Prizes for Whitechapel Vision scheme Following its ‘silver’ at the national Planning Awards in November, the Whitechapel Vision scheme has been nominated for another prize in the Royal Town Planning Institute Awards. Half a million reasons The Greater London Authority recently awarded over £500,000 to Whitechapel through its High Street Fund. Feature New town hall plan set to save the London and kickstart regeneration The old Royal London’s history will continue into the future. BY SAM GOUGH THE old Royal London Hospital was sold to the council for £9 million in February and plans are currently being drawn up for a civic hub which will ensure the heritage of the site is retained. With more people working in and around Whitechapel, it is hoped the hub will act as a economic boost for the area, and be a catalyst for regeneration. The new civic centre will be funded through efficiencies made by the council, and is just one of a number of changes that will be taking place in Whitechapel over the coming years. With the opening of the new Crossrail station in 2018, Tower Hamlets has identified Whitechapel as a growth opportunity waiting to happen. The Whitechapel Vision plans, launched in March 2014, have generated a lot of support from residents and businesses, along with strategic partners involved in the delivery of the project. The plans wons silver at the national Planning Awards in November 2014, and recently received a funding boost from the GLA’s High Street Fund. And it has now been nominated for a Royal Town Planning Institute award. Once the developments and other improvements have been completed, Whitechapel will have: ■up to 3,500 new homes delivered by 2025, including a substantial number of family and affordable homes; ■ 5,000 new jobs; ■ a completely transformed Whitechapel Road; ■ seven new public squares and open spaces; ■ rejuvenated town centre. The council has created a new project team, who are currently working with a number of organisations to regenerate and transform the area by undertaking discussions with key landowners on development opportunities. The team will also consult with residents and work closely with the Whitechapel Vision strategic partners – the mayor of London and Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London (TfL), Barts Health NHS Trust, Queen Mary University of London, L&Q London Housing Association and Sainsbury’s. Things you might not know about the new town hall The Royal London Hospital has a long and illustrious history. Here are just a few fascinating facts. ■The hospital has been around since 1740. It was founded as The London by businessmen and philanthropists. It was intended for the sick and poor among the merchant seaman and manufacturing classes. ■The Royal London moved to Whitechapel in 1757. The hospital governors appointed a committee to choose a site for a purpose-built hospital. Whitechapel was selected and building work began in 1752. In 1757, the new hospital was partially opened. It was designed by Boulton Mainwaring at a cost of £18,000. ■The hospital relied on public generosity for more than 200 years. It opened in 1757 with only one shilling (5p) in the bank – so it was heavily reliant upon charity. The hospital continued to thrive and grow for more than 200 years. ■The hospital helped to train many generations of nurses. By 1873, the hospital had opened its own school of nursing, which became the largest nurse training school in Britain. Nursing care and nurse education flourished at the hospital, inspired by Florence Nightingale, who was an honorary governor. ■Doctor Barnado trained at the Royal London. Thomas John Barnardo became a medical student at the Royal London in 1866. During his medical studies, he became acutely aware of the great number of homeless children on the streets of London. In 1870, he set up the first of his Dr Barnardos homes in Stepney Causeway. ■ Queen Victoria popped in. One of the first public appearances of Queen Victoria, following the death of her beloved husband Albert, was to open the Grocers Wing in 1876. ■The ‘Elephant Man’ was admitted to the hospital. Joseph Merrick, known as the ‘Elephant Man’, was admitted to the hospital where he lived until his death in 1890. During his four years at the hospital, Merrick’s condition gradually deteriorated. He required a great deal of care and spent much of his time in bed. Following his death, doctors dissected his body and took plaster casts of his head and limbs. His skeleton remains in the pathology collection at the hospital. ■The first wounded from World War I came to the Royal London. The first soldiers to return from the Western Front during WWI went straight to the historic hospital. The war had a devastating impact on hospitals up and down the country, as they accumulated large debts, and many had to introduce charges for patients. At the Royal London, they had to means test patients. ■The hospital played a big part in organising emergency medical services during the Blitz. World War II saw the hospital get even busier and it played a central role in organising emergency medical services to the north and east of London. It also suffered heavy damage during the Blitz. Staff and patients were evacuated to hospitals outside London but essential services such as accident & emergency and midwifery remained at Whitechapel. ■The hospital became part of the National Health Service in 1948. From its opening, the hospital ran on donations. But in 1948, the Royal London became part of the NHS. ■ The hospital became Royal in 1990. In 1990, the hospital was granted a royal title by the Queen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of its opening in Whitechapel. ■It hosted the first helicopter emergency medical service in Britain to carry a doctor on board. London’s Air Ambulance, based at the Royal London, became operational in 1999. It was the first helicopter emergency medical service in Britain to carry a doctor on board. ■The hospital helped 208 patients following the July 7 London bombings. The Royal London has survived some of London’s darkest times and, in 2005, it received and treated 208 patients injured in the July 7 terrorist bombings. The Queen visited the hospital to thank staff for their hard work. ■The hospital’s next chapter is about to begin… Construction on the new hospital began in 2007 and it was opened on March 1, 2012. The old Royal London will soon be transformed into a new town hall. And so its history will continue into the future. 12 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 6 – 12 APRIL 2015
East_End_Life_06Apr2015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above