The origins of the East End textile industry can be traced to the 14th century when Flemish artisans set up dye works on the River Lea. In the late 17th century the Huguenots arrived in Spitalfields bringing their skills with silk-weaving, lace-making, fan-making, etc. Then the Jewish tailors arrived and enriched the area further.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
garment and textile industries in the East End
Commemorated ati
Bowler plaque - Scissors and Buttons - Brick Lane north
We failed to find this plaque in Dec-Jan 2017, but it is identical to that fu...
Bowler plaque - Scissors and Buttons - Brick Lane south
There is meant to be another identical plaque further north in Brick Lane but...
Bowler plaque - Shuttle and Bobbins
The plaque shows a shuttle and two bobbins, representing the local weaving tr...
Whitechapel Threads sculpture
The artists worked with the Rope Makers Guild to produce this image of two sk...
Other Subjects
Coal Hole Tavern
The meeting place of the Wolf Club of which in about 1826 Edmund Kean was a leading member.  Lawrence Silverman tells us that, later, this was the tavern where Renton Nicholson staged his very rude...
Andrew Gibb
Ship-repairer and philanthropist. Born in Glasgow. After serving his apprenticeship in shipbuilding, he came to London to ply his trade. He was deacon of St Mark's Presbyterian Church in Greenwich,...
East Street Market
There has been street trading in this area since the sixteenth century. The current market specialises in African and Caribbean fruit and vegetables and household goods. East Street was, possibly, ...
Caledonian Market
Caledonian Cattle Market, built in 1855 by J. B. Bunning, and demolished after WW2. Caledonian Market was held in the area now partly occupied by Caledonian Park, the large area bounded by what ar...


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