Mile End

The night before visiting Mile End I was informed by that of the most reliable sources, namely a man in a pub, that it would be "a rough place."

The naturally muted tones of the British do not make the place (in)justice it deserves. If there ever was a need to condense the place into a single-word description, unwelcoming should fit the bill. The closest thing I can think of is a mix of Pitäjänmäki in the very early 90's with a fair sprinkle of West Baltimore as shown in The Wire.

The above may sound like a cruel joke, but unfortunaly it is anything but. Apartments look just like "the projects", and judging by the local council decrees, there will be more of them. An old girls' school is in fact set to be demolished to make way for another housing project.

Everywhere the lots are not just protected, but outright fortified. Cast-iron fences abound. The only thing missing were moats and auto-cannons.

Much to my surprise, the houses most heavily fortified (even more than usual) were those next to the churches and other places of worship. The local parks felt just sad. Almost as if they had been cruelly tossed out in the middle of urban jungle and then left to wither.

I didn't see any cafés there. To be honest, after the first 45 minutes in the area I wasn't looking.

The odd houses in the area are actually pretty nice. Looking from the street, I got the feeling that the rooms above ground floor were even higher and larger than usual. The windows giving to streets are wide.

Given some thought and 15 years of planning, the region could easily turn into the next artist collective. The rents are not too high and the lofty rooms would make for great working studios.

But for the moment, I can only recommend to stay away.