Did you know that...
The lead singer of the English rock band Blur, Damon Albarn, was born in Whitechapel E1. The famous boxer who won the British Lightweight Championship in 1934 was also born in this area. His name was Jack Kid Berg and he was known as the Whitechapel Windmill. Entertainer Bud Flanagan is another famous person who originates from Whitechapel E1.
Whitechapel E1 is also the place where unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper committed murders in the late 1800s. He was also known as the Whitechapel Murderer.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets boasts of the Whitechapel Art Gallery. The Whitechapel it is the jewel of London’s cultural landscape and an internationally renowned art venue famous for its exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.
Founded in 1901, the gallery was intended to bring great art to the east Londoners. However, Whitechapel Road has always been a centre of the capital’s art scene. There were two theatres here in the 19th century (‘The Effingham’ and The Pavilion Theatre) and one in the 20th (Yiddish theatre).
First created as an outpost of high culture in a poor London’s neighborhood, the Whitechapel has gained the glory of a prominent art venue and hosted a number of world premiers. The list of artists, whose art pieces were demonstrated to great acclaim here, includes Picasso, Jackson Pollock, David Hockney, Richard Long, Gilbert & George, as well as Donald Judd, Cindy Sherman, and Paul McCarthy, Cristina Iglesias, Franz West, Nan Goldin, and Mark Wallinger, and more.