Nos. 66–68 Sclater Street, referred to here as the ‘Victorian building’, dates from 1877, as indicated by a plaque on its façade. It was constructed following the demolition of earlier 18th- and 19th-century buildings to make way for the expansion of railway sidings at the western end of the street. The building’s layout, with a central stone staircase and ground floor shop unit, suggests it was originally intended as flats or rented rooms rather than a single-family dwelling. Built of yellow London stock brick, with red and blue brick banding and timber sash windows, the front retains several Victorian features.

However, the building has been significantly altered in recent years, with extensions to the rear and side, a new roof and modern materials such as render and timber cladding applied to the rear elevation. The ground floor shopfront has not been preserved and is currently boarded up, while modern balconies have been added to the western extension. The surrounding spaces between this building, the Mission Hall and the former Goodsyard wall have been enclosed and painted white, further altering the original context.

Nos. 70–74 Sclater Street are some of the last surviving weavers’ houses from the early 1700s in Spitalfields. Built around 1719, these brick houses were originally home and workplace to silk weavers. Although the buildings have been altered and are now in poor condition, they still show signs of their original design, such as their layout, chimney stacks and old brickwork. Each house was built with one room per floor, while rear buildings were used for work like dyeing or carpentry. Over the years, the front of the houses was updated — No. 70 around 1777 and Nos. 72–74 in the 1800s — but they still reflect the area’s silk-weaving history.

The street was once busy with silk-related trades. Records show people working as weavers, trimmers, dyers and loom brokers. By 1841, the street was packed with families. The top floors were used for weaving, while the ground floors became shops. No. 74 had ten residents, most of them weavers. No. 72 housed sixteen residents including a clothes dealer and several single adults. Two families lived at No. 70 including a carpenter and a spinner. As silk weaving declined, new trades moved in, like wood turning, loom making and later, cafés and restaurants.

Spitalfields faced ongoing poverty, with many residents struggling when the silk trade slowed down or stopped. Riots broke out in the 1700s, by the 1800s the area became known for its poor conditions – change to – Spitalfields faced ongoing poverty, with many residents struggling when the silk trade slowed down and eventually stopped. Riots broke out in the 1700s, and by the 1800s the area was known for its poor conditions.

Today, Nos. 70–74 are in a fragile state. The original yellow brick is still visible in places, though much of it is dirty or damaged. The windows are boarded up and metal beams now support the structure. A modern roof has been added and many of the original features are covered or missing.

Spitalfields, with its strong Protestant roots linked to the silk-weaving community, became a centre for Nonconformist worship in the 18th and 19th centuries. Several chapels and meeting houses were established during this period, supported by increasing missionary activity in the East End. By the late 19th century, social reform and charitable work in the slums attracted many middle and upper-class volunteers. In this context, the Christian Brethren founded a modest chapel in 1876 at 64 Sclater Street, occupying a triangular site behind the walls of the Eastern Counties Railway line. Known as the Sclater Street Mission Hall, it served a working-class population, including many labourers employed on the nearby construction of the Goodsyard.

The Christian Brethren, also referred to as the Plymouth Brethren, emerged in the 1820s and were devoted to evangelical missionary work, which brought them to areas like Spitalfields. Their places of worship, often called Gospel Halls, were characteristically plain, with minimal ornamentation. The Sclater Street chapel featured distinctive lancet windows and foliate Victorian cast iron roof brackets. By 1893, its religious use had ceased and the building entered a period of varied commercial occupation. Over the course of the 20th century, it housed a monumental mason’s workshop, a wood yard, a fabric store. From around 1980, a second-hand textile business, Abco Wiping Cloths & Janitorial Supplies operated there until recent years.

Today, the Mission Hall building sits between the old Goodsyard Station brick wall and a newer brick wall fronting Sclater Street. The spaces to the west and east have been enclosed, obscuring most of the original external walls and roof. Internally, the hall is simple in form, though modern partitions and mezzanines have been added. Some original features remain, including the Victorian cast iron roof trusses. Original brickwork is largely hidden behind plasterboard, render or paint and the lancet windows are either bricked up or boarded over. The original floor finish is no longer visible, being now covered by plywood sheeting.