Bow is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is an inner-city suburb located 4.6 miles east of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it became part of the County of London in 1888. "Bow" is an abbreviation of the medieval name Stratford-at-Bow, in which "Bow" refers to the bow-shaped bridge built here in the early 12th century. Bow contains parts of both Victoria Park and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.