London - East End

The east end is situated to the east of the City and begins with the areas of Whitechapel and Spitalfields. Even today it is still synomonous with social deprivation. The world described by Dickens in "Oliver Twist" of poverty, terrible living conditions and prostitution has its origins in the alleys and dives of the East End. It inspired William Hogarth to draw his sequence of pictures "Gin Lane" and "Beer Street" and Henry Fielding's social critique the novel "Tom Jones". William Booth founded the Salvation Army here in 1865 and Jack the Ripper committed his terrible crimes here. Immigrants have lived in the East End since the 17th century, first the French Huguenots, and then impoverished farmers from Scotland, Wales and chiefly Ireland