Poplar is fragmented into two portions, separated by East India Dock Road and the Blackwall Tunnel Approach. The area is part of the Docklands, formerly the heart of London (and the Empire’s) trade, and as such retains a few industrial characteristics, particularly on the River Lea, which snakes through the eastern portion of the postcode sector. The majority of the area’s housing stock is composed of council or former council housing from the 60s and 70s, although newer developments have emerged in recent years. These newer developments tend not to be akin to the skyscrapers seen in neighbouring Blackwall and Canary Wharf, but rather low-rise residential flats in tune with the area’s characteristics, with markets such as the one on Chrisp Street which help retain Poplar’s sense of community. The southern boundary of the area is defined by the DLR line, serving the area with two stations – Poplar and Blackwall. Another DLR line branches out from Poplar, with All Saints station in the centre of the area, going north to Stratford. The north-eastern portion has no rail links, but the DLR is within walking distance, served by the speedy Jubilee line.

Poplar started as a rural village, before being swept up during the Industrial Revolution, like many places around it. The area would house London’s poor, much like the areas of Whitechapel and Stepney, though with less notoriety during Victorian times. That distinction would come during the early 20th century, following the war. While Poplar councillors were mostly from the middle classes prior to the Great War, in 1919, Poplar Borough’s (as it was then) Council elections, the Labourite George Lansbury won the seat. Lansbury set to implement social reforms, which were responsible for funding their own poor relief efforts, with no support from the national government. Conflict would emerge as the borough refused to pay to the cross-London authorities, claiming that it overly penalised the poorer boroughs, sparking the Poplar Rates Rebellion, ultimately ending up in councillors being jailed. The revolt was extremely popular, however, with crowds gathering outside prisons and other boroughs threatening to withhold their rates as well. The court ultimately freed the councillors; a bill would be rushed through Parliament equalising tax burdens between rich and poor boroughs. Over the coming years the term ‘Poplarism’ would be used to describe radical politics against national government as well as local government efforts to aid the poor.

Poplar was home to a large workhouse in the 1700s, located along the high street. The opening of the docks in the 1800s and the establishment of the Poplar Poor Law Union meant a change of circumstances for the workhouse, which was taken over by an elected Board of Governors. Things would not improve much, however, and in 1871, an experiment was approved whereby able-bodied paupers would provide hard manual labour in return for subsistence earnings, with spares being offered to other parishes. This would continue until the late-1800s, where George Lansbury and Will Crooks, newly elected to the board, would seek to improve workhouse conditions, and later the abolishment of workhouses.

The local sense of community is great, and with the possible exception of Aspen Way, the area is quiet and the housing stock decent. The market, in particular, makes shopping very convenient, and for kids there are a few parks not too far from the area, all easily accessible by the DLR.

The previously empty Leamouth Peninsula was recently redeveloped into London City Island, which contains over 1700 new homes and nearly 6000 square feet of office space, as well as cultural institutions such as English National Ballet. A new bridge over the River Lea means that Canning Town station is only a short walk away. Nearby, the Aberfeldy Village residential development is also underway, with 900 homes already completed and more planned for construction in 2023.