Almost rubbing shoulders with the City of London, Bethnal Green's convenient location is proving irresistible.
Living in Bethnal Green
Four miles east of Charing Cross, Bethnal Green lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and was once one of Victorian London's poorest areas.
Post-war reconstruction almost did as much harm as the Luftwaffe but since the turn of the new millennium, Bethnal Green's proximity to the City of London is having a beneficial effect on the quality of redevelopment.
Professionals, artists and families are taking advantage of relatively low property prices and exchanging a flat in Islington for a house in Bethnal Green.
Council blocks are still prevalent but they are often complemented by 21st century townhouses and purpose-built, low cost apartments.
Redundant local factories and disused public buildings are now luxury apartments and it is possible to find homes in a former bakery, a public bath and a police station.
South of Hackney Road is Jesus Hospital Estate, a charming conservation area of Victorian houses in streets leading to Columbia Road, which is renowned for its Sunday flower market.
Bethnal Green Road is the place to go for a traditional East Enders' street market and there are also plenty of shops, including a Tesco.
Probably, the most expensive property is off Bethnal Green Road in Paradise Row where there are four-storey Georgian houses.
Immediately south of Bethnal Green Road is the 'green' which is the area's local public park.
Bethnal Green has good restaurants including Indian, Thai and Tapas Bars and the Kelly family's classic pie 'n' mash shops.
Transport
The City of London is a brisk walk to the west of Bethnal Green or a short bus or bike ride.
Served by the Central Line, Bethnal Green tube station lies on Cambridge Heath Road and is one stop from Liverpool Street and two stops from Bank.
Shoreditch tube station lies on Brick Lane and is on the East London Line, set to open in summer 2010 as part of the London Overground network.
Situated on Three Colts Lane, Bethnal Green railway station is served by National Express East Anglia and is one stop from Liverpool Street.
For information regarding transport serving London please visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx.
For details of train services throughout the UK please visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.
History and culture
Bethnal Green was once graced by market gardens and silk-weavers but, by the 1880s, it had become an East End slum where Jack the Ripper plied his trade on the border with Whitechapel.
In 1900, London's first council estate was built near Bethnal Green's boundary with Shoreditch and was the childhood home for showbiz impresarios Lew Grade and Bernard Delfont.
Bethnal Green Infirmary was a geriatric hospital under the NHS until the 1980s. Most of the site was developed for housing in the 1990s but the hospital entrance and administration block still exist and are listed buildings.
North-east of Bethnal Green is Victoria Park, a large, green, open space that is one of the finest parks in London.
For current information regarding Bethnal Green please visit http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/.
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