Arnold Circus from Palissy Street to the east

Image: © Marathon Taken: 19 Jun 2013

The Old Nichol Street Rookery in Bethnal Green was one of the worst and most dangerous slums in Victorian London. The death rate was twice that of the rest of Bethnal Green, and four times that of London. One child in four died before his or her first birthday. A vigorous campaign took place from the 1880s to demolish the area and replace it with something far better. The Boundary Estate, constructed from 1890, was one of the earliest social housing schemes built by a local government authority. It was begun by the Metropolitan Board of Works and completed by the recently formed London County Council. It is, arguably, the world's first council housing. It was formally opened in 1900 by the Prince of Wales, soon to be Edward VIIth. The demolition rubble was used to construct a mound in the middle of Arnold Circus at the centre of the development, housing a bandstand which remains to this day. The estate consists of multi-storey brick tenements radiating from the central circus, which also has six roads radiating from it. The flats and bandstand are now Grade II listed.

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