Coordinates: 51°30′24″N 0°01′04″W / 51.5066°N 0.0178°W / 51.5066; -0.0178

Poplar is a historic, mainly residential area of the East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east of Charing Cross. Historically a hamlet in the parish of Stepney, Middlesex, in 1817 Poplar became a civil parish. In 1855 the Poplar District of the Metropolis was formed, which also included Bromley and Bow. The district became the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in 1900 which was abolished in 1965. The district centre is Chrisp Street Market. Poplar contains notable examples of public housing including the Lansbury Estate and Balfron Tower.

Architecturally it is a mixture of 18th and 19th century terraced houses and 20th century council estates. There is evidence the district is undergoing gentrification, thought to be due to its close proximity to the major business centre of Canary Wharf and nightlife of Shoreditch and Brick Lane.

St Matthias Old Church is located on Poplar High Street, opposite Tower Hamlets College. It is next to Poplar Town Hall – which has mosaic detail – and Poplar Bowls Club, which is part of Poplar Recreation Ground. A recently re-opened sports centre called The Workhouse stands on the site of Poplar Workhouse, where local politician Will Crooks spent some of his earliest years (a nearby council housing estate is named after him).

London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened in 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London. It reaches north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal.

This was the first automated regular train service in London. The system is not unmanned, being staffed by Serco employees on behalf of TfL. Strikes by drivers leave operation of the DLR uninterrupted. This has led to proposals to fully automate the tube, which also would increase service capacity.

The DLR is operated under a concession awarded by Transport for London to Serco Docklands Ltd, part of the Serco Group. The system is owned by DLR Limited, part of the London Rail division of Transport for London (TfL). In 2006 the DLR carried over 60 million passengers. It has been extended several times and further extensions are being planned. DLR trains are not compatible with any other rail system.