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T.H. is Opportunity

Tower Hamlets - the place

Tower Hamlets offers the best of London in one borough.

The new East End that epitomises the capital’s past and its future. London has been moving east and Tower Hamlets is at its heart.

This mix of old and new, combined with award- winning parks, international cultural destinations, world class learning institutions and one of the UK's largest economies makes Tower Hamlets one of the most popular places to live, work, study and visit.

While Tower Hamlets represents a young, vibrant modern city, our history comes from being the hamlets of the Tower of London.

Whether you are in Wapping, Isle of Dogs, Spitalfields, Mile End, Bethnal Green, Canary Wharf, St Katharine Dock, Stepney, East India, Whitechapel or Poplar, every area is a cornerstone of London’s history.

A photo of King Charles and Camilla visiting a high street in Tower Hamlets
A photograph of Bombay Bicycle Club playing at All Points East at night. Colourful clouds fill the air

Tower Hamlets offers the best of London in one borough because:

We are the fastest growing and most densely populated place in the UK

  • Our population has grown by 22.1 per cent since 2021 to 310,300.
  • We have fantastic transport links – 26 London Underground and DLR stations serving seven lines – the second highest London borough.
  • More homes built here than anywhere else.
  • We have the youngest population in London, and fifth youngest in the UK. Our average age is just 30.
Photo of Canary Wharf on a sunny morning
Photo of colourful flowers for sale at a local market

We are home to international business districts which generate the third highest economic output in the UK

  • Canary Wharf has 120,000 people working in 37 office buildings, 300 shops, cafés and restaurants and more than 200 cultural events every year.
  • City Fringe includes Whitechapel, Aldgate and Spitalfields. It is being developed to support London’s financial sector, the growing digital and creative businesses in Tech City and has plans for a world-class life science centre.
  • World famous markets including Spitalfields, Columbia Road and Petticoat Lane. Brick Lane is a melting pot of food and culture, everything from renowned curry houses and Jewish beigel shops to the Old Truman Brewery with its own market.
Photo of the Tower of London at night, taken from the Thames
An action photo of Docklands light Railway trains moving towards the camera under a set of arching glass structure

We host some of London’s best destinations

  • Historic attractions including the Tower of London, Young V&A and the Museum of London, Docklands, and Tower Bridge.
  • Over 120 parks including Victoria Park, voted London’s most loved park, and part of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
  • Major music festivals and events such as All Points East and In the Neighbourhood and the London Marathon.
  • World class culture with 22 art galleries including the Whitechapel Gallery, amazing street art and venues such as Wilton's Music Hall and Rich Mix.
Three youngsters examine some paperwork. Are these exam results?
People working on their laptops in a bright, spacious library space

We are a centre for world class learning and innovation

  • Queen Mary University of London has more than 30,000 students and is helping to create a life science centre in Whitechapel.
  • Barts NHS Trust hospitals train more than 4,000 people at any one time for medical careers.
  • Two million visits a year to the council’s eight Idea Stores and libraries.
  • The Government Digital Service is driving innovation from its headquarters in Whitechapel.
  • The London Metropolitan University’s School of Art, Architecture and Design in Whitechapel.
Monochrome photograph of men on a dockside holding one of the mooring ropes of a huge ocean liner
Photo of a diverse group of people in front of the Choose Courage mural of boxer Ramla Ali

We are a world borough with a proud history of diversity, equality and inclusion

  • Over 137 languages are spoken – 43 per cent of residents were born in over 200 different countries.
  • 86 per cent of residents say they get on well with one another.
  • Our residents fought fascism in the Battle of Cable Street and the roots of the Suffragette movement are in Roman Road.
  • The London docks were the drop-off point for immigrants to the UK as well as being the centre of world trade.