Stepney

Stepney
Clockwise from top left: St. Dunstan's Church; Stepney Green tube station; Genesis cinema; route 135 at Arbour Square; Stepney Green; the Half Moon pub.
Stepney Location within Greater London
Population	16,238 (2011 census. St Dunstan's and Stepney Green Ward)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ355814
• Charing Cross	3.6 mi (5.8 km) WSW
London borough	Tower Hamlets
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	E1, E14
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Bethnal Green and Stepney
London Assembly	City and East
List of places UK England London 51°30′55″N 0°02′46″W / 51.5152°N 0.0462°W / 51.5152; -0.0462

Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to a much larger manor and parish. Stepney Green is a remnant of a larger area of Common Land formerly known as Mile End Green.^[2]

The area was built up rapidly during the 19th century, mainly to accommodate immigrant workers and poor families displaced from London. It developed a reputation for poverty, overcrowding, violence and political dissent.^[3] It was severely damaged during the Blitz, with over a third of housing destroyed; and then, in the 1960s, slum clearance and development replaced most residential streets with tower blocks and modern housing estates. Some Georgian architecture and Victorian era terraced housing remain such as Arbour Square, the eastern side of Stepney Green, and the streets around Matlock Street.^[3][4]