Below is some genealogy information and websites about the history and social geography of London - Bethnal Green.

North-East, North-West, South-East, South-West, Midlands, London, East Anglia

Description: Located in Greater London, Bethnal Green sits in the East End of London to the north of the River Thames. It is part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Bethnal Green has always been a poor area with high levels of immigration. Towards the end of the 1700s weaving was a high employer in the area, a high-paying occupation at the time. Many of these workers were Hugenots or Irish. Bethnal Green also had a number of market gardens - small plots of land used to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers or other crops. Within Bethnal Green, Globe Town was built to accommodate the population increase. Around 20,000 looms operated from homes in Bethnal Green by 1831, although work had already started to decline by this time as imports from France increased. The excess workers instead focused on other occupations such as boot furniture and clothing production. The growth of Bethnal Green continued as a result becoming an area of closely packed housing. By the end of the century it was one of the poorest areas in London, and is famous for the murders by Jack the Ripper. Bethnal Green was heavily bombed during the Second World War, with over 500 killed. Originally part of the parish of Bethnal Green, it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green in 1900. In 1965 it joined the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

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