Mile End Park is a park located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a linear park of some 32 hectares (79 acres), [1] and was created on industrial land devastated by World War II bombing. Some of the park is within Limehouse and Bow, with the park lying on land to the east of the Regent's Canal. In the north, it is separated from the southern edge of Victoria Park by the Hertford Union Canal. It is open 24 hours a day.
A plan existed from the end of the war to create the park, but extensive development did not begin until the end of the millennium. A pedestrian bridge, opened in July 1999, was built over the Mile End Road, which bisects the park, near Mile End tube station. The bridge was designed by Piers Gough. [2] Prior to the park's construction, 193 Grove Road - at the edge of the park - was transformed by sculptor Rachel Whiteread into a cast of its interior. This work won her the Turner Prize in 1993.
In 1381, 60,000 Men of Essex camped here and met Richard II at Mile End, on 14 June 1381, during the Peasants' Revolt. [3]
The park now consists of a number of elements (running north–south): The Play Arena - for children, The Ecology Park - including a lake, an ecology building, wind turbine and climbing wall, The Arts Park, The Green Bridge, The Terraced Garden, The South Park, Adventure Park, Sports Park - including the Mile End stadium, Kirk's Place and The Children's Park. Nearby are an extreme sports centre and an electric Go kart track.
The Ragged School Museum opened in 1990 in three canal side former warehouses in Copperfield Road. It faces the western edge of the park south of Mile End Road. The buildings previously housed Dr Barnado's Copperfield Road Ragged School.
The park has been awarded the London First Award, the Green bridge the Institution of Civil Engineers Award of Merit, a commendation at the British Construction Industry Awards and a special commendation from the Prime Minister's Award. [4]
The park has an active Friends group.
Mile End Stadium, situated at the south end of the park, underwent refurbishment which was completed in 2005. A new sport and fitness centre, the Mile End Park Leisure Centre was built adjacent to the Stadium and opened in 2006. It houses a four- court sports hall, two swimming pools (including one competition standard pool), state-of-the-art fitness studios, and a health suite and sauna.
The Mile End Climbing Wall is also located in Mile End Park.
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black Death in the 1340s, the high taxes resulting from the conflict with France during the Hundred Years' War, and instability within the local leadership of London.
Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By the 16th century the term applied to a wider rural area, the Hamlet of Bethnal Green, which subsequently became a Parish, then a Metropolitan Borough before merging with neighbouring areas to become the north-western part of the new London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Highbury is an area in North London and located in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury was owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a borough of London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and includes much of the regenerated London Docklands area. The 2019 mid-year population for the borough is estimated at 324,745.
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, within the North Norfolk district. The town is located 8 mi (13 km) south of Cromer and Norwich is 15 mi (24 km) south.
The London Inner Ring Road, or Ring Road as signposted, is a 12-mile (19 km) route with an average diameter of 2.75–5.5 miles (4.43–8.85 km) formed from a number of major roads that encircle Central London. The ring road forms the boundary of the London congestion charge zone, although the ring road itself is not part of the zone.
Victoria Park is a park in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, England.
The Hertford Union Canal or Duckett's Cut, just over 1 mile (1.6 km) long, connects the Regent's Canal to the Lee Navigation in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It was opened in 1830 but quickly proved to be a commercial failure. It was acquired by the Regents Canal Company in 1857, and became part of the Grand Union Canal in 1927.
John Ball was an English priest who took a prominent part in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. Although he is often associated with John Wycliffe and the Lollard movement, Ball was actively preaching "articles contrary to the faith of the church" at least a decade before Wycliffe started attracting attention.
Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, 4.2 miles (6.8 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road called Mile End Road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London.
Bow is an area of east London, England, within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) east of Charing Cross.
Mile End Stadium, also known as the East London Stadium, is a multi-sports stadium in Mile End and situated in the park of the same name, east London, England. The stadium comprises an athletics stadium and a number of floodlit Astroturf football pitches, tennis and netball courts.
Clase is a suburban district of the City and County of Swansea, Wales within the Mynydd-Bach ward. Clase approximates to the housing area south of Clasemont Road between Morriston and Llangyfelach.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in spite of being close to the centre of London and perhaps retaining the idea of it being the docklands area, has over 100 areas of parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These range from the huge to small gardens and squares. In common with all the London boroughs, these green spaces provide "lungs" for the leisure pursuits of the inhabitants.
Old Ford is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets that is named after the natural ford which provided a crossing of the River Lea.
The A286 is an A class road in the south of England, from its northernmost point in Milford, Surrey, to Birdham, West Sussex. It passes through the market towns of Haslemere and Midhurst, and the cathedral city of Chichester. The road is mostly single carriageway, with a small dual carriageway section as part of the Chichester ring road.
The Lea Valley Walk is a 50-mile (80 km) long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows the towpath of the River Lee Navigation, and it becomes increasingly urbanised as it approaches London. The walk was opened in 1993 and is waymarked throughout using a swan logo.
The Ragged School Museum is a museum in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The museum was opened in 1990 in the premises of the former Dr Barnardo's Copperfield Road Ragged School. The school opened in 1877 to serve the children of Mile End with a basic education. It was the largest of its kind at the time. It closed in 1908 when sufficient government/London County Council schools had been established to take over the work. At its height the school had more than 1,000 pupils on weekdays, and 2,400 Sunday school attendees. The team continued to organise events for the local community even after the school closed. The building saw later use as a factory.
Tower Hamlets Football Club is a football club based in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One South and play at the Phoenix Sports Ground in Barnehurst.