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43-674: Poplar High Street is a street in Poplar and in Blackwall , located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets . Although the street became less used after 1860, it had previously been the principal street in the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar . 51°30′32.17″N 0°0′57.47″W  /  51.5089361°N 0.0159639°W  / 51.5089361; -0.0159639 This London road or road transport-related article

86-616: A 15-foot crucifix that stood on the site of the old high altar and a contemporary granite and light sculpture, A Doorway of Hope , by sculptor Nicolas Moreton . Poplar High Street is host to a number of landmarks as it had previously been the principal street in Poplar. These include the Old Town Hall , which has mosaic detail and is now a hotel. Poplar Bowls Club, founded in 1910, is part of Poplar Recreation Ground A recently reopened sports centre called The Workhouse stands on

129-544: A monumental brick structure with fluted concrete chimneys, was built on the site of the Export Dock in stages between 1946 and 1956; it has since been decommissioned and demolished. From the 1960s onwards, the East India Docks experienced a steady decline – as did all of London's other docks – as the shipping industry adopted containerisation , which effectively moved traffic downstream to Tilbury . In 1967

172-690: A new council housing estate was built to the north of the East India Dock Road and named the Lansbury Estate after him. This estate includes Chrisp Street Market , which was greatly commended by Lewis Mumford . The same era also saw the construction of the Robin Hood Gardens housing complex (overlooking the northern portal of the Blackwall Tunnel ) – designed by architects Peter and Alison Smithson – and

215-473: A nod to the site's past. The names of the streets on the site of the Import Dock reflect the names of some of the goods traded here: Clove Crescent, Nutmeg Lane, Coriander Avenue, Oregano Drive, Rosemary Drive and Saffron Avenue. The site of the Export Dock was converted into a residential development named Virginia Quay, with an amenity with mature trees known as Virginia Quay Park. In 1999,

258-682: A part of the Port of London as Northumberland Wharf is still retained as a working wharf with special status from the Mayor of London and the Port of London Authority (PLA) as a safeguarded wharf . It is run by Cory Riverside Energy who also managed the Reuse and Recycling Centre which is next to the wharf and for the transportation of waste by barge along the River Thames. Poplar Borough Council had been authorised in 1893 to supply electricity to

301-674: A series of mergers, Poplar became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1965. Poplar was formerly part of the Manor and Ancient Parish of Stepney , and was first recorded in either 1327 or 1350. It took its name from the Black Poplar trees which once flourished in the area. Black Poplar is a very rare and exceptionally large tree that grows well in the wet conditions which the Thames and Lea historically brought to much of

344-622: Is Canary Wharf , which is served by Elizabeth line and Jubilee line trains. The nearest National Rail station is at Limehouse , which is served by c2c trains between London Fenchurch Street (in the city) and destinations in South Essex, including Southend Central . Poplar is served by London Buses routes 15 , 115, 309, D6 and night bus routes N15 and N551. Poplar is well connected to destinations in East London and East Anglia by road: Poplar High Street runs through

387-560: Is a mixed secondary school and sixth form , located northeast of Chrisp Street Market . The George Green's School was founded in 1828 by George Green , a shipbuilder and shipwright. It was originally located on East India Dock Road . Today it is a voluntary controlled school supported by the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights located on the Isle of Dogs peninsula. Poplar is connected to other areas of East London by

430-583: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Poplar, London Poplar is a district in East London , England and is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets . It is an inner-city suburb located five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross . It lies on the western bank of the River Lea and is part of the London Docklands . Poplar is identified as a major district centre in

473-531: The British National Party became a councillor for Millwall ward, in a by election . This was the culmination of years of resentment by local residents of perceived neglect by both Liberal Democrat and Labour Party politicians. Labour regained the ward in the full council election of May 1994, and held all three seats until a further by election in September 2004. Langdon Park School

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516-696: The Docklands Light Railway (DLR). Five stations serve the area, including All Saints , Langdon Park , Poplar , Blackwall and East India . DLR stations in Poplar are in London fare zone 2 , and link the area to destinations such as Bank (in the City ), Canary Wharf , City Airport , Greenwich , and Stratford . Poplar DLR station is a focal point for the DLR network, where several different routes converge. The nearest London Underground station

559-504: The First World War , which caused significant damage and took many lives. German raids on Britain, for example, caused 1,413 deaths and 3,409 injuries. Air raids provided an unprecedented means of striking at resources vital to an enemy's war effort. Many of the novel features of the war in the air between 1914 and 1918—the lighting restrictions and blackouts, the air raid warnings and the improvised shelters—became central aspects of

602-478: The Lansbury Estate and the Balfron Tower . A new Church Green next to St. Mary and St. Joseph Church was created in 2012 on the site of the former Blitz -bombed Catholic church, across the road from the current church designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott . It is open to the public during the day and public sculptures include, the former Catholic Boys' School entrance statue dedicated to dockers and seafarers,

645-521: The London Plan , with its district centre being Chrisp Street Market , a significant commercial and retail centre surrounded by extensive residential development. Originally part of the Manor and Ancient Parish of Stepney , the Hamlet of Poplar had become an autonomous area of Stepney by the 17th century, and an independent parish in 1817. The Parish and later Metropolitan Borough of Poplar. After

688-477: The London and India Docks Company on 1 January 1901. On 31 March 1909, the docks were taken over by the Port of London Authority , along with the other enclosed docks. While much smaller than the West India Docks or the later Royal Docks , the East India Docks could still handle East Indiamen of 1,000 tons and up to 250 ships at one time. However the advent of steam power and larger ships reduced

731-607: The Poplar District of the Metropolis — though it remained an independent parish for some administrative purposes. The Poplar District (including Bromley and Bow) became the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in 1900; population (1901), 168,822. In 1965 it merged with the Metropolitan Boroughs of Stepney and Bethnal Green to form the new London Borough of Tower Hamlets . In 1654, as the population of

774-513: The thermal efficiency was only 8.39 per cent. Until 1965, Poplar had its own council which was based at Poplar Town Hall . Since 1965, the area has formed part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , with its council based at Mulberry Place . The council moved to a new Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel Road on 1 March 2023. The Isle of Dogs and Poplar proper in general achieved notoriety in 1993 when Derek Beackon of

817-657: The A13 towards Canning Town, East Ham , and Barking . National Cycle Route 13 follows the route of CS3 through Poplar. This long-distance route links Tower Hill to Fakenham , Norfolk . The route does not run continuously; however, east of Poplar, the route runs non-stop as far as Purfleet , via the ExCeL and Rainham . Balfron Tower has been featured in various other music videos, films and television programmes, as have various other locations in Poplar. According to movie website IMDb , locations around Poplar have been used in

860-617: The Baths closed again and was conversion to an industrial training centre in 1988. The Baths once again re-opened on 25 July 2016 and were removed from the Buildings at Risk register. The Museum of London Docklands in West India Quay , opened in 2003 on the site of a grade I listed early-19th century Georgian "low" sugar warehouses built in 1802 on the side of West India Docks in the Port of London . Poplar still remains

903-586: The British public at the time. In World War II , Poplar suffered heavily in the Blitz of that war, the Metropolitan Borough losing 770 civilian dead as a result of enemy action. At the height of the bombing, ten Poplar schools were evacuated to Oxford. Architecturally, the area is a mixture of 18th- and 19th-century terraced houses and 20th-century council estates . Notable examples include

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946-663: The East End's poor as a result of the Baths and Washhouses Act 1846 . The Baths were rebuilt in 1933 to a design by Harley Heckford and the larger pool was covered over to convert the building into a theatre and designated the East India Hall. Poplar Baths reopened in 1947 after the Second World War and continued to be used as a swimming facility, attracting on average 225,700 bathers every year between 1954 and 1959,

989-475: The East India Docks were the first of the London docks to close. The original docks consisted of an Import Dock of 18 acres (73,000 m ) of water, to the north of the site, and an Export Dock of 15 acres (61,000 m ), to the south of the site. There was also an Entrance Dock of 2.75 acres (11,100 m ) of water on the east of the site. In the late 20th century the docks were mostly filled in and only

1032-862: The Isle of Dogs in 1982. In 1998, following ballots of the residents, Tower Hamlets Council transferred parts of the Lansbury estate and six other Council housing estates within Poplar to Poplar HARCA , a new housing association set up for the purpose of regenerating the area. The following year, tenants on further estates voted to remain with the council. However, after a lengthy consultation of all Council estates in Tower Hamlets begun in 2002, most estates in Poplar did transfer to Poplar HARCA, East End Homes and other landlords between 2005 and 2007. The first airborne terror campaign in Britain took place during

1075-521: The Thames to the south, became the Export Dock. To the north the company built a larger 18-acre (7.3 ha) Import Dock. Both were connected to the Thames via an eastern entrance basin. The company rapidly became profitable through its trade in commodities such as tea, spices, indigo, silk and Persian carpets. The tea trade alone was worth £30 million a year. The docks spawned further local industry, with spice merchants and pepper grinders setting up around

1118-674: The World War II less than 30 years later. The East End of London was one of the most heavily targeted places. Poplar, in particular, was struck badly by some of the air raids during the World War I. Initially these were at night by Zeppelins which bombed the area indiscriminately, leading to the death of innocent civilians. The first daylight bombing attack on London by a fixed-wing aircraft took place on 13 June 1917. Fourteen German Gotha G.IV bombers led by Hauptmann Ernst Brandenberg flew over Essex and began dropping their bombs. It

1161-579: The border with Limehouse was a part of the old East End Chinatown , most closely associated with Limehouse. The West India Dock and other local docks had all closed by the end of 1980, so the British Government adopted policies to redevelop the docklands areas, including the creation of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981 and the granting of Urban Enterprise Zone status to

1204-485: The borough. Electricity supplies began in October 1900 from a power station on the corner of Glaucus Street and Yeo Street. The station was later known as Poplar Watts Grove (off Devons Road). The generating capacity of the station and the electricity generated over the operational life is as follows: In 1903-04 there were estimated to be 320 arc lights, 1,649 incandescent lamps, and 130 electric motors connected to

1247-402: The centre of Poplar. Cycle Superhighway 3 (CS3) passes east–west through Poplar, along Poplar High Street. The route runs unbroken and signposted westbound towards Lancaster Gate ( Hyde Park ) via Shadwell , the city, Victoria Embankment , and Parliament Square . Eastbound cyclists leave Poplar on Naval Row, following signposts towards Canning Town and the A13. The route runs alongside

1290-580: The district began to grow, the East India Company ceded a piece of land upon which to build a chapel and this became the nucleus of the settlement. St Matthias Old Church is located on Poplar High Street, opposite Tower Hamlets College . There was a major ship fitting industry from at least the 15th century, and the maritime trades became more important after the East and West India Docks were opened in 1806. Thames Ironworks at Leamouth Wharf

1333-463: The dock to process goods. In 1838, the two companies merged to form the East and West India Docks Company . In 1886, in the last act of a ruinous game of leapfrog with the London & St Katharine Dock Company, they built the Tilbury Docks . The East and West India Docks Company operated in cooperation with the London & St Katharine Dock Company from 1888, and the two companies merged as

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1376-559: The entrance basin remains, as a wildlife refuge and an attractive local amenity. Since 1994 the area has been served by its own Docklands Light Railway East India station . Developments on the site of the Import Dock include the Mulberry Place in 1992 and the Republic campus with offices, retail and public space which was largely completed in 2019. Two buildings on the campus have been renamed as Import and Export to provide

1419-713: The following feature films: East India Docks Following the successful creation of the West India Docks which opened in 1802, an act of Parliament, the East India Docks Act 1803 ( 43 Geo. 3 . c. cxxvi) set up the East India Dock Company, promoted by the Honourable East India Company . Joseph Cotton was chairman of the dock company from 1803. The foundation stone was laid on 11 March 1805 and

1462-600: The importance of this dock. The docks played a key role in the Second World War as a location for constructing the floating Mulberry harbours used by the Allies to support the D-Day landings in France. After the war, during which all the docks were badly damaged, the East India Docks were confined to occasional Channel Islands traffic and to the maintenance of equipment including dredgers . Brunswick Wharf Power Station ,

1505-443: The neighbourhood. A specimen persisted in the area until at least 1986 when the naturalist Oliver Rackham noted "Nearby, in the midst of railway dereliction, a single Black Poplar even now struggles for life". By the seventeenth century the area had become a Hamlet , a territorial sub-division of Stepney, with a degree of independence. The Hamlet of Poplar became an independent civil and ecclesiastical parish in 1817. The area

1548-580: The public electricity supply in Poplar. The power station used water from the adjacent Limehouse Cut canal together with cooling towers to condense steam and for cooling. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership of the station passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Generating Board . The CEGB closed the station in 1967 when

1591-556: The similarly brutalist Balfron Tower , Carradale House and Glenkerry House (to the north) – designed by Ernő Goldfinger . Other notable buildings in Poplar include Poplar Baths which closed in 1989 and reopened in 2016 after the efforts of local campaigners. The importance of the maritime industries attracted many overseas migrant to the area, including the Chinese community in the Pennyfields area of Poplar. This area, on

1634-441: The site of Poplar Workhouse , where local politician Will Crooks spent some of his earliest years (a nearby council housing estate is named after him). Another is the designated Grade II* listed St Matthias Old Church , now a community centre and formerly a chapel that was built by the East India Company in 1654. The original Poplar Baths opened in 1852, costing £10,000. It was built to provide public wash facilities for

1677-411: The sluices of its floating gate opened on 26 July 1806, being ready to receive ships five days later. The docks, designed by engineer Ralph Walker , were located to the north-east of the West India Docks. They were based on the existing Brunswick Dock, which had been used for fitting out and repairing ships as part of Blackwall Yard . The Brunswick Dock, which had originally been connected directly to

1720-557: Was a direct hit on a primary school in Poplar. In the Upper North Street School at the time were a girls' class on the top floor, a boys' class on the middle floor and an infant class of about 50 pupils on the ground floor. The bomb fell through the roof into the girls' class; it then proceeded to fall through the boys' classroom before finally exploding in the infant class. Eighteen pupils were killed, of whom sixteen were aged from 4 to 6 years old. The tragedy shocked

1763-463: Was a hot day and the sky was hazy; nevertheless, onlookers in London's East End were able to see 'a dozen or so big aeroplanes scintillating like so many huge silver dragonflies'. These three-seater bombers were carrying shrapnel bombs which were dropped just before noon. Numerous bombs fell in rapid succession in various districts. In the East End alone 104 people were killed, 154 seriously injured and 269 slightly injured. The gravest incident that day

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1806-590: Was a major employer till its closure in 1912, its works team becoming known as West Ham United F.C. The docks attracted very heavy bombing to the area during the Blitz . In 1921, the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar was the location of the Poplar Rates Rebellion , led by then-Mayor George Lansbury , who was later elected as leader of the Labour Party. As part of the 1951 Festival of Britain ,

1849-564: Was part of the historic (or ancient) county of Middlesex , but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by the Tower Division (also known as the Tower Hamlets) . The role of the Tower Division ended when Poplar became part of the new County of London in 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965. In 1855, Poplar joined with neighbouring Bromley and Bow to form

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