The area
About Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks and Canary Wharf. Many of the tallest buildings in London are located on the Isle of Dogs in the south of the borough. Tower Hamlets is one of five London boroughs which have been designated host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The borough has one of the highest ethnic minority populations in the capital.
Tower Hamlets has a wealth of history, a richness of culture and some truly fascinating ancient and modern places to explore and enjoy.
- It is home to a wide variety of parks and city farms that are an active part of the local community. There are also a vast range of walks available to explore the borough.
- It provides some of the best known and most thriving markets in London.
- It mixes a rich history with cutting-edge contemporary culture. Museums and highlights in the area include the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood, Dennis Severs' House, Whitechapel Gallery and Wilton's Music Hall.
About Bow
Located in the eastern fringe of London, Bow is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. A popular residential district in the London city, Bow is a part of the East End and lies to the east of the Charing Cross. It is served by two tube stations, Bromley-by-Bow and Bow Road on the District and Hammersmith & City lines. It also has a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station named Bow Church.
There are a number of interesting places in Bow. The most prominent among them is the St Mary's Church, which dates back to the early 14th century. There is also a memorial that is dedicated to George Lansbury.
Who lives there?
The resident population of Bow is 19,218 (2001) of which:
- 4.6% of residents are aged over 75, one of the largest populations of older people in the borough (Tower Hamlets: 3.3%)
- 18% are aged 15 or under, one of the smallest populations of young people in the borough (Tower Hamlets: 22.9%)
- It is a multi-ethnic area, but predominently Bangledeshi.
What’s it like?
Bow is mainly a residential area with some commercial activity in the traditional shopping centre on Roman Road and the industrial area of Fish Island. The housing stock is mixed density, half being private and half social housing, with the Council and Old Ford Housing being the main landlords. The condition of the housing stock varies across Bow, with some traditional Victorian housing, situated largely in Bow West, and high density housing across the rest of the area, some of which has been recently refurbished and within decent homes standards. The area has a mixture of residents on very low and very high incomes, with a significant proportion of households on low income. The higher income earners tend to live in the south of the area closer to transport links, with those on lower incomes concentrated in and around the centre of Bow.
Community sector
There has been some major social and capital investment in the area through funding such as the Single Regeneration Budget and the Housing Action Trust. The area has a small but well developed community sector, with a range of community buildings (largely managed by Old Ford Housing), a community health trust and a recently built youth centre.
Average House Prices in Bow (Rightmove, 2008-10)
Flat £242,157
Semi-Detached £442,571
Terraced £409,473
Links
Property links
More information on Bow or Tower Hamlets