Metropolitan Borough of Poplar

Poplar
Poplar within the County of London
Geography
Status	District (1855—1900) Metropolitan borough (1900—1965) Civil parish (1907—1965)
1911 area	2,328 acres (9.42 km2)[1]
1931 area	2,331 acres (9.43 km2)[1]
1961 area	2,348 acres (9.50 km2)[1]
HQ	East India Dock Road (1856—1870) Poplar High Street (1870—1938) Bow Road (1938—1965)
History
Origin	Metropolis Management Act 1855
Created	1855
Abolished	1965
Succeeded by	London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Demography
1911 population - 1911 density	162,442[1] 70/acre
1931 population - 1931 density	155,089[1] 66/acre
1961 population - 1961 density	66,604[1] 28/acre
Politics
Governance	Poplar District Board of Works (1855—1900) Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council (1900—1965)
Borough seal
Subdivisions
Type	Civil parishes
Units	Bow (1855—1907) Bromley (1855—1907) Poplar (1855—1907) Poplar Borough (1907—1965)

Poplar was a local government district in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was formed as a district of the Metropolis in 1855 and became a metropolitan borough in the County of London in 1900. It comprised the civil parishes of Bow, Bromley and Poplar until 1907, when it also became a civil parish.^[2] In 1965 the parish and borough were abolished, with their former area becoming part of the newly formed London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Boundaries

The borough bordered the metropolitan boroughs of Hackney, Stepney, and Bethnal Green to the west and north, and the county of Essex to the east. To the south, the River Thames formed borders with the metropolitan boroughs of Bermondsey, Deptford and Greenwich.

It included the districts of (from north to south):

• Bow
• Bromley St Leonard
• Poplar
• Blackwall
• Isle of Dogs

History

In 1921 the Borough Council, under George Lansbury and the Poor Law Union were engaged in a dispute with the London County Council and central government over poor law rates - it wished to pay out of work people more than usually permitted; and to get wealthier West End boroughs to contribute to its expenses. Several councillors were imprisoned briefly in 1921 in relation to this. See Poplar Rates Rebellion.

In 1951 Poplar was chosen as the site of the Festival of Britain's 'Exhibition of Live Architecture'. The East End of London had been heavily bombed during the war and its reconstruction was showcased at the new Lansbury Estate. New building materials and planning concepts were demonstrated. The first example of 'live architecture' on the exhibition trail was the Trinity Congregational Church and Hall, just across from the main reception area with their Town Planning and Building Research Pavilions on East India Dock Road. The trail continued with the Lansbury Estate and Chrisp Street Market.

Population and area

Poplar covered an area of 2,328 acres (9.4 km²). The population as given in the census from 1801 to 1961 was:

Civil Parishes and Poplar Board of Works 1801-1899

Year[3]	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891
Population	8,278	13,548	18,932	25,066	31,122	47,162	79,196	116,376	156,510	166,748

Metropolitan Borough 1900-1961

Year[4]	1901	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961
Population	168,822	162,442	162,578	155,089	[5]	73,579	66,604

Borough seal

The borough had no coat of arms, using instead a seal originally designed for the Poplar District Board of Works, its predecessor, created by the Metropolis Management Act 1855. The seal depicted the emblems of the three parish vestries merged into the board.

The top shield was the seal of Poplar Vestry, and showed the 'Hibbert Gate' of the old West India Docks, with a sailing ship on top of the shield. A similar representation of the gate and ship formed the head of the vestry's civic mace, which was used by the board of works and borough council until 1965.

The shield on the left was the seal of Bow Vestry , and showed a bridge between two bows. This represented the bow-shaped bridge over the River Lea.

The shield on the right was the seal of Bromley St Leonard Vestry, and depicts the saint dressed as a bishop.

See also

• London Government Act 1899
• Metropolis Management Act 1855

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Vision of Britain - Poplar population (area and density)
2. ^ F. A. Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I, 1979
3. ^ Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV)
4. ^ Poplar MetB: Census Tables at Vision of Britain accessed on 4 Jan 2007
5. ^ The census was suspended for World War II

• Vision of Britain website: Population tables for Poplar Borough [1]

External links

• Official Guide to the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar, 1927
• Poplar Town Hall on the Port Cities website

Coordinates: 51°31′08″N 0°01′05″W / 51.519°N 0.018°W / 51.519; -0.018