Mile End in Tower Hamlets

As I have never lived in Mile End (although am not that far away from it) I am unable to give personal details of what life was, and is like in the borough. I have given a brief history below, and will include any personal experiences I do happen to have, but these will be limited. I would gladly consider publishing here, any articles or memories from any of the visitors to these pages. Please contact me if you would like to take me up on this. Old and original photos are especially welcome.

Mile End is part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. I, at one time, believed the name to have originated from the early outbreaks of plague in the thirteenth century. Apparently the bodies of plague victims had to be buried a mile away from the City of London. The 'miles end' coming eastward was later named Mile End. There is however, another explanation of the name that sounds more feasible. I tend to agree with this one as I find it hard to believe that people would form a settlement around a plague pit!
It is more likely that it takes its name from a milestone marking the point one mile east of the city boundary. The stone's position was nearer Stepney Green than Mile End but the village that evolved around half a mile from it took the name of the stone.

In 1381, an uprising against the tax collectors of Brentwood quickly spread first to the surrounding villages, then throughout the Southeast of England but it was the rebels of Essex led by a priest named Jack Straw, and the men of Kent led by Wat Tyler who marched on London. On the 12th June, the Essex rebels, 60,000 men, camped at Mile End and on the following day the men of Kent arrived at Blackheath. On the 14th June, the young king Richard II rode to Mile End where he met the rebels and signed their charter. Unfortunately, their subsequent behavior caused the king to have the leaders and many rebels executed.

Mile End, along with the rest of London’s East End, suffered severe damage and casualties during World War Two from German bombers and the blitz. The first ever rocket propelled bomb, the V-1 flying bomb (or doodle bug), hit London. On 13 June 1944, exploding in Mile End. It struck close to the railway bridge in Grove Road. There is now a plaque on the wall commemorating this fact.

Another bridge in Mile End is the "Green Bridge". This was designed by CZWG Architects in 2000 and allows Mile End Park to continue across the Mile End Road without interruption. It contains garden and water features and some shops and restaurant space built in below.
Mile End Park is an eco-park that stretches out from the bank of the Regents Canal.
More about the park>>