Stepney

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Stepney

Coordinates: 51.5152° N 0.0462° W
OS grid reference	TQ355814
London borough	Tower Hamlets
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	E1
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Bethnal Green and Bow
London Assembly	City and East
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

For the place in Adelaide, South Australia, see Stepney, South Australia.

Stepney is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is located 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east north-east of Charing Cross and forms part of the East End of London.

The area consists of mostly post-war high density housing and a few streets of terraced housing that escaped slum-clearance. There is light industry and a few warehouses although this is mostly in decline.

Commercial Road, part of the A13, passes through the area east to west. Stepney is served by Stepney Green tube station which takes its name from the open space Stepney Green.

The area has thus far mostly escaped mass gentrification although the nearby areas of Whitechapel, Wapping, Limehouse and Mile End, which surround Stepney, are becoming increasingly redeveloped.

St Dunstan's is Stepney's oldest church, founded in 923, but the present building dates principally from the 1400s. St Dunstan's has a long association with the sea, being responsible for registration of British maritime births, deaths and marriages until the 19th century.

1 History
2 Nearest places
3 Nearest stations
4 See also
5 Sources

[edit] History

In 1085 Stepney was listed in the Domesday Book survey of England which was recorded in Old French, and whose translation includes:

III. The land of the Bishop of London

In 'Ossulstone' hundred the Bishop of London holds Stepney 32 hides. There is land for 25 ploughs. To the demesne belong 14 hides, and there are 3 ploughs; and 22 ploughs among the villeins. There are 44 villans each on 1 virgate, and 7 villans each on half a hide, and 9 villeins each on half a virgate, and 46 cottars on 1 hide: they pay 30s a year. There are 4 mills rendering £4.16s less 4d, meadow for 25 ploughs, pasture for the livestock of the vill and 15s, woodland for 500 pigs and 40s. In all it is worth £48: and when received, the same: £50. This manor belonged and belongs to the bishopric.

Bishop William held this land in demesne, in the manor of Stepney, on the day on which King Edward was alive and dead.

In the same vill Ranulph Flambard holds 3½ hides of the bishop.

[edit] Nearest places

[edit] Nearest stations

[edit] See also

Stepney is the name of a steam locomotive on the Bluebell Railway, which has also featured as a character of the same name in The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry.^{[citation needed]}

Stepney is also the name of an episcopal area in the Anglican Diocese of London, which covers the London boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets. Stepney Episcopal Area has its own suffragan bishop.

The word stepney is used in India to refer the spare tyre of a car, after the Stepney Spare Motor Wheel which was invented by Walter Davies in 1904, named after Stepney Street, Llanelli, Wales.^{[citation needed]}

Des O' Connor was born in Stepney.^{[citation needed]} Goodnight Sweetheart was set in Stepney.^{[citation needed]}