Pennyfields is the western extension of Poplar High Street.
Pennyfields, characterised by its modest housing and shops, served as a buffer zone between the relatively shabby respectability of the High Street and the intriguing Oriental underworld of Limehouse Causeway to the west. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Pennyfields represented a peculiar blend of these two societies. However, in the inter-war years, the street transformed into the heart of the Chinese East End. Unfortunately, all the buildings associated with its colourful history have been demolished, making way for public housing in the 1960s.
The origins of Pennyfields are shrouded in obscurity, intertwined with the complex landholdings of the Stepney Manor. Some properties in the area retained manorial tenure well into the 20th century. There is little evidence of substantial development before 1650, although a map from around 1573 suggests that Pennyfields was an undeveloped pathway connecting the established streets of Limehouse Causeway and Poplar High Street. In 1652, Abraham Chambers, a goldsmith from the City, acquired property in the Stepney Manor, which included six cottages and adjoining land spanning 16 acres known as Penny Field. By 1669, Abraham’s son, also named Abraham, was granted ownership of the same property, which had grown to encompass "43 tenements and 27 cottages in or near Pennyfield in Poplar" along with the original 16 acres of land. The significant increase in the number of properties indicates that the street was developed during the 1650s and 1660s. Some of the cottages were constructed with three rooms stacked on top of each other. While the architectural style may have differed, the density of buildings in that era was comparable to the Pennyfields of 1868, which boasted 77 properties. The 16-acre plot known as "Penny Field" persisted at least until the 1770s when it was owned by a man named William Hitch, who possessed a house and the 16-acre tract of land.
During the 19th century, the residents of Pennyfields generally had lower prosperity compared to those living in Poplar High Street. In 1851, more than half of the houses in Pennyfields were occupied by multiple families, and some properties, particularly lodging houses, accommodated even more resident families. While the social status of the inhabitants had always been modest, the 1851 census suggests that Pennyfields had experienced more prosperous times in the past. In that year, 21 households still employed domestic servants, but by 1881, only six households could afford to do so. As the century progressed, the number of professional residents declined. In the mid-19th century, middle-class residents included William Henry, a surgeon who had studied under Robert Lister, residing at No. 2, a dentist at No. 57, two chemists and druggists at a Medical Hall at No. 1, and the owners of two small boarding schools at Nos. 24 and 41.
Amidst the small two-story brick houses of 19th-century Pennyfields, a few architectural remnants reflected a more prosperous past. Several substantial properties from the early to mid-18th century survived until the 1960s.
Between 1851 and 1881, the character of Pennyfields underwent little change. It remained a combination of run-down residential and retail properties, with some light manufacturing activities. For example, from 1833 to 1869, there was a brass foundry at No. 44, and in 1881, there was a tent manufacturer at No. 55, a leather currier at No. 37, and at No. 76, Jacheus Poulson and his son, who were writers, painters, and gilders. General shops were interspersed among the residential properties, with many of the shop fronts being established between 1840 and 1860. By 1881, a small cluster of shops existed from No. 52 to No. 68 (even).
In 1851, several Irish inhabitants, primarily labourers and dock workers, were recorded in Pennyfields. By 1881, the number of Irish residents had increased to 37 out of a total population of 622, and they were joined by 23 individuals of German and Scandinavian origin. The Germans were mainly employed in trades such as tailoring, shoemaking, and baking. A Scandinavian Reading Room was established at No. 33 from the early 20th century until 1930. Thus, even before the arrival of the Chinese community, Pennyfields was starting to acquire a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
By 1888, Pennyfields had a highly diverse character. The north side of the street included at least five households classified as middle-class, which encompassed the Commercial Tavern at No. 1, the Rose and Crown at No. 17, and three small shops at Nos. 33-37. On the other hand, the south side was poorer, housing several destitute laborers, a few well-visited brothels, and a lodging house at No. 62 where 20 children resided. A cat’s meat shop, a type of butcher shop selling horseflesh (one of several in the street), could be found at No. 70. The street was described as miserable and impoverished. Ten years later, little had changed except for an increase in the number of lodgings for foreign seamen on the south side. Architecturally, it remained a row of irregularly built houses and small shops, with rooms being rented out above them.
One of the poorest areas in Pennyfields was a small blind courtyard called Silver Lion Court, situated behind the Silver Lion public house at No. 65. The Silver Lion had been present on the site since at least 1750, while the court itself was built around 1800. It consisted of 14 two-story brick houses arranged back-to-back, with narrow frontages of 13 feet. However, by 1862, the Medical Officer of Health reported to the Poplar Board of Guardians that 113 people were living in filth and squalor on a space of just 105 feet by 30 feet. The court became predominantly inhabited by Irish residents in the 1880s and had already been closed once by the sanitary authorities. In 1882, a local resident complained about the "low and filthy class of people occupying the houses therein."
Silver Lion Court was condemned by the Borough Medical Officer of Health in 1919 when it housed 12 houses with a population of 45 people. In 1933, it was officially designated as a Clearance Area, and the Borough Medical Officer declared that none of the seven houses was suitable for human habitation. The houses were described as dark, damp, worn-out and dilapidated, accessed through a narrow court. All the houses had been cleared by 1937.
From the 1890s onwards, the Chinese community in the East End began to grow in size and expand eastwards from Limehouse Causeway into Pennyfields. This area catered to Lascar, Chinese, and Japanese sailors working on Oriental routes into the Port of London. The main attractions for these sailors were the opium dens hidden behind shops in Limehouse and Poplar, as well as the presence of prostitutes, Chinese grocers, restaurants, and seamen’s lodging houses. Racial segregation and language barriers contributed to the concentration of Chinese residents in Pennyfields, as they faced hostility from British sailors and many struggled with English. Over time, the drab shops of Pennyfields transformed into Chinese emporiums, with colourful interiors that provided an exotic contrast to the otherwise grey streets of Poplar. These Chinese shops were described as quaint, with walls decorated in red and orange papers adorned with Chinese writing indicating the style or name of the business, along with maps of China and hanging Chinese almanacs.
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, Pennyfields developed a reputation that attracted the attention of the literary and artistic circles of fin-de-siècle London. The intoxicating aromas of burning opium, joss-sticks, and tobacco from hubble-bubble pipes created an atmosphere that fascinated the West End society. Parties from the West End would venture to Pennyfields at night, expecting to find something exotic and morally decadent. However, they often discovered that the reality of Pennyfields was far more ordinary than the legends suggested. Nonetheless, Pennyfields had a distinct character that set it apart from the rest of Poplar.
By 1918, there were 182 Chinese residents living in Pennyfields, all of whom were men, with nine of them having English wives. During the 1930s, Chinatown, which encompassed Pennyfields and Limehouse Causeway, reached its peak size with a population of 5000, many of whom were sailors. Some Chinese individuals continued to reside in Pennyfields until the street’s demolition after 1960. In the 1920s, it was noted that many of the houses occupied by the Chinese community were very old and externally dilapidated.
In September 1933, the Poplar Borough Council identified a small section of Pennyfields as a clearance area, specifically houses numbered 71 to 77 (odd). By 1937, all the houses in question had been cleared and demolished.
During the Second World War, some properties in Pennyfields suffered bomb damage. However, even before the war, much of the street had already fallen into decay, with many houses in a state of disrepair. In the 1950s and 1960s, both sides of the street were compulsorily purchased by the London County Council, except for the Rose and Crown public house on the north side, which was rebuilt in the 1950s and remains standing.
Subsequently, all the other properties on Pennyfields were demolished in the 1960s to make way for the construction of the Birchfield Estate.
