Ship Alley used to lie off Wellclose Square.
The area was laid out in the 1680s by Nicholas Barbon - "the most roguish builder-financier" said Alan Palmer. Barbon leased the Liberties of Wellclose whose charter was granted by James II in 1686. At first the houses in Wellclose Square were occupied by sea captains and wealthy merchants.
Ship Alley was less select and George Booth’s 1880 social survey of London and denominated Ship Alley as "lowest class; vicious, semi-criminal". Booth observed that Ship Alley dwellings were mainly occupied by Jewish families.
Ship Alley was listed in the 1888 Dickens Dictionary of London as a street containing lodging houses. These were under the direct supervision of the police to ensure cleanliness and fair rents - about 15 shillings a week.
Although the houses survived the Blitz, they were demolished as slums during the late 1960s when the area was redeveloped with tower blocks and low-rise flats and a park.