East End of London, Historic district in East London, United Kingdom
East End of London is a district in the eastern part of the British capital, reaching from the old city wall to the River Lea. The area includes rows of brick warehouses, narrow lanes, and open squares where markets take place.
During the 19th century, the area changed from farmland into an industrial district with shipyards and docks along the Thames. Many immigrants from Ireland, Eastern Europe, and later South Asia moved here to work in the factories and ports.
The area draws people who come to browse secondhand clothes, taste food from immigrant kitchens, and walk through streets lined with painted murals. Shopfronts along Brick Lane display Bengali signs and serve curry dishes that have shaped the culinary identity of the neighborhood.
Several Underground stations, including Mile End and Whitechapel, connect the district to the city center and other parts of town. The area is best explored on foot, as many markets and alleys lie close together.
Wilton's Music Hall, dating from 1859, is the oldest surviving music hall in the world and preserves a piece of Victorian entertainment history. In the alleys around Hanbury Street, houses with narrow doorways still stand, once used by weavers to move their cloth.
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