Arnold Circus

Arnold Circus in Shoreditch stands on a site that in the 1850s was considered the worst slum areas in London—the Old Nichol— where the crime rate was high and there was much poverty. Given the need for housing, the area was demolished between 1890-1894 and Arnold Circus formed the centrepiece of the development with seven streets radiating out from it. The poorest people (the ‘idle poor’) were moved out and the ‘industrious poor’ moved in.

In the 1970s and much of the 80s you couldn’t pay people to move into Shoreditch. Then the artists moved in because properties were so cheap (and there was a lot of squatting). 

Today the five storey flats of the 19th century are looking pretty shabby and there was a fair bit of scaffolding for renovation work. 

The main photo shows the bandstand in Arnold Circus with various other views in extras.