Visit Spitalfields Places

Welcome to Visit Spitalfields Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Spitalfields

  

Spitalfields Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Spitalfields

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Spitalfields history

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Origins

The Romans had a cemetery to the east of the Bishopsgate thoroughfare, which roughly follows the line of Ermine Street: the main highway to the north from Londinium. In 1197, a priory, “The New Hospital of St Mary without B bishopsgate”, latterly known as St Mary Spital, founded by Walter Brunus and his wife Roisia, was built on the site of the cemetery. It was one of the biggest hospitals in medieval England and had a large medieval cemetery.

Huguenots

Huguenot refugees settled in the area after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. By settling outside the bounds of the City of London, they hoped to avoid the restrictive legislation of the city guilds. The late 17th and 18th centuries saw an estate of well-appointed terraced houses, built to accommodate the master weavers controlling the silk industry, and grand urban mansions.

Victorian era

By the Victorian era, the silk industry had entered a long decline and the old merchant dwellings had degenerated into multi-occupied slums. By the later 19th century, inner Spitalfields became known as the worst criminal rookery in London. In 1881 Flower and Dean Street was described as being “perhaps the foulest and most dangerous street in London”

Modern Spitalfields

In the late 20th century the Jewish presence diminished and was replaced by an influx of Bangladeshi immigrants. By 1981, at least 60% of households were of minority ethnic origin. In the 21st century, large modern office blocks were built between Bishopsgate and Spitalfields Market. These represent an expansion of the City of London, northwards.

Spitalfields culture & places

Dennis Severs’ House in Folgate Street is a “still-life drama” of what life would have been like inside for a family of Huguenot silk weavers. Raven Row, a non-profit contemporary art centre, opened to the public at 56 Artillery Lane in 2009.

Spitalfields toponymy

The name Spitalfields appears in the form Spittellond in 1399; as The spitel Fyeld on the “Woodcut” map of London of c.1561; and as Spyttlefeildes, also in 1561. The land belonged to St Mary Spital, a priory or hospital (a lodging for travellers run by a religious order) erected on the east side of the Bishopsgate thoroughfare in 1197.

You can visit Spitalfields places with Walkfo Spitalfields to hear history at Spitalfields’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Spitalfields has 2296 places to visit in our interactive Spitalfields map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Spitalfields, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Spitalfields places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Spitalfields & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 2296 audio facts unique to Spitalfields places in an interactive Spitalfields map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Spitalfields Places Map
2296 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Spitalfields historic spots	Spitalfields tourist destinations	Spitalfields plaques	Spitalfields geographic features
Walkfo Spitalfields tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Spitalfields

  

Best Spitalfields places to visit

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Spitalfields has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Spitalfields’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Spitalfields’s information audio spots:

Mandela Way T-34 Tank The Mandela Way T-34 Tank, nicknamed Stompie, is a decommissioned Soviet-built tank . It is now permanently located on the corner of Mandela Way and Page’s Walk in Bermondsey, London .

Miloco Studios Miloco Studios are a group of recording studios based in London, England . Miloco studios are based in the city of London and London .

Bermondsey Square Bermondsey Square is on Tower Bridge Road in south London . It was the site of the 11th century Bermondsey Abbey . The earliest medieval remains found are a Norman church from around 1080 .

Burgess Park Burgess Park is a public park situated in Walworth the London Borough of Southwark . At 56 hectares (140 acres), it is one of the largest parks in South London .

St John Horsleydown St John Horsleydown was built for the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor and John James in 1726–1733 . It was noted for its distinctive spire in the form of a tapering column .

Southwark Park Southwark Park is located in Rotherhithe, in central South East London . It first opened in 1869 by the Metropolitan Board of Works as one of its first parks . It takes its name from being in what was the old Parliamentary constituency of Southwark .

Potters Fields Park Potters Fields Park is a small public park situated in the London Borough of Southwark . The park is located south-west of Tower Bridge and south-east of City Hall, London .

King’s Stairs Gardens King’s Stairs Gardens is a riverside park in Bermondsey, London . It is bordered to the north by the River Thames and to the south by Jamaica Road (A200)

More London More London is a development on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately south-west of Tower Bridge . It is owned by the Kuwaiti sovereign wealth fund, which owns More London . The development is part of an area known as London Bridge City .

John Smith House (Southwark) John Smith House is the former Labour Party headquarters in south London . The party first occupied the building in 1980, vacating its former headquarters at Transport House .

Visit Spitalfields plaques