IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Arnold Circus, LONDON, E2 7ES

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. Rochelle Street School, viewed here from Arnold Circus, opened in 1899 as can be seen on the prominent inscription in the centre of the photograph. The impresarios and brothers Lew Grade and Bernard Delfont (born Winogradsky) moved to the Boundary Estate in 1914, from nearby Brick Lane and attended Rochelle Street School. At that time, 90% of children attending the school spoke Yiddish. Rochelle School is now a community arts centre.

Built in 1899

Club Row runs southwards from Arnold Circus, crossing both Old Nichol Street and Redchurch Street, before reaching a T-junction with Bethnal Green Road

Around the focal Arnold Circus in a development designed by Owen Fleming & W.E. Riley as lead architects with the LCC. Built 1894-1900 the Boundary Estate was opened by His Majesty King Edward VII and remains a paradigm of urban design with two schools, workshop terraces and retail shops along Calvert Avenue.

view E from Arnold Circus.

Around the focal Arnold Circus in a development designed by Owen Fleming & W.E. Riley as lead architects with the LCC. Built 1894-1900 the Boundary Estate was opened by His Majesty King Edward VII and remains a paradigm of urban design with two schools, workshop terraces and retail shops along Calvert Avenue.

Rochelle Street runs southeast from Arnold Circus to a T-junction with Swanfield Street, (whose previous name was Mount Street).

For the history of this school, built at the same time as the rest of Arnold Circus, see Ian Yarham's Image

Taken from Arnold Circus.

This is Travelodge's car park entrance and exit ramp, taken from the end of Harrow Place near its junction with White Kennett Street.