Commercial Road, towards Limehouse

This part of Commercial Road has the magnificent St Ann s Church whose tower dominates the whole of Limehouse. In front of the tower is Limehouse Town Hall, opened in 1870.  While on the other side of the road is the Britannia public house, standing beside the Limehouse Cut, constructed in 1770, and the Britannia Bridge.  

This broad and very busy road stretches for a mile and three-quarters from Aldgate to Limehouse.  It was constructed in 1803 to link the West India Docks and East India Docks with the City of London.  Soon, it was to become the main thoroughfare for dock traffic from the Royals and Tilbury as well.  

Construction for the Road was given by an Act of Parliament to the Commercial Road Company, whose trustees were allowed to raise money and levy tolls.  With ruthlessness and Roman planning the road cut a near straight line through the East End, taking in its way a large portion of St Ann s Churchyard.  With ever increasing dock trade,  the Company decided in the 1830s to construct a stone tramway of Aberdeen granite along its entire length, enabling goods to be move along the road more easily.  In the 1860s, Commercial Road became a public road when control passed to a number of local Metropolitan Boards of Works and tolls were then abolished.  

Salmons Lane joins Commercial Road from the left at the bridge.  It was here, at a small open space, that Oswald Mosely was to have addressed his assembled marchers during their march through the East End, from Royal Mint Street to Victoria Park, on the 4th October 1936.  They never arrived.  Stopped by crowds of demonstrators at Cable Street and Gardener s Corner, the march never even started.  

Limehouse Town Hall, a Grade II listed building, was built with an impressive entrance, a magnificent staircase and impressive Concert Hall, on the first floor.  In the 1920s it housed the Local Rates Office and Infant Welfare Centre.  During the Second World War, the Town Hall received severe blast damage and remained closed for a number of years.  Restored, the Town Hall again became Council Offices again until the 1970s when it became the National Museum of Labour History - mostly London Labour Dock History.  In the 1980s, the Museum moved, because of funding problems, to Manchester!  

After being empty for a number of years the Limehouse Town Hall Consortium Trust become the custodians of the building in 2004.