Bromley-by-Bow

Bromley or Bromley-by-Bow is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, located on the western banks of the River Lea, in the Lower Lea Valley in East London. It is an inner-city suburb located 4.7 miles (7.5 km) east of Charing Cross.

The area is distinct from Bow, which lies immediately north of the formal boundary between the two, which runs along Bow Road, or near the Lea, slightly to the south of the Road. The area has historically been known as both Bromley and Bromley-by-Bow. In 1967, the latter name was chosen as the new name for Bromley tube station, a change designed to prevent confusion with Bromley South station in the London Borough of Bromley.

The formal boundaries of the area were set when the area became a parish in 1537 when it split from Stepney. The boundaries of the new parish were based on those of much older pre-existing estates.

Bromley has a rich history, but many of its most historic buildings have been lost. It is connected to the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway.

In early records the name first appears as Brambele, Brambelegh, or Brembeley and is likely to be derived from the Saxon words Brembel – a bramble, and lege – a field. The name Bromley-by-Bow has historic pedigree, appearing in the correspondence of Oliver Cromwell. In 1967, the name was chosen as the new name for Bromley tube station to prevent confusion with Bromley railway station in the London Borough of Bromley.

Bow itself (also part of Stepney until the 18th century) was originally known as Stratforde, becoming Stratford-at-Bow when a medieval bridge was built, in the arched shape of a bow, to distinguish it from Stratford Langthorne on the other side of the River Lea.

The oldest surviving written reference to the area, as Braembeleg, was from about the year 1000 when it was referred to as one of the manors belonging to St Paul's Cathedral.

Bromley was home to St Leonard's Priory a Benedictine nunnery founded in the time of William the Conqueror and mentioned in the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It was destroyed at the time of the Dissolution in 1536, and the manor and lands passed to Sir Ralph Sadleir, who lived at Sutton House in Homerton and was privy councillor to Henry VIII. The exception was the priory chapel which was retained.