Bricklane Flashcards
(27 cards)
Describe the location of Brick Lane
-Located in the North East of London
-North of Whitechapel
-In the ward of Banglatown and Spitalfields
-Borough of Tower Hamlets
Name and describe the trading company responsible for initial movement of Bangladeshi migrants
-East India Trading company
-An English company formed for the exploitation of trade within East and South-East Asia and India in 1600
Employment statistics for Brick Lane
-54% employed in Spitalfields and Banglatown, below national average of 62.1%
-7.4% unemployed in Spitalfields and Banglatown, above national average of 4.4%
Religion statistics for Brick Lane
-Predominantly muslim, 41% of pop
-Only 5% of England is muslim
Socio-economic characteristics of Brick Lane
-7.5% of Spitalfields and Banglatown unemployed and 54% employed
-47% of Brick Lane children living in income deprivation
Cultural characteristics of Brick Lane
-41% Bangladesh in ward of Spitalfields and Banglatown
-41.5% muslim religion
Demographic characteristics (life expectancy) of Banglatown and Spitalfields
-Female life expectancy of 84.8 years
-Male life expectancy 77.4 years
Describe the shifting flows of people in Brick Lane
-17th century French Huguenots who migrated to Brick Lane following persecution in France
-19th Century had Irish following famine in Ireland
-Then Jewish population, who formed 95% of Spitalfields in 1900
-Bengali population in late 20th Century, original Bengali and Sylheti involved in sailing East India Trading company boats, 41% of Spitalfields and Bnaglatown residents are Bengali
Describe the shifting flows of money and investment in Brick Lane
-Regeneration schemes (City challenge and single regeneration schemes)
-Remittances (flow of money out of Brick Lane responsable for development in areas like Sylheti, it limits the development of Brick Lane though)
Explain the flows of ideas in Brick Lane
-New religions and cultural ideas, languages, skills, cuisines e.g. 60 curry restaurants in Brick Lane at one point
-Change in building from methodist chapel to synagogue and now mosque
-Tailoring and weaving from French, altered built environment as many buildings had lofts
Explain the flow of resources in Brick Lane
-Flow of silk and cotton in due to tailoring in 18th century and clothes out
-East India trading company moved resources such as silk, tea, porcelain and opium from Bengal to London
Name and describe 2 government policies affecting the character of Brick Lane
-British Nationality Act of 1948
Defined British Nationality as being a citizen of the UK and its colonies, meaning migration between any country that was a colony of the UK could begin, aiming to help respond to labour shortages and population decline in the UK after WW2
-British Empire
India became part of the British Empire. Establishment of the East India trading company opened trade routes and early migration passages between Bengal and Britain. British gov made Calcutta the capital of India, to cement the relationship between Bengal and London.
Suggest how past connections with the French Huguenots, Irish migrants and Bangladeshi migrants shaped Brick Lane
French Huguenots :
-Brought weaving skills to the area. Flow of silk in, clothes out.
-Changed built environment, many houses contained a big attic for weaving and tailoring
-Brought a Chapel to Brick Lane
Irish :
-Methodist Chapel
Bangladeshi :
-Introduced a mosque and the idea of muslim faith
-Curry cuisine
-Shari shops
What are the present connectors shaping Brick Lane ?
Links to city :
-Office workers can easily walk to Brick Lane for a curry lunch, cheap, almost a trend
Tourism :
-Regeneration in the area has been orientated towards an external tourist market
Remittances :
-Facilitated economic boom in Sylheti
-Introduced western style shopping malls and fast food
-Limited the development of Brick Lane ( no investment)
East London Tech
-A technology cluster in East London
-High salary consumers help to develop Brick Lane
-Can alter the demographic characteristics by pushing out the less wealthy
Describe the rebranding of Brick Lane to Banglatown
-In 1997 the London Borough of Tower Hamlets officially renamed the short stretch of Bangladeshi restaurants that crowd the Southern end of Brick Lane as Bnaglatown
-Brought Eastern style gateways, painted streetlamps, Bengali street signs
-Helps to attract an external consumer market through tourism
Describe the regeneration of the Truman Brewery
-In 1995 the Zeloof family bought the site and converted it into a market with hubs and galleries, recording studios, offices to rent and over 200 independent businesses/shops
-Opening of the ‘Vibe’ nightclub created a night time social setting and attracted a new demographic of young people into the area
-Caused a shift from secondary to tertiary structure, brewery to market
- Some local businesses were against the regeneration, as increased competition meant less demand for cafes and restaurants in Brick Lane such as the Bengali curry restaurants
What are the present developments of the Truman Brewery ?
-Plans to transform It into an office block and a shopping centre (there were 7300 letters of objection sent to the council and only 80 letters for)
-Threatens the small businesses by increasing rent price and competition and allows room for high street brands so homogenisation may become an issue
-Since 1989, been a cultural hub for over 200 markets and run by the zeloof partnership, introduction of shopping centre could damage this
What is the census data as a representation for Brick Lane ?
-Shows a dense population (increasing)
-Mostly working age and younger people
-Diverse ethnicities showing extent of multiculturalism, majorly muslim
Describe poetry as a representation of Brick Lane
-‘The Brick Lane I see’ by Sally Flood
‘a mixture of aromatic spices, curries, onions’
Importance of cuisine/curry culture
‘pollution with heavy exhaust fumes’
Bad environmental quality
‘where the immigrant looks for fulfilment’
Large immigrant population
How are novels a representation of Brick Lane ?
-‘Brick Lane’ by Monica Ali
‘Bangle colours and Basmati rice’
Importance of Bangladeshi culture
‘Ten years ago there was no money here’
Bangladeshi immigrants have brought money here and changed the economic characteristics
How are photographs a representation of Brick Lane ?
-Signs in English and Bengali shows the importance of Bangladeshi culture
-Many curry restaurants, economic importance
How are films a representation of Brick Lane ?
-The novel ‘Brick Lane’ was turned into a film
-Showed small flats, high population density (cheap, low-quality housing)
-Curry and Bengali culture
-However, it only focuses on one aspect
How are paintings a representation of Brick Lane ?
-‘Brick Lane Market, London’ by Liam O’Farrell
-A painting of Brick Lane market and crowds
-Misses out the vintage shops
-Misses out curry restaurants
-Shows a mostly white British population which isn’t representative
How is graffiti a representation of Brick Lane ?
-Multiculturalism in graffiti ( a burka-clad stick figure holding hands with a non burka-wearing figure)
-Lots of graffiti and street art
-A very arty place
