Chrisp Street Market connects Poplar’s Victorian market history with a landmark in the town centre: alongside market stalls and shops, there are cafés and places to eat and drink. Its Clock Tower is a Grade II listed building. If you’re looking for a holiday rental in Poplar, you can start planning by considering whether market history and architecture, walks, sport or cultural events should shape your stay.
The bus routes 15, 108, 115, 309, D6, D7 and D8, as well as the night buses N15 and N551, stop right next to Chrisp Street Market. As routes may change, check the latest route information before travelling.
Memorials and Local History
A memorial in Poplar Recreation Ground commemorates 18 children who died on 13 June 1917 during the First World War at Upper North Street School in Poplar. A mural and an information panel there also refer to the Poplar Rates Rebellion of 1921. The two memorials relate to different events and give the park a clear historical connection.
The grounds of All Saints Church are also part of Poplar’s history: the churchyard closed to burials in 1862 and was subsequently opened to the public in stages as a recreation area and garden. All Saints Church in Poplar itself was built in 1823. These landmarks connect local history of public space with a specific construction date.
Architecture from Different Eras
Poplar Baths was the first swimming pool in Britain to use stepped rooflights on a hyperbolic reinforced-concrete frame. Another architectural story is told by the Church of St Mary and St Joseph: Adrian Gilbert Scott built it between 1951 and 1954 as part of the Live Architecture exhibition at the Festival of Britain. Susan Lawrence School was the first building to be reconstructed as part of the exhibition. Open staircases with slender steel balustrades can be found at both Susan Lawrence School and Elizabeth Lansbury School; they are typical of the architectural language of the Festival of Britain. St Matthias Church has a much earlier connection: it was built in 1654 as the East India Company’s chapel.
Walks by the Canal and Nearby
The In the footsteps of the dragon walking route starts at All Saints DLR station in the centre of Poplar. Separately, a central, traffic-calmed footpath runs between the shops to Chrisp Street Market. Silver wall panels created by community groups mark the Poplar Heritage Trail.
The Limehouse Cut runs alongside Bartlett Park and connects the Lee Navigation with the River Thames. A floating towpath forms part of a waterside walk along the canal. Bartlett Park was laid out as a recreation area in the 1950s and opened in 1961. This gives visitors two distinct starting points for walks: a canal-side park and a dedicated waterside path.
Nearby, East India Dock Basin has been transformed into a wildlife nature reserve that supports a diverse bird population. Two bird hides overlook the basin. The Lee Valley Walk also starts there: it follows Bow Creek, continues to Three Mills and then passes through the Lee Valley. This route offers a different focus from the paths along the Limehouse Cut, combining birdwatching at the basin with a longer route through the Lee Valley.
Sport, Culture and Food
Poplar Baths Leisure Centre has a 25-metre swimming pool and a four-court sports hall. The hall is equipped for badminton, netball, volleyball, gymnastics and street dance. Poplar Union adds a varied programme of live music, theatre, comedy, dance, family activities, health and wellbeing classes, community workshops and festivals to the local scene. If you’d like to plan your visit around a particular event, check the current programme.
Poplar Bakehouse, formerly e5 Roasthouse, runs the café at Poplar Union. It serves breakfast and lunch daily, as well as freshly made baked goods. There is also a food shop selling locally grown fruit and vegetables. Poplar’s offerings thus range from architecture and local history to walks, sport, events and places to eat.
For the broader travel overview: Tower Hamlets.
