The East End of London is the traditional core of east London. From the early onset of the Industrial Revolution, the area has been known for deep poverty and overcrowded urbanization. By the 1870's, efforts were made to clean up the unsafe housing and combat the desperate poverty. Philanthropic trusts such as the Peabody Trust were formed to help raise funds for better housing, and the Housing of the Working Classes Act was passed in 1890 that gave the government power to develop new community buildings. In A City Girl, we can see the beginnings of these housing projects with the Charlotte Buildings. While it is crowded and cheap, the building is not in danger of collapsing and it markedly more secure than buildings in the decade before it. Nelly lives in an area of poverty, but is also living in a time where social reform in the East End was gaining ground.

Harkness, Margaret. A City Girl, edited Tabitha Sparks. Broadview editions, 2017

Wikepedia