According to theONS estimate, the population is 237,900, as of 2010.[39]
Crime in the borough increased by 3.5% from 2009 to 2010, according to figures from theMetropolitan Police,[40] having decreased by 24% between 2003/04 and 2007/08.[41]
Tower Hamlets has one of the smallestWhite British populations of any local authority in the United Kingdom. No ethnic group forms a majority of the population; a plurality of residents are white (45%), a little over two thirds of whom are White British. 32% of residents areBangladeshi, which is the largest ethnic minority group in the borough, with Asians as a whole forming 41% of the population.[42][43] A smaller proportion are of Black African and Caribbean descent (7%),[42] withSomalis representing the second-largest minority ethnic group.[44] Those of mixed ethnic backgrounds form 4%, while other ethnic groups form 2%.[42][44][45] The White British proportion was recorded as 31.2% in the 2011 UK Census, a decrease from 42.9% in 2001.[needs update]
In 2018, Tower Hamlets had the lowest life expectancy and the highest rate ofheart disease of all London boroughs, along withNewham.[46]
The2021 census found that the borough has one of the lowest proportions of population over the age of 65 or older in England and Wales, at 5.6%.[47]
| Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 estimations[48] | 1971 estimations[49] | 1981 estimations[50] | 1991 census[50] | 2001 census[51] | 2011 census[52] | 2021 census[53] | ||||||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | – | 95.7% | – | 91.4% | 108,776 | 76.2% | 107,481 | 63.9% | 100,799 | 51% | 114,819 | 45% | 122,266 | 39.3% |
| White:British | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 84,151 | 43% | 79,231 | 31% | 71,177 | 22.9% |
| White:Irish | – | 1.4% | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,823 | 2% | 3,863 | 2% | 3,567 | 1.1% |
| White:Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 175 | 0% | 110 | 0.0% |
| White:Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,225 | 0.7% |
| White:Other | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12,825 | 7% | 31,550 | 12% | 45,187 | 14.6% |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | – | 2.3% | – | – | 23,234 | 16.3% | 46,084 | 27.4% | 75,380 | 38% | 104,501 | 41% | 137,856 | 44.5% |
| Asian or Asian British:Indian | – | – | – | – | 1,378 | 1,730 | 3,001 | 2% | 6,787 | 3% | 10,135 | 3.3% | ||
| Asian or Asian British:Pakistani | – | – | – | – | 990 | 1,239 | 1,486 | 1% | 2,442 | 1% | 3,341 | 1.1% | ||
| Asian or Asian British:Bangladeshi | – | – | – | – | 18,888 | 13.2% | 39,429 | 23.5% | 65,553 | 33% | 81,377 | 32% | 107,333 | 34.6% |
| Asian or Asian British:Chinese | – | – | – | – | 1,056 | 1,825 | 3,573 | 2% | 8,109 | 3% | 10,279 | 3.3% | ||
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | – | – | 922 | 1,861 | 1,767 | 1% | 5,786 | 2% | 6,768 | 2.2% | ||
| Black or Black British: Total | – | 2% | – | – | 9,011 | 6.3% | 11,940 | 7.1% | 12,742 | 6% | 18,629 | 7% | 22,693 | 7.4% |
| Black or Black British:African | – | 0.2% | – | – | 2,363 | 3,969 | 6,596 | 3% | 9,495 | 4% | 15,373 | 5.0% | ||
| Black or Black British:Caribbean | – | 1.8% | – | – | 5,270 | 6,055 | 5,225 | 3% | 5,341 | 2% | 4,930 | 1.6% | ||
| Black or Black British:Other Black | – | – | – | – | 1,378 | 1,916 | 921 | 0% | 3,793 | 1% | 2,390 | 0.8% | ||
| Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4,873 | 2% | 10,360 | 4% | 15,409 | 5% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,568 | 1% | 2,837 | 1% | 3,593 | 1.2% |
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 789 | 0% | 1,509 | 1% | 2,236 | 0.7% |
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,348 | 1% | 2,961 | 1% | 4,374 | 1.4% |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,168 | 1% | 3,053 | 1% | 5,206 | 1.7% |
| Other: Total | – | – | – | – | 1,702 | 2,584 | 2,312 | 1% | 5,787 | 3% | 12,082, | 3.9% | ||
| Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,573 | 1% | 3,588 | 1.2% |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,312 | 1% | 3,214 | 1% | 8,494 | 2.7% |
| Ethnic minority: Total | – | 4.3% | – | 8.6% | 33,947 | 23.8% | 60,608 | 36% | 95,307 | 49% | 139,277 | 55% | 188,040 | 60.8% |
| Total | – | 100% | – | 100% | 142,723 | 100% | 168,089 | 100% | 196,106 | 100.00% | 254,096 | 100.00% | 310,306 | 100% |
The2021 census also provided gender and sex profiles of the Tower Hamlets borough:SEX[54]
| Sex | Observation | % |
| Female | 154437 | 49.8% |
| Male | 155869 | 50.2% |
GENDER[55]
| Gender identity (8 categories) | Observation | % |
| Gender identity the same as sex registered at birth | 229263 | 90.7% |
| Gender identity different from sex registered at birth but no specific identity given | 1438 | 0.6% |
| Trans woman | 344 | 0.1% |
| Trans man | 350 | 0.1% |
| Non-binary | 350 | 0.1% |
| All other gender identities | 161 | 0.1% |
| Not answered | 20975 | 8.3% |
The2021 census additionally provided age profiles of the Tower Hamlets borough:AGE[56]
| Age Range | Observations | % |
| Ages 0-14 | 54143 | 17.4% |
| Ages 15-24 | 50353 | 16.2% |
| Ages 25-44 | 137596 | 44.3% |
| Ages 45-64 | 50740 | 16.4% |
| Ages 65+ | 17471 | 5.6% |
Tower Hamlets is a religious diverse borough with variousplaces of worship. According to the 2021 census, 39.9% of the population wasMuslim, 22.3%Christian, 2.0%Hindu, 1.0%Buddhist, 0.4%Jewish, 0.3%Sikh, 0.5% followed some other religion, 26.6% were not affiliated to a religion and 6.9% did not state their religious views.[57]
The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Tower Hamlets according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses.
| Religion | 1995 estimates[58] | 2001 census[59] | 2011 census[60] | 2021 census[61] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Holds religious beliefs | – | – | 153,692 | 78.4 | 166,359 | 65.5 | 206,347 | 66.5 |
| Muslim | – | – | 71,389 | 36.4 | 87,696 | 34.5 | 123,912 | 39.9 |
| Christian | – | – | 75,783 | 38.6 | 68,808 | 27.1 | 69,223 | 22.3 |
| Hindu | – | – | 1,544 | 0.8 | 4,200 | 1.7 | 6,298 | 2.0 |
| Buddhist | – | – | 1,938 | 1.0 | 2,726 | 1.1 | 2,961 | 1.0 |
| Jewish | 6,000 | 3.7% | 1,831 | 0.9 | 1,283 | 0.5 | 1,341 | 0.4 |
| Sikh | – | – | 682 | 0.3 | 821 | 0.3 | 966 | 0.3 |
| Other religion | – | – | 525 | 0.3 | 825 | 0.3 | 1,652 | 0.5 |
| No religion | – | – | 27,823 | 14.2 | 48,648 | 19.1 | 82,635 | 26.6 |
| Religion not stated | – | – | 14,591 | 7.4 | 39,089 | 15.4 | 21,318 | 6.9 |
| Total population | – | 100% | 196,106 | 100.0 | 254,096 | 100.0 | 310,300 | 100.0 |
There are 21 active churches, affiliated with theChurch of England, which includeChrist Church of Spitalfields,St Paul's Church of Shadwell andSt Dunstan's of Stepney;[62] and there are also churches of many other Christian denominations.
There are more than 40 mosques and Islamic centres in Tower Hamlets.[6] The most famous is theEast London Mosque, one of the first mosques in Britain allowed to broadcast theadhan,[7][63] and one of the biggest Islamic centres inEurope. The Maryam Centre, a part of the mosque, is the biggest Islamic centre for women in Europe. Opened in 2013, it features a main prayer hall, ameliorated funeral services, education facilities, a fitness centre and support services.[64][65][66]The East London Mosque has been visited by several notable people, includingPrince Charles,Boris Johnson, many foreign government officials and world-renowned imams and Muslim scholars.[67] Other notable mosques areBrick Lane Mosque, Darul Ummah Masjid, Esha Atul Islam Mosque, Markazi Masjid, Stepney Shahjalal Mosque and Poplar Central Mosque.[68]
Other notable religious buildings include theFieldgate Street Great Synagogue, the Congregation of Jacob Synagogue, theLondon Buddhist Centre, the Hindu Pragati Sangha Temple, and the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat. TheGreat Synagogue of London, which was destroyed during the Second World War, is located just outside the borough's boundaries, in theCity.
The borough hosts the world headquarters of many global financial businesses, employing some of the highest paid workers in London, but also has high rates of long-term illness and premature death and the 2nd highest unemployment rate in London.[69]
Canary Wharf is home to many of the world and European headquarters of numerous major banks and professional services firms includingBarclays,Citigroup,Clifford Chance,Credit Suisse,Infosys,Fitch Ratings,HSBC,J.P. Morgan,KPMG,MetLife,Morgan Stanley,RBC,Skadden,State Street andThomson Reuters.[70]Savills, a top-end estate agency recommends that 'extreme luxury' and ultra-modern residential properties are to be found at Canary Riverside, West India Quay, Pan Peninsula and Neo Bankside. Tower Hamlets is the earliest borough where the first skyscrapers were built and since 2014 it saw the completion of over seventy skyscrapers, more than any other place in the UK[71]
TheEnd Child Poverty coalition published that Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion of children in poverty of any local authority in the UK at 49% (and as high as 54.5% in the Bethnal Green South ward).[72]
Surveys and interviews conducted by the Child Poverty Action group for the council found that theUniversal Credit system was deeply unpopular with low-income families in the borough and that most claimants who have used the system found it difficult to understand and experienced frequent payment errors.[73]
TheEast London Advertiser andSocial Streets provide local news in print and online. There are also severalBengali print and online newspapers published in the borough.[74][75][76]
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is thelocal education authority for state schools within the borough.[77] In January 2008, there were 19,890 primary-school pupils and 15,262 secondary-school pupils attending state schools there.[78]Private-school pupils account for 2.4 per cent of schoolchildren in the borough.[79] In 2010, 51.8 per cent of pupils achieved 5 A*–CGCSEs including Mathematics and English – the highest results in the borough's history – compared to the national average of 53.4 per cent.[80] Seventy-four per cent achieved 5 A*–C GCSEs for all subjects (the same as the English average);[81] the figure in 1997 was 26 per cent.[82] The percentage of pupils onfree school meals in the borough is the highest inEngland and Wales.[83] In 2007, the council rejected proposals to build aGoldman Sachs-sponsoredacademy.[84]
Schools in the borough have high levels ofracial segregation.The Times reported in 2006 that 47 per cent of secondary schools were exclusively non-white, and that 33 per cent had a white majority.[85] About 60 per cent of pupils entering primary and secondary school are Bangladeshi.[86] 78% of primary-school pupils speakEnglish as a second language.[87]
The council runs severalIdea Stores in the borough, which combine traditional library and computer services with other resources, and are designed to attract more diverse members.[88] The flagshipWhitechapel store was designed byDavid Adjaye,[89] and cost £16 million to build.[90]
Mile End Stadium withinMile End Park hosts anathleticsstadium and facilities forfootball andbasketball. Two football clubs,Tower Hamlets F.C. (formerly Bethnal Green United) andSporting Bengal United F.C., are based there, playing in theEssex Senior Football League.
John Orwell Sports Centre inWapping is the base ofWapping Hockey Club. In 2014, the club secured over £300,000 of investment to designate the centre a hockey priority facility.[93]
A leisure centre including a swimming pool atMile End Stadium was completed in 2006. Other pools are located atSt Georges,Limehouse andYork Hall, inBethnal Green. York Hall is also a regular venue for boxing tournaments, and in May 2007 a publicspa was opened in the building's renovatedVictorian-style Turkish baths.[94]
KO Muay Thai Gym[95] and Apolaki Krav Maga & Dirty Boxing Academy.[96] in Bethnal Green are the main sources for martial arts and combat sports training in the area.
The unusual Green Bridge, opened in 2000, links sections of Mile End Park that would otherwise be divided by Mile End Road. The bridge contains gardens, water features and trees around the path.[97]
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Tower Hamlets was one of five host boroughs for the2012 Summer Olympics;[98] theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park was constructed in theLea Valley. As such, the borough's involvement in the Olympics includes:
There are over one hundred parks and open spaces in Tower Hamlets ranging from the largeVictoria Park, to numerous small gardens and squares. The second largest,Mile End Park, separated from Victoria Park by a canal, includesThe Green Bridge that carries the park across the busy Mile End Road. One of the smallest at 1.19 ha is the decorativeGrove Hall Park off Fairfield Road, Bow, which was once the site of a lunatic asylum.[99] Other parks includeAltab Ali Park,Mudchute Park andGrove Hall Park.
As with most of the transport network in Tower Hamlets, several roads radiate across the Borough from the City of London.[100] East–west routes include:
There are several north–south routes in the Borough,[100] including:
),Romford, and destinations inEssex, includingChelmsford andHarwich International Port. The route ultimately runs toLowestoft inSuffolk.There are threeRiver Thames road crossings in the Borough.[100] From west-east, these are:
The principal rail services commence in the City atFenchurch Street, with one stop atLimehouse; andLiverpool Street, with stops atBethnal Green andCambridge Heath. TheEast London Line passes from north to south through Tower Hamlets with stations at Whitechapel, Shadwell and Wapping. One entrance toShoreditch High Street station is inside the Borough. And theNorth London Line passes the very north in Tower Hamlets with one entrance toHackney Wick inside the Borough. Since 2022, theElizabeth line has two stops atWhitechapel andCanary Wharf.
TheDocklands Light Railway was built to serve the docklands areas of the borough, with a principal terminus atBank andTower Gateway. An interchange atPoplar allows trains to proceed north toStratford, south viaCanary Wharf towardsLewisham, and east either via theLondon City Airport toWoolwich Arsenal or viaExCeL London toBeckton.
ThreeLondon Underground services cross the district, serving a total of 8 stations: theDistrict andHammersmith and City lines share track betweenAldgate East andBarking. TheCentral line has stations atBethnal Green andMile End - where there is an interchange to the District line. TheJubilee line has one stop atCanary Wharf.
In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: underground, light rail, 24.0% of all residents aged 16–74; on foot, 7.5%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.5%; driving a car or van, 6.9%; bicycle, 4.1%; train, 3.8%; work mainly at or from home, 2.3%.[101]
Tower Hamlets Borough Council operates awalking bus service for school pupils on agreed routes with some running every school day while and others once or twice a week depending on the number of adult volunteers involved.[102]
The coat of arms of the Borough of Tower Hamlets was granted by theCollege of Arms in 1965[103] and is composed of elements representing the maritime trades and heritage of the area. The strong links to the formermanor and ancient parish of Stepney and toSt Dunstan's church in Stepney known as theChurch of the High Seas are represented. The manor and parish did not have a coat of arms but the (smaller) subsequentMetropolitan Borough of Stepney did, and elements from that have been incorporated into the current design.
The shield features:
The crest features:
Supporters:
Motto:From great things to greater, an anglicised version of the Latin motto on the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.
The council's logo is used as an alternative to the coat of arms. It features a simplified White Tower, above a stylised representation of the Thames. This was a development of the previous logo of the White Tower, in mulberry and presented in a three-tower form, as if seen from certain quarters which obscured the furthest corner tower—and a geographically accurate representation of the local part of the Thames. This older version is still seen on many street signs.
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Borough of Tower Hamlets.
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As one of the few mosques in Britain permitted to broadcast calls to prayer (azan), the mosque soon found itself at the centre of a public debate about "noise pollution" when local non-Muslim residents began to protest.
The mosque committee was determined from the outset, moreover, to remind local people of the building's religious function as loudly as possible. As one of the few mosques in Europe permitted to broadcast calls to prayer (azan), the mosque soon found itself at the center of a public debate about "noise pollution" when local non-Muslim residents began to protest.
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