A walking tour of East London
In 1921, thirty local councillors were sent to prison for defending the residents of one of London's poorest boroughs. This walking tour tells their story — and asks what it means for us today.
About the project
In 1921, the Labour-controlled Poplar Borough Council — led by figures including George Lansbury and Susan Lawrence — refused to collect rates owed to London-wide bodies like the Metropolitan Police and the London County Council. They argued the system was fundamentally unjust: it asked the poorest residents to subsidise a city-wide system from which they benefited least.
Thirty councillors were sent to prison rather than comply. They ran council meetings from their cells, organised protests outside the prison walls, and refused to back down. After six weeks, they walked free — and the government was forced to change the law.
The events of 1921 touched on questions of poverty, taxation, solidarity, and the limits of the law that remain as relevant today as they were a hundred years ago. This walking tour brings those questions to life on the streets where they happened.
Background
Post-war Britain was in crisis. The cost of living had risen by 105% in four years. In Poplar, nearly a quarter of residents lived in poverty. Workers lined up at the dockyard gates each morning with no guarantee of work, no contracts, no sick pay — a situation not unlike today's gig economy. One in eight children born in the borough did not survive infancy.
When Labour won a majority on Poplar Borough Council in 1919, they set about changing things. They increased poor relief, gave free milk to nursing mothers, sent 140 children to the seaside, and introduced equal pay for women council workers — years before it was required by law. By 1925, they had cut child mortality nearly in half.
But their ambitions ran up against an unfair system: councils had to raise their own money for poor relief, meaning the poorest boroughs bore the heaviest burden. Poplar's response was to refuse. It was illegal. And it worked.
The government passed the Local Authorities (Financial Provisions) Act 1921, redistributing funds from wealthier to poorer boroughs. Poplar received an additional £250,000 per year — over £10 million in today's money. The rebellion had worked.
The walking tour
The tour follows the route of the rebellion through the streets of Poplar in East London, stopping at the sites where this history was made. Along the way, you'll encounter archival documents, photographs, and pamphlets from the Tower Hamlets Library and Archive.
📍 Poplar Rates Rebellion Mural
📍 Site of Poplar Workhouse
📍 Now The Lansbury Hotel
📍 Poplar Recreation Ground
📍 The councillors' homes
📍 Poplar Park
📍 Site of victory celebrations
We are currently working to clear permissions for our full archive of images and documents. The complete illustrated tour will be available here shortly.
Took the tour?
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Get in touch
We'd love to hear from you — whether you've taken the tour, have questions about the project, or are interested in collaborating.
📧 Email: sam.kemp@nulondon.ac.uk