Spitalfields, London - What is this neighborhood about?
- Taryn
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
I’ll be staying in student housing in the heart of the Spitalfields neighborhood in East London for three weeks in July. I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Spitalfields before, so I wanted to find out more.
My private (Yay!) studio will be on the 15th floor of Chapter Spitalfields, a high-rise building with 34 floors and a rooftop bar overlooking the financial district. The building is located on Frying Pan Alley--I love some of these street names in London. It doesn’t take much guesswork to figure out how some of these streets got their names. Yes, frying pans were previously sold on Frying Pan Alley as were petticoats and lace on Petticoat Lane.
So, what is the neighborhood of Spitalfields about? It is a corner of London where centuries of dramatic history collide with cutting-edge modern culture. Spitalfields is located between the financial district (The City) and Whitechapel. The architecture of the area is a blend of Georgian terraced houses, Victorian commercial buildings, and modern high-rise buildings like where I'll be staying.
Old Spitalfields Market
I’m incredibly excited to explore Old Spitalfields Market—a vibrant, 350-year-old marketplace packed with unique arts and crafts stalls, independent boutiques, and amazing street food vendors. The market is covered by a beautiful Victorian era roof and structure.
Brick Lane
I love curries and Spitalfields is home to Brick Lane known for its high concentration of curry houses! This came to be from the Bangladeshi immigrants who settled in the area in the late 20th century. Brick Lane is also notable for street art, vintage shopping, and 24-hour bagel shops.
Early History
The area of Spitalfields has a long and rich history. During the Roman occupation of Britain, it was the site of a Roman cemetery. Then in 1197 St. Mary’s Spital was founded, the largest hospital in Medieval England. The word “Spital” is a shortened version of “hospital.” When St. Mary’s was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1539 most of the structures were demolished leaving behind open fields.
Huguenots & The Silk Trade
Spitalfields developed rapidly in the late 1600s, established largely as a center for the weaving trade. A large number of the weavers were Huguenots fleeing France. Some of the homes belonging to those Huguenot weavers can still be visited today. Eventually the silk industry declined due to the competition from cheaper imported silk.
The Victorian Rookeries
By the Victorian era, Spitalfields had degenerated into a notorious slum plagued by severe poverty and vice. The slums were referred to as Rookeries. Notoriously, Jack the Ripper’s final murder victim, Mary Jane Kelly, was killed in her lodgings in Spitalfields on Dorset Street in 1888.
Jewish & Bangladeshi Heritage
By the late 1800s many of the slums had been demolished. The twentieth century brought further cultural evolution. Spitalfields became a vibrant center for Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in Europe until their presence began to decline mid-century. By the 1970s, a new wave of Bangladeshi immigrants arrived to work in the local textile trade. They completely revitalized the area, establishing Brick Lane as the world-famous "Curry Capital" of London.
I can't wait to experience this lively and historically multicultural neighborhood. I am looking forward to shopping at the Old Spitalfields Market and trying some Brick Lane curry as well as bagels from two legendary Jewish bakeries: Beigel Bake and Beigel Shop! I'll let you know which is better.
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