London Borough of Tower Hamlets

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Geography
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Shown within Greater London
Status	London borough
Area — Total	Ranked 348th 19.77 km²
ONS code	00BG
Admin HQ	Clove Crescent, Blackwall
Demographics
Population — Total (2005 est.) — Density	Ranked 61st (of 354) 213,200 10,784 / km²
Ethnicity	51.4% White 36.6% South Asian 6.5% Afro-Caribbean 2.6% Mixed Race 1.8% Chinese 0.1% Arab 0.1% Jewish
Politics
Leadership	Leader & Cabinet
Mayor	—
Executive	Labour
MPs	Jim Fitzpatrick George Galloway
London Assembly — Member	City and East John Biggs
Coat of Arms
Image:Tower Hamlets arms.png
Official website	http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London, England and north of the River Thames in East London.

1 History
2 Settlement
3 Demographics
4 Local landmarks
5 Local politics
6 Museums and attractions
7 Education
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

The name "Tower Hamlets" historically applied to the Tower division of the county of Middlesex, covering not only the present borough, but also part of the present-day London Borough of Hackney. The Constable of the Tower of London had special jurisdiction over the area from the 16th century until 1889. Inhabitants of Tower Hamlets were originally required to provide yeomen for the Tower of London. Later the Constable became Lord Lieutenant of the area, raising and organising the local militia. Under the Reform Act 1832 the area became a parliamentary borough. The name continued to be used for constituencies until 1918.

The borough itself was formed in 1965 out of the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney which formed the classic East End.

[edit] Settlement

In contrast to the rest of the borough, Tower Hamlets includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks and Canary Wharf. Within this area are many of the tallest buildings in London.

Tower Hamlets is one of five boroughs to host the London 2012 Summer Olympics and part of the borough is within the boundary of the Thames Gateway.

Areas included in the borough:

[edit] Demographics

Image:Canary.wharf.from.thames.arp.jpg

According to the 2001 census the borough has a population of 196,106. It is 51% white, 33% Bangladeshi, 3% Black African and 3% black Caribbean. 29% of the borough are owner–occupiers. With 36.4%, the borough is the local authority with the highest percentage of Muslims in Britain.

According to the 2001 census, 52% of the borough's inhabitants were under 30, the highest such figure in England (which has an average of 38%).

[edit] Local landmarks

Tower of London

In the Canary Wharf complex:

In the Heron Quays complex:

Also in the Docklands:
- One Churchill Place

[edit] Local politics

In elections to the Westminster Parliament, the borough is part of the constituencies of Bethnal Green & Bow and Poplar & Canning Town. It is noted for being the area of largest support for the RESPECT party, where it has 12 councillors and an MP.