Era of change

Some quotations in these articles are taken from documents of the 1940s and 50s. These quotations have not been altered, so please be aware that some words or phrases used then to describe groups of people would not be those we use today, and that these might seem inappropriate or offensive without context.

The Royal Mint moved from the Tower of London to Tower Hill between 1810 and 1812 in the culmination of longstanding plans to expand, organise, and modernise production. The purpose-built site was across the road from the Tower of London, including factory space, living arrangements for some staff, and an administration building that still stands today. Thus began an era of great change, not only for the Royal Mint and the coins and medals produced therein, but for the employees of the Royal Mint, who lived and worked in Tower Hill, and whose lives would go on to shape the area over the next century and a half.

Royal Mint building on Tower Hill in the 1960s

Tower Hill and Stepney, areas of London's 'East End' that became districts in the borough of Tower Hamlets in 1965, were for many years home to employees of the Royal Mint and other industrial premises in the area. The requirement for labour and the proximity to naval transport links meant that these districts soon became thriving hubs of diverse groups of people, including many of those who arrived as part of the Windrush Generation in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.