Bow Quarter

[1] The 3 acre (1.2 hectare) site, acquired by William Bryant and Francis May in 1861, contained a number of factories that had once been used for the manufacture of candles, crinoline and rope, but had fallen into disrepair.

[2] A blue plaque outside the entrance commemorates the role of social pioneer and feminist Annie Besant in leading the demands for better pay and conditions.

In a history of the development in his 2009 book A Journey Through Ruins - The Last Days of London, historian Patrick Wright describes the process of gentrification of the area.

Now in East London, a stone's throw from the City, there's a new Quarter..."[1] However, unlike the former two, the latter would be "generated by a single speculative stroke".

Today Bow Quarter consists of 733 one- and two-bedroom flats and penthouses, together with a handful of workers' cottages built around the late 19th century.

In 2004, the TV series If... shot scenes in the fictional gated community Regent's Court inside Bow Quarter.

[citation needed] Former resident Danny Wallace declared his flat a micronation in the TV series How to Start Your Own Country.