Cable Street

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For other Cable Streets, see Cable Street (disambiguation).

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Cable Street
Length 1.2 mi (1.9 km)
Location London Borough of Tower Hamlets, UK
West end Tower Hill
East end Limehouse
Other
Known for Battle of Cable Street

Cable Street is a road in the East End of London, England, with several historic landmarks nearby.

It was made famous by the Battle of Cable Street in 1936.

Location

Cable Street runs between the edge of London's financial district the City of London, and Limehouse, parallel to, and south of, the Docklands Light Railway and Commercial Road, and north of The Highway.

The area is close to Wapping and Shadwell Basin to the south, Tower Hill to the west, and Whitechapel and Stepney to the north. Since many Londoners define their locality by the nearest London Underground stations, the Cable Street area is often referred to as Shadwell.

The street is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in postal district E1. It lies within the parliamentary constituencies of Bethnal Green and Bow and Poplar and Canning Town, currently represented by Rushanara Ali and Jim Fitzpatrick, both of the Labour party.

History

Cable Street started as a straight path along which hemp ropes were twisted into ships cables (i.e. ropes). These supplied the many ships that would anchor in the nearby Pool of London, between London Bridge and Wapping and Rotherhithe. Many other "rope walks" can be seen on later maps, showing how demand for ropes grew as shipping increased.

Until Victorian times, the current Cable Street had different names for each of its sections. From west to east these ran: Cable Street, Knock Fergus, New Road, Back Lane, Blue Gate Fields, Sun Tavern Fields, and Brook Street.

Knock Fergus may have been a reference to the large numbers of Irish residents there then, but the name is old - it is found in the St. Dunstan Stepney registers in the early 1600s.

Also, in the 19th century, the area at the western end of Cable Street was identified as "near Wellclose Square", as this was a well-known landmark, where nautical items were sold. The whole of the central area of the current street was named after St. George in the East church and St. George in the East parish.

From Victorian times through to the 1950s, Cable Street had a reputation for cheap lodgings, brothels, drinking inns and opium dens.

The last occasion in England when a stake was hammered through a sinner’s heart at an official burial, took place at the junction of Cable Street and Cannon Street Road: John Williams was found hanged in his cell, after being arrested as a suspect in the Ratcliff Highway murders. Local people went along with the claim that he had committed suicide, from guilt of the crimes. At the time, 1812, suicide was considered to be sinful, and justified him being buried upside down with a stake through his heart. His skull was found when new gas mains were being laid in the 1960s, and was on display for many years in The Crown and Dolphin pub opposite.

Red plaque in Dock Street commemorating the Battle of Cable Street.

On 4 October 1936 a violent confrontation between the Metropolitan Police and local communities on the street was later named the 'Battle of Cable Street'. Communist, anarchist, labour and Jewish groups joined with locals to resist a planned march through the East End by Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists. A bus was overturned and used as a barricade, Mosley's car was attacked with bricks, and there was some of the most violent hand-to-hand fighting ever seen in London. The march was eventually abandoned. A large mural on St. George's Town Hall, next to Library Place, depicts scenes from the day. A red plaque at Cable Street's junction with Dock Street commemorates the incident.

Landmarks

Listed from west to east:

Transport

Road

Vehicular traffic is restricted to travel one-way along the whole street, though the direction varies. It is mostly west-bound, but it is east-bound east of Brodlove Lane (itself one-way north-bound). It lies outside of the London congestion charge zone (CCZ).

Bicycle

London Cycle Superhighway 3 runs the length of Cable Street in the form of a two-way segregated cycle track, continuing west into Royal Mint Street (its western terminus). This is well-used by cyclists, especially those commuting to the City and Docklands.

Bus

London Buses routes 100 and D3 both pass west-bound through the central part of Cable Street:

Rail

The district falls within Transport for London's Travelcard zone 2. The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill. Opened in 2010, the nearest London Overground stations are Shadwell and Wapping on the East London Line.

The nearest Docklands Light Railway stations are Shadwell and Limehouse (also a National Rail station).

People

People associated with the area:

Politicians

Members of Parliament, for Bethnal Green and Bow :

Members of Parliament, for Poplar and Canning Town :

Science and Medicine
  • Dr Hannah Billig (1901–1987) - a local doctor who became known as "The Angel of Cable Street". A blue plaque marks her home surgery at number 198, near Cannon Street Road.
File:WilliamPerkinBluePlaque.png
Blue plaque for William Perkin
Sports
File:Jack-Berg-blue-plaque.png
Blue plaque for Jack Kid Berg
  • Jack 'Kid' Berg (1909–1991) - Lightweight Champion Boxer, born in Cable Street, by Noble Court
  • Norman Giller', prolific sportswriter, was born in Cable Street in 1940 and his 100th book is an autobiography called The Kid from Cable Street
Literary figures

Victorian Era:

Edwardian Era:

  • Isaac Rosenburg (1890–1918), poet & painter, lived at 47 Cable Street from 1897 to 1900, when he attended St. Paul's School in Wellclose Square.
People inspiring local street names

Neighbouring Streets

west of Cable Street

  • Royal Mint Street - formerly Rosemary Lane (in 1830)

north of Cable Street starting from the west:

  • Leman Street - formerly White Lion Street, leading to Leman Street, (in 1830)
  • Mill Yard
  • Back Church Lane
  • Pinchin Street - formerly Thomas Street (in 1862). Historically noteworthy for its curve and arches, showing where the branch of the railway used to run, towards the goods yard to the north west.
  • Stute Street
  • Christian Street - the barricade created during the Battle of Cable Street, was near this street's junction with Cable Street
  • Golding Street - formerly Low Grove Street (in 1862)
  • Cannon Street Road
  • Watney Market - formerly Watney Street (in 1862)
  • Watney Street - formerly Charles Street (in 1862)
  • Cornwall Street - formerly Upper Cornwall Street (in 1862)
  • Shadwell Gardens
  • Shadwell Place - formerly Lower Cornwall Street and Sun Court (in 1862)
  • Sutton Street - formerly Church Road (in 1862)
  • Martineau Street
  • Johnson Street
  • Poonah Street
  • Hardinge Street
  • Hardinge Lane
  • Devonport Street
  • Barnado Street - formerly James Place (in 1862)
  • Stepney Causeway
  • Pitsea Street - formerly Dorset Street (in 1862)
  • Caroline Street
  • Ratcliffe Cross Street - formerly Ratcliffe Square and Periwinkle Street (in 1862)
  • Boulcott Street - formerly George Street (in 1862)
  • Commercial Road - major radial route into Aldgate - runs parallel to Cable Street

east of Cable Street

  • Butcher Row - formerly Butcher Row and White Horse Street (in 1862)
  • Narrow Street

south of Cable Street, starting from the west:

  • Dock Street - already existed as Dock Street in 1830
  • Ensign Street - formerly Well Street (in 1862)
  • Graces Alley - between Ensign Street and Wellclose Square - home to Wilton's Music Hall
  • Fletcher Street - formerly Shorter Street (in 1830 & 1862)
  • Wellclose Square - already existed as Wellclose Square in 1830 & 1862
  • Hindmarsh Close
  • Swedenbourg Gardens
  • Betts Street - formerly connected Cable Street to The Highway (in 1862)
  • Crowder Street - formerly Denmark Street (in 1862)
  • Cannon Street Road
  • Hawksmoor Mews
  • Bluegate Mews - formerly St George's Place (in 1830)
  • Library Place - formerly Prospect Place (in 1862)
  • Angel Court - in 1862, Angel Gardens was where Bewley Street is now.
  • Dellow Street
  • Bewley Street - formerly Albert Street (in 1862)
  • Sage Street
  • Lowood Street
  • Solander Gardens
  • Twine Court
  • King David Lane
  • Juniper Street - formerly Juniper Row (in 1862)
  • Tarbert Walk
  • Glamis Road
  • Redcastle Close - formerly Carriage Way (in 1862)
  • Glamis Place
  • Brodlove Lane - formerly Love Lane (in 1862)
  • Elf Row - formerly Elm Row (in 1862)
  • Glasshouse Fields - formerly Glasshouse Street (in 1862)
  • Schoolhouse Lane
  • Heckford Street - formerly Burlington Place (in 1862). No longer connected to Cable Street
  • Cranford Street - formerly Harris Court (in 1862)
  • Bere Street - formerly connected through to Butcher Row (in 1862)
  • Ratcliffe Orchard - formerly The Orchard (in 1862)
  • The Highway - formerly Ratcliff Highway. Then St. George's Street, High Street (Shadwell), Cock Hill and Broad Street (in 1862).

See also

External links

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