London – Brick Lane

Brick Lane (Bengali: ব্রিক লেন) is a street in the East End of London, in the Borough of Tower Hamlets. It runs from Swanfield Street in Bethnal Green, crosses Bethnal Green Road in Shoreditch, enters Whitechapel and is linked to Whitechapel High Street to the south by the short stretch of Osborn Street. Today, it is the heart of the city’s Bangladeshi community and is known to some as Banglatown. It is famous for its many curry houses.

Winding through fields, the street was formerly called Whitechapel Lane. It derives its current name from brick and tile manufacture started in the 15th century, which used the local brick earth deposits. and featured in the 16th century Woodcut map of London as a partially-developed crossroad leading north from the city’s most easterly edge. By the 17th century, the street was being developed northwards from the Barres (now Whitechapel High Street) as a result of expanding population.

Brewing came to Brick Lane before 1680, with water drawn from deep wells. One brewer was Joseph Truman, first recorded in 1683. His family, particularly Benjamin Truman, went on to establish the sizeable Black Eagle Brewery on Brick Lane. The Brick Lane Market first developed in the 17th century for fruit and vegetables sold outside the City.

Successive waves of immigrants settled in the area: in the 17th century, French Huguenots expanded into the area for housing; the master weavers were based in Spitalfields. Starting with the Huguenots, the area became a centre for weaving, tailoring and the developing clothing industry. It continued to attract immigrants, who provided semi- and unskilled labour.

In the 19th century, Irish people and Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to the area. Jewish immigration continued into the early 20th century.

The Sunday market, like the ones on Petticoat Lane and nearby Columbia Road, dates from a dispensation given by the government to the Jewish community in the 19th century. At the time, there were no Sunday markets open because of the Christian observance of Sabbath. Located at the junction of Cheshire and Sclater streets, the market sells bric-a-brac as well as fruit, vegetables and many other items. In 2015 it was identified by police as the focal point of a trade in stolen bicycles and bicycle parts, many taken from City of London employees who had used "cycle to work" schemes. Alongside seven arrests, the police also warned purchasers that buying bicycles or parts in deals "too good to be true" could make them guilty of handling stolen goods. Near the junction with Hanbury Street are two indoor markets; Upmarket and Backyard Market. In 2010, the Brick Lane Farmers’ Market opened, intended to be held every Sunday in nearby Bacon Street; it has now closed.

In the later 20th century, Bangladeshis comprised the major group of immigrants and gradually predominated in the area. Many Bangladeshi immigrants to Brick Lane were from the Greater Sylhet region. These settlers helped shape Bangladeshi migration to Britain; many families from Jagannathpur and Bishwanath tend to live in the Brick Lane area.

In 1742, La Neuve Eglise, a Huguenot chapel, was built on the corner of Brick Lane and Fournier Street. By 1809, it was used by missionaries as The Jews’ Chapel, where they promoted Christianity to the expanding Jewish population. It was adapted as a Methodist Chapel in 1819 for Protestant residents. (John Wesley had preached his first "covenant sermon" at the nearby Black Eagle Street Chapel).

Reflecting the changing demographics of the area, in 1898, the building was consecrated as the Machzikei HaDath, or Spitalfields Great Synagogue. After decades of change in the area, with Jews moving out and Bangladeshis moving in, in 1976 it was adapted again as the London Jamme Masjid (Great London Mosque) to serve the expanding Bangladeshi community. The building is Grade II* listed.

In the 20th century the Brick Lane area was important in the second wave of development of Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh (mainly the Greater Sylhet region) migrated to London to look for work. Some curry houses of Brick Lane do not sell alcohol as most are owned by Muslims.

Bengalis in the United Kingdom settled in big cities with industrial employment. In London, many Bengali people settled in the East End. For centuries the East End has been the first port of call for many immigrants working in the docks and shipping from Chittagong port in Bengal (British Empire in India was founded and based in Bengal). Their regular stopover paved the way for food/curry outlets to be opened up catering for an all-male workforce as family migration and settlement took place some decades later. Humble beginnings such as this gave birth to Brick Lane as the famous curry capital of the UK. Bengalis of Sylheti origin constitute only 10% of all South Asians in Britain; however around 90% of all South Asian restaurants in the UK are Sylheti- or Bengali-owned.

More recently the area has also broadened to being a vibrant art and fashion student area, with considerable exhibition space. Each year most of the fine art and fashion courses exhibit their work near Brick Lane.

Since the late 1990s, Brick Lane has been the site of several of the city’s best known night clubs, notably 93 Feet East and The Vibe Bar, both built on the site of The Old Truman Brewery, once the industrial centre of the area, and now an office and entertainment complex. In 1999, it was the scene of a bombing that injured 13 people.

Brick Lane has a regular display of graffiti, which features artists such as Banksy, Stik, ROA, D*Face, Ben Eine and Omar Hassan. The lane has been used in many music videos such as "Glory Days" by Just Jack, "All These Things That I’ve Done" by The Killers and "Überlin" by R.E.M..

(Wikipedia)

Die Brick Lane (Bengali: ব্রিক লেন) ist eine Straße im Londoner Stadtbezirk Tower Hamlets. Sie führt von Bethnal Green im Norden durch Spitalfields bis Whitechapel im Süden und ist eine der bekanntesten Straßen des Londoner East Ends. Die Straße gilt als das Herz der Bangladeschi-Gemeinde Londons und ist unter anderem für ihre zahlreichen südasiatischen Restaurants und ihren Straßenmarkt bekannt. Straße und Straßenmarkt gelten heute als Londoner Touristenattraktion.

Die Brick Lane ist rund einen Kilometer lang und größtenteils nur in eine Richtung befahrbar.

Ursprünglich trug die Straße den Namen Whitechapel Lane und verlief in einer ländlichen Gegend. Ihr heutiger Name bezieht sich auf die Backstein-Produktion, die seit dem 15. Jahrhundert den lokalen Ziegellehm verarbeitete. Im 17. Jahrhundert entwickelte sich die Straße aufgrund des Bevölkerungszuwachses zu einem Wohngebiet. Zahlreiche Einwanderer ließen sich in der Gegend nieder, so zunächst französische Hugenotten. In dieser Zeit entwickelte sich der Stadtteil zu einem Zentrum des Weberhandwerks, der Schneiderei und Bekleidungsherstellung.

Im 19. Jahrhundert ließen sich zunehmend irische Immigranten und aschkenasische Juden in der Brick Lane nieder. Zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts erhöhte sich die Zahl der Juden durch eine neue Einwanderungswelle. Im späten 20. Jahrhundert kam eine neue Gruppe von Einwanderern aus Bangladesch hinzu, die die Straße inzwischen dominiert und prägt.

1742 erbauten die Hugenotten La Neuve Eglise, eine protestantische Kirche, an der Ecke Brick Lane und Fournier Street. Ab 1809 wurde sie von Missionaren als The Jews’ Chapel zur Missionierung der wachsenden jüdischen Bevölkerung genutzt. Von 1819 an diente sie der methodistischen Gemeinde als Kirche, ab 1898 war sie unter dem Namen Machzikei HaDath Synagoge. Nach dem Zuzug zahlreicher Bangladesher dient sie seit 1976 unter dem Namen London Jamme Masjid als Moschee. Das Gebäude steht unter Denkmalschutz (Grade II* listed).

(Wikipedia)

Posted by Michael.Kemper on 2019-11-17 10:53:48

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