Poplar Rates Rebellion Mural

This mural on Hale Street contains four panels showing George Lansbury and local residents holding banners reading "Can't Pay Won't Pay" to protest unfair taxation. The artwork is painted on the wall of a local parks depot in Tower Hamlets.

The artwork was created in 1990 by Mark Francis to commemorate the 1921 Poplar Rates Rebellion when councilors refused to collect unfair taxes. It underwent restoration in 2007 to preserve the original work.

The inscription at the base records the names of those who opposed unfair taxation. This creates a memorial to community solidarity and working-class resistance in East End.

The mural is located on a publicly visible wall on Hale Street and can be easily viewed from the street. Daylight hours provide the best lighting for seeing the details and colors clearly.

The mural links two separate tax resistance movements separated by decades. The 1921 Poplar Rates Rebellion and the 1990s Poll Tax protests are both referenced through the artwork's imagery and slogans.

Location: London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Inception: 1990

Creator: Mark Francis

GPS coordinates: 51.50959,-0.01770

Latest update: December 14, 2025 12:25