Limehouse Chinatown The Original Chinatown: Myths and Realities
EXHIBITION NOW OPEN
Continuing our theme of Limehouse Lives, our new exhibition explores the intriguing world of London’s first Chinatown, which was originally located in Limehouse.
Free | Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10–4, from 20th March until July 2026.
If you have been to our exhibition and keen to explore the geography of the old Limehouse Chinatown, we recommend Andrew Humphrey’s Walking Tours. For more information, email Andrew here.
For future events please see our What’s On page.
Nicholas Hawksmoor’s churches are unlike anything that came before or after. In the words of Sir John Summerson, they challenge us ‘not only by their departure from Wren’s classic models but by a sense of power, of the sheer grandeur of hewn masonry, of primitive form brought into the service of religion’.
Our story begins with foundations laid in a Limehouse meadow during the reign of Queen Anne. It continues as the magnificent church is gutted by fire but arises from the ashes, only to endure centuries of neglect. Today the story is again about rebirth. Care for St Anne’s has commissioned The Master Plan, proposing eight years of renovation and modernisation, leading up to St Anne’s tercentenary in 2030. The work will be underpinned by grant applications and fundraising. We hope our story inspires you to get involved.
