St.Hilda’s East was founded in 1890 on the Boundary Estate in Bethnal Green by the Cheltenham Ladies College “to advance education and relieve poverty” among the local inhabitants of this poor, racially mixed and deprived area.

The Centre provides a large multi-purpose hall, community café, club rooms, teaching and meeting rooms, a crèche, and 16 flats for local key workers. The architecture responds carefully to the distinctive Arts and Crafts style of the Boundary Estate to create a sequence of buildings that are attractive, very approachable and integrate well with the original Ragged School next door, retained as part of the Centre to provide office space for community projects.