Spitalfields - a short history

SPITALFIELDS derives it's name from a hospital known as St Mary Spital, originally founded as a priory in 1197.
The City of London established its wholesale vegetable market in the area during the late 17th century (only relocated in 1989), at a time when the north and east of the City was still largely open countryside. The new hamlet of Spitalfields was created by Parliament in 1729, the year of Christ Church's completion and consecration. The close association of the clothing trade with Spitalfields started with the Huguenots who, fleeing Catholic France in the 1680's, brought prosperity to the area through silk. From the late 19th century onwards, the clothing workshops were dominated by Jewish refugees from Russia and Eastern Europe. Today, Spitalfields is one of London's most multicultural areas, with descendants of all its immigrant groups living together with a thriving Bangladeshi community, and perhaps the largest community of artists in Europe. Walking around Spitalfields you will find the area full of surprises; from the carved Georgian door-frames of Fournier Street to the illustrated coal-hole covers.