Sunday 11 November 2012

Arnold Circus, East London


Built to replace a notorious slum, the late Victorian Boundary Estate is centered on Arnold Circus - a raised circular park encircled by handsome five-story, red-brick housing blocks and school buildings, dating from the nineteenth century. Seven roads lead into the circus. Two flights of steps take you up through the well-tended borders and past the wrought iron railings to an elevated circular platform containing mature trees and an aging bandstand sheltering a table tennis table. This is a good vantage point from which to admire the harmonious and historic housing estate all around you.  The subject of an episode of the 2012 BBC series The Secret History of Our Streets, Arnold Circus has been home to generations of east end immigrants. 8/10