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 Interactive map of Cable Street | |
| Length | 1.2 mi (1.9 km) |
|---|---|
| Location | London Borough of Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom |
Postal code | E1, E1W |
Nearest train station |  Shadwell Shadwell |
| West end | Tower Hill |
| East end | Limehouse |
| Other | |
| Known for | Battle of Cable Street |
Cable Street is a 1.15 mile-long road in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, England. It was made famous by the Battle of Cable Street in 1936.
Cable Street starts near the edge of London's financial district and ancient core, the City of London. It begins as an eastward extension of Royal Mint Street and passes through four historic parish districts. It begins with a short section in south-western Whitechapel, before passing into the St George in the East area of Wapping - for a stretch forming the boundary of St George in the East (north) and Shadwell (south). It continues east, terminating at the junction with Butcher Row in Ratcliff. The terminating junction is close to Limehouse railway station.
The street is parallel to, and south of, the Docklands Light Railway and Commercial Road, and north of The Highway.
The street lies within the parliamentary constituencies of Bethnal Green and Stepney, currently represented by Rushanara Ali of the Labour party.
Cable Street started as a straight path along which hemp ropes were twisted into ships' cables (i.e. ropes). These supplied the many ships that would anchor in the nearby Pool of London, between London Bridge and Wapping and Rotherhithe. Many other ropewalks can be seen on later maps, showing how demand for ropes grew as shipping increased.
Until Victorian times, the current Cable Street had different names for each of its sections. From west to east these ran: Cable Street, Knock Fergus, New Road, Back Lane, Bluegate Street (recorded in 1692), Sun Tavern Fields, and Brook Street.
Knock Fergus (sometimes spelled Knock Vargis) may reflect the large numbers of Irish residents once present. It is an old name, with the earliest surviving record dating from 1597 and commonly recorded up to the end of the 17th century. Knock Fergus (the hillock of Fergus) is an old name for Carrickfergus in County Antrim.
The name Cable Street is first recorded on the 1703 Gascoyne map, with the eastern part marked as Swan Street, probably after a public house. It is possible that the name "Cable Street" may relate to Mary Cable, a person recorded as living in the district in 1629. Also, in the 19th century, the area at the western end of Cable Street was identified as "near Wellclose Square", as this was a well-known landmark, where nautical items were sold. From Victorian times through to the 1950s, Cable Street had a reputation for cheap lodgings, brothels, drinking inns and opium dens.
To the west the street takes the name "Royal Mint Street", which was recorded as Hoggesstreet in 1321, Hoglane in 1544 and known as Rosemary Lane by 1608. Rosemary Lane also had the byname Rag Fair due to the second hand clothes trade carried out there.
The last occasion in England when a stake was hammered through a sinner's heart at an official burial, took place at the junction of Cable Street and Cannon Street Road: John Williams was found hanged in his cell, after being arrested as a suspect in the Ratcliff Highway murders. Local people went along with the claim that he had committed suicide, from guilt of the crimes. At the time, 1812, suicide was considered to be sinful, and justified him being buried upside down with a stake through his heart. His skull was found when new gas mains were being laid in August 1886, and was on display for many years in The Crown and Dolphin pub opposite.
On 4 October 1936 a violent confrontation between the Metropolitan Police and local communities on the street, at Tower Hill and around Aldgate became known as the "Battle of Cable Street". Local people, rallied by the Independent Labour Party, local elements of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Jewish People's Council set out to obstruct a planned march through the East End by Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists.
The East End has traditionally been an area of London with a large Jewish population. This link was reinforced by the approximately 100,000 Jews from Eastern Europe that fled to the East End in the period 1881–1914. Mosley's movement was strongly antisemitic, so the march through the East End was regarded as deliberately provocative.
The BUF gathered at Tower Hill and the police tried to clear a route for them via Aldgate or Cable Street. After several hours of fighting, the police had failed to clear a path on either route and, to avoid further unrest, told Mosley he would have to march to the West End instead.
A large mural (created between 1979 and 1983) on St George's Town Hall, next to Library Place, depicts scenes from the day. A red plaque at Cable Street's junction with Dock Street commemorates the incident.
Listed from west to east:
Vehicular traffic is restricted to travel one-way along the whole street, though the direction varies. It is mostly west-bound, but it is east-bound east of Brodlove Lane (itself one-way north-bound). It lies outside of the London congestion charge zone (CCZ).
London Cycle Superhighway 3 runs the length of Cable Street in the form of a two-way segregated cycle track, continuing west into Royal Mint Street (its western terminus). This is well used by cyclists, especially those commuting to the City and Docklands.
London Buses routes 100 and D3 both pass west-bound through the central part of Cable Street:
The district falls within Transport for London's London fare zone 2. The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill. Opened in 2010, the nearest London Overground stations are Shadwell and Wapping on the East London Line.
The nearest Docklands Light Railway stations are Shadwell and Limehouse (also a National Rail station).
A musical based on the events in Cable Street in October 1936 ran at the Southwark Playhouse theatre in London from 16 February to 16 March 2024.
People associated with the area:
West of Cable Street
North of Cable Street starting from the west:
East of Cable Street
South of Cable Street, starting from the west:
As Cable Street refers to the fact that originally cables (and such) were made here, often for the maritime industry, it is a name (together with similar names) which can be found in other places (which often have a maritime history):