St Mary’s, Whitechapel (The White Chapel)

You are standing near the site of what was once one of London's most famous landmarks, the church of Saint Mary Matfelon. For centuries, this building defined the skyline of the district, and its appearance gave the entire area its name. In the Middle Ages, the church was coated in a lime-based whitewash that turned its exterior a brilliant, stark white. Local residents began calling it the White Chapel, a nickname that eventually became the formal name for the surrounding neighborhood.