Discover Limehouse: London’s forgotten Chinatown
Join Open City for a socially-distanced walking tour delving in London’s colonial history and exploring the city’s old Chinatown in Limehouse
Led by up-and-coming writer and film maker Siufan Adey, this historically insightful walking tour will trace the lost architecture and community of east London’s Chinatown which was gradually displaced as a result of 1930s slum clearances and council-led housing developments during the 1960s.
Located in the centre of London’s docklands — once the largest trading port in the world — Limehouse was the focal point for a large and thriving immigrant population with many Chinese and Eurasian migrants settling in the area from the 1860s onwards; creating a physical legacy of shops, lodging-houses, and community centres.
By 1890 there were two distinct, if very small, Chinese communities living in the East End’s dockside neighbourhoods and the area became major focal point for anti-immigrant press campaigns during the interwar period. The area’s Chinese community later relocated to Soho in the 1960s, creating the area now widely known as London’s Chinatown.
The tour will explore interactions between dominant host and immigrant communities and recounting the experiences of immigrants who were displaced following the decline of London’s ports. It will also reflect on subsequent regeneration projects that shaped and formed the Docklands area today and uncover the surviving elements of this extraordinary history.
Providing a safe and fun way for enthusiastic urbanists to explore the city in our post-pandemic era, this walking tour will explore the colonial histories of the capital and is part of a new series of events responding to the core themes of the Open House festival and wider Open City programme.
Meet: Outside Museum of London Docklands, No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay E14 4AL. End point: Westferry DLR Station. Duration: 2 hours approx. Cost £14.50 / £9.50 concessions (students/unemployed).
Attendees must download Zoom for the live audio broadcast, bring a fully charged smart phone with internet connection, and headphones; and remember to stay spaced. Zoom joining info will be sent out to bookers 48-24 hours before the tour. Get in touch with Adrianna at tours@open-city.org.uk with any queries.
Meet the tour guide…
Siufan Adey holds a degree in Architectural and Interdisciplinary Studies from The Bartlett UCL, where she produced architecture-infused films with the aim of empowering marginalised voices. While completing her studies, Siufan became a founding member of New Architecture Writers and received mentorship from the Architecture Foundation and Architectural Review magazine. She is currently completing her MA in Research Architecture at Goldsmiths. She joined the Open City tours team in November 2021.