On and Off Brick Lane
Perhaps the most iconic part of Shoreditch, even more so than Petticoat Lane market and Spitalfields Market, is Brick Lane. It's a road linking Bethnal Green Road to (A1209) to Whitechapel Road (A11). I lie, it actually becomes "Osborn Street" for a couple of metres before crossing the A11, but nobody cares about Osborn Street. LOL.
Brick Lane itself has changed a lot over the years, but you can still see the remnants of Old Brick Lane in the southern part (closer to the A11). At present, it's mostly a "hipster" neighbourhood frequented by the most artsy people in London. It is reflected in the graffiti art visible all over the place.
I actually find it more interesting to venture into the off-roads and backstreets of Brick Lane. There are often hidden gems, wall art and otherwise, that can be discovered and these are always changing so it's exciting to find new things. There is a whole garden for "chilling out" and doing arsty stuff but I haven't included it in this post. Sometime next year (two days away now) I will venture there and do a whole post on that area by itself.
There are many vintage shops on and off Brick Lane itself selling vintage clothing, vintage music, vintage gadgets, film photography equipment and so on. In fact, the lab where I develop most of my film photographs is just off Brick Lane.
Old Brick Lane consists mainly of Bengali restaurants, mini marts, barber shops, fabric wholesalers a mosque, a church and a primary school. If you've seen the movie Brick Lane, it was based around this community even though it was filmed mainly in the Whitechapel area and Roman Road in Bethnal green I believe.
Every Sunday Brick Lane erupts into much fanfare and cacophony. That's because it's the market day. Most of the road is closed to cars, even though some still manage to squeeze through somehow and annoy the shoppers, and kiosks are put up everywhere selling all manner of things from household goods to exotic items from centuries past. There's also food from everywhere imaginable to suit every pallet and dietary need. It's the place to be, especially if the weather is nice.
Peace & Love,
Adé