East End

A popular name for the lowlands on the north bank of the River Thames in the east of London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It refers to the area around Tower Hamlets, east of the City, the city center. Numerous docks line the meandering Thames, and shipyards, wharves, and warehouses are located on the riverbank. It was once famous as a slum area where the lowest class of workers, immigrants, and sailors lived, and the gentlemen living in the upscale residential areas in the west rarely set foot there even during the day. However, after the war, redevelopment projects progressed rapidly, mainly in areas that were burned down by bombing during World War II, and the construction of mid- to high-rise modern housing, commercial facilities, offices, parks, etc. has progressed, completely changing the pre-war landscape. Today, tenements have been replaced by high-rise housing, but there are many cottage industries such as furniture manufacturing, clothing, and printing that have continued since ancient times, and the traditions of working-class life remain in the Cockney accent of English, the Petticoat Lane Market that opens every Sunday, etc.

[Takeshi Kubota]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスの首都ロンドンの東部、テムズ川北岸に臨む低地一帯の俗称。市の中心部シティより東部、タワー・ハムレッツ区周辺をさす。蛇行するテムズ川に沿って数多くのドックが建ち並び、造船所、波止場、倉庫などが河岸に立地する。かつては最下層の労働者、移民、船員などが住むスラム街として有名で、西部の高級住宅街に住む紳士階級は昼間でさえめったに足を踏み入れることはなかった。しかし第二次世界大戦中の爆撃により焼失した地区を中心に、戦後再開発事業が急速に進行し、中高層の近代的住宅、商業施設、事業所、公園などの建設が進み、戦前の景観は一変した。今日では長屋から高層住宅へ変わったが、昔から続く家具製造、衣服、印刷などの家内工業が多く、コックニーとよばれるロンドン下町訛(なま)りの英語や、日曜日ごとに開かれるペチコート・レーン・マーケットなどに、下町生活の伝統が残っている。

［久保田武］

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