The former Regent Street (created in 1816) became called Regency Street in 1877.

The area’s character was originally influenced by Millbank Penitentiary, Britain’s first national prison. The prison was marked by high walls and a surrounding ditch that ran along Causton Street and behind the current Peel House site.

The area was undergoing swift urbanisation by the time of the street’s 1877 name change - it was the location of modest terraced houses. The neighbourhood became increasingly impoverished and overcrowded as the Victorian era drew to a close. Booth’s 1891 notebooks record that the eastern side of Regency Street had been demolished during slum clearance initiatives. The same year saw the demolition of Millbank Penitentiary.

The early 1900s brought significant transformation to the area. Most buildings standing in the street date from this period. The 1910 Ordnance Survey map reveals that by then, the majority of the small terraced houses had been cleared away.

The latter half of the twentieth century brought new construction. The most notable addition was Hide Tower, which stands 64.6m high to the north and has a commanding presence over the district.

Regency Street is now home to the notable Art Deco ’Regency Cafe’.

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