The East End of London is legendary for its association with the docks, the mobsters of the 1960s, and not least the notorious Jack the RIpper in the fall of 1888. Today it is an amazingly mixed area full of history in the shadow of the skyscrapers and glass palaces of the City of London financial district. Last not but least, the riverside of the East End features some of the best and oldest pubs in London.
PUB (Liberty Bounds / Breakfast): An excellent starting point for a walk in the inner East End (Aldwych, Whitechapel, Wapping) is the JD Wetherspoon pub The Liberty Bounds at 15 Trinity Square. The pub is just opposite the Tower of London, it opens at 8 AM and it serves a very reasonable breakfast with attractively priced pints. Although a chain pub, and as such not particularly unique or anything, it does provide all the basics in an excellent location. Nearest public transport is the Tower Hill tube station (100m) and the Tower Gateway DLR station (200m).
Trinity Square Gardens – note The Shard in the background
SIGHTS (Trinity Square Gardens): You can now go to the adjacent Trinity Square Gardens, which is a nice and small green area in an otherwise rather trafficky part of London. The gardens contain a memorial for the seamen in the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who lost their lives during the two world wars.
In principle you can now go across the Tower Hill/A100 to visit the Tower of London, but this is really a half-day kind of attraction, which you might want to combine with fx Tower Bridge and another nearby (major) attraction on a day, when you do not intend to do much walking around in the city.
SIGHT (London Wall / Minories): The London Wall was built around 200 AD by the Romans, and it was maintained until the 18th century. Today only a few fragments of the wall exist. At one point, you can actually go through it. From Trinity Square walk up Cooper’s Row and just 50 meters up the street turn right into a small yard behind the Grange Hotel. Here you can really study the wall and be amazed by the heigth of it – also note how far down the ground level was in Roman times.
From here, walk through the wall along the tracks of Fenchurch Street Station, and turn left on Crescent walking below the rail viaduct. Continue up Vine St, go right on Crosswall, and turn left up the Minories. The Minories has historically constituted the border between the City of London and the Tower Hamlets, but since 1994 the border has run entirely along Mansell St. 160m further east. The name itself is derived from the abbey of the Minoresses of St. Mary, which once stood nearby. Continue up the Minories, and you will find yourself at:
The Gherkin and the Cheesegrater
SIGHT (Aldgate / St. Botolph): You are now directly across the street from the church St. Botolph without Aldgate. The present-day church dates back to 1741-1744, but the first written record of a church in this location appeared in 1115. In the late Victorian era it was known as the Church of the Prostitutes, as it was customary for prostitutes in the area to parade around the church looking for customers, instead of just standing on a street corner risking arrest.
The wooden structure in the middle of the road near the church looks old, but really isn’t. Known as “Paleys upon Pliers”, this so-called timber palace was built in 2012 on the very spot of the historic Aldgate, which was demolished in 1761. From here you can also see two of London’s iconic skyscrapes, The Chessegrater (122 Leadenhall Street), which opened in 2014 and the Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe), which opened as Swiss Re in 2004.
Now go up Duke’s Place.
OPTIONAL SIGHT (Mitre Square / Jack the Ripper): If you are interested in Jack the Ripper you may want to take a small detour along St. James’ Passage to your left running along the Sir John Cass Foundation Primary School. The small parking lot outside the school at the end of the passage is known as Mitre Square, and on September 30, 1888, Jack the Ripper slaughtered Catherine Eddowes approximately where the small rectangle of benches and flowers are today. The square itself looks nothing like what it did in 1888, when it was surrounded by warehouses. Go back to Duke’s Place the way you came to continue the tour, and turn left.
Bevis Marks synagogue
SIGHT (Bevis Marks synagogue): About 100 meters up the road to your left, you will see a fairly modern red-brick office building with a café on the far corner (Bevis Marks/Bury St). Just before the café there is a small and ancient portal into a yard. Go inside, and you will be surprised to find the oldest Jewish synagogue in the United Kingdom. Built in 1701 as a synagogue for the Spanish and Portugese Jewish community, this is the only synagogue in Europe, which has held regular services continuously for more than 300 years. It is possible to enter the synagogue, which you can do if you like.