Whitechapel

Whitechapel
Top from left: Royal London Hospital and Whitechapel Market; Aldgate East station, with the Whitechapel Gallery. Middle from left: The East London Mosque; Vallance Gardens. Bottom from left: Altab Ali Park; Whitechapel Bell Foundry;
Whitechapel Location within Greater London
Population	14,862 (Whitechapel ward 2011)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ335815
London borough	Tower Hamlets
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	E1
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Bethnal Green and Bow
London Assembly	City and East
List of places UK England London 51°30′59″N 0°4′9″W / 51.51639°N 0.06917°W / 51.51639; -0.06917

Whitechapel is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough town centre. Whitechapel is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) east of Charing Cross.

The district is primarily built around Whitechapel High Street and Whitechapel Road, which extend from the City of London boundary to just east of Whitechapel station. These two streets together form a section of the originally Roman Road from the Aldgate to Colchester, a route that later became known as the Great Essex Road. Population growth resulting from ribbon development along this route, led to the creation of the parish of Whitechapel, a daughter parish of Stepney, from which it was separated, in the 14th century.

Whitechapel has a long history of having a high proportion of immigrants within the community. From the late 19th century until the late 20th century the area had a very high Jewish population, and it subsequently became a significant settlement for the British Bangladeshi community. Whitechapel and neighbouring Spitalfields were the locations of the infamous 11 Whitechapel murders (1888–91), some of which were attributed to the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. These factors and others have led to Whitechapel being seen by many as the embodiment of London's East End, and for that reason it is often used to represent the East End in art and literature.^[2]

Landmarks include Tower Hamlets Town Hall, the Royal London Hospital and the East London Mosque.