Visit Whitechapel Places

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

  

Whitechapel Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Whitechapel

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Whitechapel history

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Before the 19th century

Whitechapel High Street is named after a small chapel of ease dedicated to St Mary. The church’s earliest known rector was Hugh de Fulbourne in 1329. Around 1338, it became the parish church of St Mary Matfelon. It was severely damaged during the Blitz and demolished in 1952.

19th century

By the 1840s, Whitechapel, along with the enclaves of Wapping, Aldgate, Bethnal Green, Mile End, Limehouse, Bow, Bromley-by-Bow and Poplar, Poplar and Stepney (collectively known today as “the East End”) had evolved into classic “Dickensian” London, with problems of poverty and overcrowding. In 1888 the Metropolitan Police estimated that there were 1,200 prostitutes “of very low class” resident in the district.

20th century

In 1902, Jack London donned ragged clothes and boarded in Whitechapel, detailing his experiences in The People of the Abyss. The Siege of Sidney Street in 1911 was a gunfight between police and military forces, and Latvian revolutionaries. In 1936, the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley clashed in the East End with anti-fascist demonstrators, including local Jewish, Irish, socialist, anarchist and communist groups.

21st century

Crossrail will call at Whitechapel station on the Elizabeth line. Eastbound services will be split into two branches after leaving the historic station. The historic station is undergoing a massive redevelopment that started in 2010. The Royal London Hospital was closed and re-opened behind the original site in 2012.

Whitechapel culture & places

Whitechapel Road was the location of two 19th-century theatres. In the early 20th century it became the home of Yiddish theatre catering to the large Jewish population of the area. Since at least the 1970s, the area has figured prominently in London’s art scene.

Demographics

The East London Mosque at the end of Whitechapel Road is a major symbol of the resident Islamic community. The mosque group was established as early as 1910, and the demand for a mosque grew as the Sylheti community grew rapidly over the years. Bangladeshis are the most visible migrant group today, who make up 40% of the ward total population.

In literature

Whitechapel is the setting of several novels by Jewish authors such as Children of the Ghetto and The King of Schnorrers by Israel Zangwill and Jew Boy by Simon Blumenfeld. One of Fagin’s dens in Dickens’s Oliver Twist was located in White Chappel. The setting of Breakfast in the Ruins takes place in 1905.

You can visit Whitechapel places with Walkfo Whitechapel to hear history at Whitechapel’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Whitechapel has 2299 places to visit in our interactive Whitechapel 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 Whitechapel, 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 Whitechapel places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Whitechapel & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 2299 audio facts unique to Whitechapel places in an interactive Whitechapel map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Whitechapel Places Map
2299 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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

  

Best Whitechapel places to visit

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