Chinatown, London
| Chinatown, London | |
| Middlesex | |
|---|---|
 Main gate on Wardour Street | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ297807 |
| Location: | 51°30’40"N, 0°7’53"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | London |
| Postcode: | W1 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Westminster |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Cities of London and Westminster |
Chinatown is an ethnic enclave in the City of Westminster in Middlesex, bordering Soho to its north and west, 'Theatreland' to the south and east. The enclave currently occupies the area in and around Gerrard Street. It contains a number of Chinese restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, souvenir shops, and other Chinese-run businesses. The first Chinatown was located in Limehouse in the East End.
Chinatown has no officially defined size, but it has commonly been considered to approximately encompass Gerrard Street, the bottom half of Wardour Street, Rupert Street and Rupert Court, a section of Shaftesbury Avenue and Lisle Street, Macclesfield Street and Newport Place, Newport Court and Little Newport Street.[1]
History
The first area in London known as Chinatown was located in the Limehouse area of the East End of London.[2] At the start of the 20th century, the Chinese population of London was concentrated in that area, setting up businesses which catered to the Chinese sailors who frequented the Docks. The area was known through exaggerated reports and tales of slum housing and (the then-legal) opium dens, rather than the Chinese restaurants and supermarkets of the current Chinatown. However, much of the area was damaged by aerial bombing during the Blitz in the Second World War, although a number of elderly Chinese still choose to live in this area. After the Second World War, however, the growing popularity of Chinese cuisine and an influx of immigrants from Hong Kong led to an increasing number of Chinese restaurants being opened elsewhere.
The present Chinatown, which is off Shaftesbury Avenue did not start to be established until the 1970s. Previously, it was a regular Soho area, run-down, with Gerrard Street the main thoroughfare. It was dominated by the Post Office, facing Macclesfield Street, and other major establishments were The Tailor & Cutter House, at 43/44, now a Chinese supermarket and restaurant, the Boulogne Restaurant, near the Wardour Street end, and by Peter Mario's Restaurant at the other end. Other businesses included a master baker's, the Sari Centre, Lesgrain French Coffee House, Harrison Marks' Glamour Studio, an Indian restaurant and various brothels. Probably the first Chinese restaurants opened in Lisle Street,[3] parallel to Gerrard Street, and more opened gradually; one of the first restaurants was Kowloon Restaurant. The Tailor & Cutter did not close down until around 1974. The area now has more than 80 restaurants.[4]
In 2005, the property developer Rosewheel proposed a plan to redevelop the eastern part of Chinatown. The plan was opposed by many of the existing retailers in Chinatown, as they believe that the redevelopment would drive out the traditional Chinese retail stores from the area and change the ethnic characteristic of Chinatown.
The London Chinatown Community Centre has been housed in the Chinatown area since it was founded in 1980 by Dr Abraham Lue.[5]
On 25 July 2016, a new Chinatown gate on Wardour Street was opened by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. It was made by Chinese artisans and assembled in London. The gate is in the style of the Ching dynasty.[1]
There was a Chinese-style pavilion at Newport Place from the 1980s which was a popular meeting point, but it was demolished in 2016 after more than thirty years, despite protests. The development authorities had plans to renovate and enlarge the square.[6] The construction of a new pavilion at a different location was announced.[7]
Pictures
-
Chinatown, New Year 2009 -
The corner of Gerrard Street, 2013 -
Bilingual street sign -
Details of the entrance gate on Wardour Street -
A stone lion on Gerrard Street
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Chinatown, London) |
- The official Chinatown London website
- London Chinatown Community Centre (LCCC)
- New Google 360 degree tour of Chinatown
- The official London Chinatown Chinese Association website
- Reassessing what we collect website – Chinese London - history of Chinese London with objects and images
- Chinatown Chinese Lion Dance
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Find out about Chinatown". https://chinatown.co.uk/en/about-us/.
- ↑ Sales, Rosemary (2012). "London's Chinatown". in Donald, Stephanie. Branding cities : cosmopolitanism, parochialism, and social change. d'Angelo, Alessio; Liang, Xiujing; Montagna, Nicola. London: Routledge. pp. 45–58. ISBN 978-0-415-53670-7. OCLC 782999960.
- ↑ In the 1950s, followed by SeeWoo, a Chinese supermarket, still serving the community today. Lisle Street was the Mecca of electronic junk, attracting hifi and television enthusiasts from all over southern England
- ↑ "Giles Coren reviews Empress of Sichuan". The Times. 20 February 2010.
- ↑ "Our History". London Chinatown Community Centre. http://www.ccc.org.uk/about-us/our-history-%E6%AD%B7%E5%8F%B2/.
- ↑ "Chinatown pagoda is demolished as part of regeneration scheme". http://westendextra.com/article/chinatown-pagoda-is-demolished-as-part-of-regeneration-scheme.
- ↑ "London's iconic Chinatown pavilion set for rebirth - World - Chinadaily.com.cn". https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2016-11/16/content_27399386.htm.
- "London's first Chinatown". portcities.org.uk. Accessed 11 April 2011.