Hidden Early 1800s East End of London

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Guys, you are not supposed to find London like this anymore, but at the end of this East London alley, you do.

[00:00:04][music] Just seconds from Stepney Green Station on Mile End Road, you'll find an unassuming looking archway. Guys, walk through it and you're transported back into the very early 1800s. Before this area rapidly urbanized, these tiny houses are rare survivors, originally built for workers of what was then at Charrington's Anchor Brewery.

[00:00:24]Interestingly, fragments of which can still be found all around the area.

[00:00:28]Anyway, this hidden little street has such a history with these houses being some of the first built for workers back in the 1820s.

[00:00:36]And there were still street parties around here 100 years ago, which is really weird to stand here and think about today. There's actually a cool little story of someone who bought a property here in the 1970s that their granddad had originally owned. And speaking of passing, this enclosed street actually finishes abruptly at a wall. Behind it is Alderney Road Cemetery, one of the earliest Jewish cemeteries. Well, to the east, the even older Velho Cemetery, which opened in 1657 just after the readmission of Jews to England under Oliver Cromwell. They're closed now, and these big brick walls almost make it feel even more mysterious. It also shows how diverse this area was even back then. I do love the energy of the East End, and you get these contrasting fragments, which make it really special for me. Anyway, back here, you can sort of feel the stories and the echoes of the past emanating from these walls close around. And for me, how London changes [music] from street to street is what makes it endlessly fascinating.