Bethnal Green is a district in the East End of London and is northeast of Charing Cross . Bethnal Green forms the north-west part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and extends from the City fringe to Victoria Park . Bethnal Green Road is the district centre of the area and includes a street market . The area emerged from the hamlet which developed around the Green , much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens , located on Canbridge Heath Road . It is part of the traditional county of Middlesex , but for administrative purposes was part of the County of London following the passing of the Local Government Act 1888 , it later became part of Greater London in 1965 . The hamlet was part of the ancient parish of Stepney , but adopted its definition as a wider district when , following population increases caused by the expansion of London in the 18th century , it was split off from Stepney as the parish of Bethnal Green in 1743 . It became part of the metropolis in 1855 and the County of London in 1889 . The parish became the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green in 1900 . In 1965 it was abolished and became a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets . The economic history of Bethnal Green is characterised by a shift away from agricultural provision for the City of London to market gardening , weaving and light industry , which has now all but disappeared . The quality of the built environment had deteriorated by the turn of the 20th century and was radically altered by aerial bombardment in the Second World War and the subsequent social housing developments . In 1943 , 173 people were killed at a single incident at Bethnal Green Underground station . Bethnal Green has formed part of Greater London since 1965 and is connected to the London Underground and London Overground . In 2005 the area along with neighbouring Haggerston suffered a terrorist attack on a London Buses route 26 bus in the 21 July 2005 London bombings on Hackney Road
21 July 2005 London bombings
21 July 2005 London bombings
Bethnal Green