 Lang 's region of Stepney within the Diocese of London extended over the whole area generally known as London 's East End , with two million people in more than 200 parishes . Almost all were poor , and housed in overcrowded and insanitary conditions . Lang knew something of the area from his undergraduate activities at Toynbee Hall , and his conscience was troubled by the squalor that he saw as he travelled around the district , usually by bus and tram . 
