East London – Bowtalk – Bromley-by-Bow

Last week I was in London and got to know an entirely different, totally untouristy side of the city due to a project work. We spent most of our time in the Tower Hamlets district and there in Bromley-by-Bow. This area is located just south of the Olympic Park and north of Canary Wharf.

Map: SCIBE/EUSS

You won’t find this area on the normal tourist map, as it is already too far out of the city center. Brombley-by-Bow is one of the poorest areas of the city of London and a large proportion of the population has an immigrant background. The majority of the inhabitants are originally from Bangladesh, which characterizes the cityscape.

Since it rained non-stop on our tour (London showed its true colors), most of the pictures look rather dreary, so I show them here in black and white. What stands out is that there are plenty of developments that resemble gated communities and there are barbed wires everywhere.

I recommend everyone who visits London to take a look at the East. I found the area to have its own character and there are many exciting corners to discover. The best way to get to Oxford Circus is to take bus number 25 and then go to Bromley-by-Bow (or even further). The bus ride first takes you past some classic inner-city sights and then you drive along Stratford High Street across Bromley-by-Bow via Stratford to Ilford. If you get hungry, I recommend taking a detour to the Bromley by Bow Center. There you can get delicious cake and coffee.