Bluegate Fields (also known as Blue Gate Fields) was one of the worst

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...

areas that once existed just north of the old, east London docks during the Victorian era. Two streets in the area had actually been named Bluegate Fields at different times: present-day Dellow Street (along the eastern edge of the St. George's-in-the-East churchyard) and Cable Street (along the northern edge of the churchyard). The area is visited by the eponymous character in '' The Picture of Dorian Gray'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

, and inspired a scene in '' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' by Charles Dickens. It is referenced in the title of a song (and live album recorded at Wilton's Music Hall in Graces Alley off Cable Street) by Marc Almond.

References

External links

Description from victorianlondon.org

Map containing the 1746 location of Bluegate Field
(just north of the church yard of St. George's-in-the-east).

History of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Former slums of London {{London-geo-stub