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Home » England » Unpeeling East End London on a History & Street Art Walking Tour

Unpeeling East End London on a History & Street Art Walking Tour

August 2, 2016 Carol Guttery 18 Comments

I thought I was simply going to take a London street art walking tour of Brick Lane in order to see some cool murals. And I did see cool murals. But any exploration of a city as old as London is bound to uncover layers of history and I was surprised by what I found in London’s East End. My walking tour with Context Travel unpeeled the neighborhood for me, revealing successive waves of immigration and industry. My tour was guided by Peter. He’s a black cab driver and knows the streets of London inside out but he also has a degree in social policy. He’s very interested in how social policy shapes the character of a neighborhood which made him a particularly good person to explain the complex history of the East End’s evolving population.

As a result, my London street art walking tour became a history tour and an immigration tour and a cool urban markets tour all layered together.

Busker on London Street Art Walking Tour

Where is the East End?

There are two factors related to it’s location which have shaped the history of industry and immigration in the neighborhood. The first is that the East End is directly east of the old Roman and medieval walled City of London (The City). The City is a small square mile in the center of London that was (and still is) the trading and financial hub of Europe. The City generated wealth by trading locally produced goods. But heavy industry such as tanning, brick making and ship building tend to be noisy and smelly. As the prevailing winds blow west-to-east in London, the industrial areas were developed east of The City so that the precious noses of the traders and bankers would remain un-offended by the great unwashed masses. A practical, if elitist, solution.

The second reason for the East End’s evolution as a home for immigrants is also a practical one. The neighborhood is located near busy docks on the Thames.  The immigrants landing there didn’t have the means to travel into the further reaches of the city’s interior. Nor could they afford more than the slum housing offered by the East End. And so they stayed.

If you are interested in staying in this area, check out this list of places to stay in London.

London's Brick Lane Walking Tour
Note the blue one-way traffic sign. The heart on the sign is a subtle bit of street art which you can find all over Brick Lane if you look carefully.

Peeling the Layers on a History and Street Art Tour of London’s East End

The Flemish Layer: 16th Century Brickmaking

The first to arrive were the Flemish in the 1500’s. They used the naturally occurring clay in the area to make bricks for both the East End and other neighborhoods of London. Hence the rather literal “Brick Lane” street name.

Tenter Ground Spitalfields Market
Tenter Ground was settled by Huguenot weavers

Huguenot Layer: 17th Century Weavers

The Huguenots were Protestants fleeing persecution from Catholic-dominated France in the 17th century. Many set up shop as silk weavers and textile producers. Much of the architecture of this era is characterized by three story buildings designed for upper floor residences, middle floor manufacturing and lower floor retail space. Business was good during this era and the residents tended to be, if not wealthy, then at least fed and housed. But with the opening up of silk trade from China and textile factories elsewhere in England, the fortunes of the neighborhood began to slide.

Fornier Lane East End London
The neighborhood has gentrified in recent years, but this old Huguenot building still retains the character of the 17th century

Eastern European Jewish Layer: 19th Century Rag Trade

Jewish settlement of the East End was also the result of religious persecution. The cause, in this instance, was Russian pogroms against the Jews. Many of the Jewish immigrants had intended to make their way to America but ended up settling in the East End. They set up whatever businesses they could including tailoring and the “rag trade.” But by this time, the neighborhood had devolved into a slum. The high density of poor residents, backyard livestock, lack of indoor plumbing and absence of humane social policy had conspired to create a slum of the worst sort.

“The myriads that raise the cry of hunger wail in the greatest empire in the world”
———Jack London, The People of the Abyss

In 1902 London lived in and reported on the East End slums. He slept out in the Christchurch Spitalfields church yard and railed against the injustice. The church’s Reverend was also much concerned about the welfare of the neighborhood’s Jewish residents. He was of a mind to convert them, but that was a hard sell.

Christchurch Spitalfields London East End
Christchurch of Spitalfields

Bangladeshi Layer: 20th Century Restaurateurs

With the break-up of the British Empire, Bangladeshi immigrants began arriving in London in the 1950’s. They were escaping the chaos and conflict in their home country and hoped that London could offer them a better life. They replaced the Jewish residents who had moved out to other neighborhoods. Over time the character of the neighborhood evolved to reflect Bangladeshi culture with the development of Indian restaurants, mosques and other institutions.

Hurley House Arnold CIrcus
The council estates (or “projects”) in Arnold Circus served to house successive waves of immigrants

The Creative Class: East End Today

The East End still suffers from underdevelopment. But as with the Los Angeles Arts District, in the 21st century, underdeveloped industrial neighborhoods have become a magnet for the creative class. In the East End, is manifested by a number of robust street markets and a riot of street art. My street art walking tour with Context Travel occurred on a Sunday, which is the best time to visit. There are art, craft and food markets all over the place.

  • Spitalfields Market: crafts, clothing, food, books
  • Old Truman Brewery: crafts, clothing, food
  • Columbia Road: flower market
  • Brick Lane: food food food

Check out Play in the Street with Brick Lane Street Art and Markets for some inspiration on how much fun you can have strolling the East End on a Sunday. And the street art in and around Brick Lane is worth a visit, even if you don’t take the full walking tour. It has a different attitude than the street art that I’ve seen in other cities. The layering metaphor that I’ve been using to describe the neighborhood takes on another, more literal meaning when it comes to the street art. The murals are literally layered on top of one another. For example, the artist “Endless” does a branded thing with a Coke can, but then other artists who think that Endless is a sellout, layer other works around and over his. The Brick Lane image at the top of the post includes a little heart that has been layered onto a street sign. And the parking lot below has a ever evolving collage of images decorating each parking spot.

Go back next month and it will all look different. It makes this London street art walking tour less a visit to an open air museum and more a visual exploration of these artist’s relationships to one other and the neighborhood.

London Street Art Walking Tour Brick Lane
The Endless Coke can layered with kooky creatures from other artists

The London Street Art Walking Tour with Context Travel

This Context Travel walking tour really exceeded my expectations. I got my dose of street art, sure. But I also got the cultural history of a London neighborhood that is off the usual tourist trail. The tour gave me a much better appreciation for the complex social fabric of London. If you are in London, I highly recommend Context Travel and they also have a raft of other London walking tours covering architecture, museums, food and history.

Want More Street Art?

Check out these other posts on great global street art

  • Play in the Street with Brick Lane Street Art and Markets
  • Buenos Aires street art walking tour
  • San Francisco Mission neighborhood street art
  • San Diego’s Chicano Park
  • Street art in the Azores

Your Parting Shot

Brick Lane London Street Art Walking Tour

Pleased as Punch with the Post? Pin it!

Unpeel the complex historical layers of the East End on this London street art walking tour with Context Travel

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(My walking tour was hosted by Context Travel but my opinions are my own. If you use these links to book a tour with them, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you)
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Blog, Europe England, London, United Kingdom, Walking Tour

About Carol Guttery

Carol Guttery is the founder of Wayfaring Views, and is a travel writer, photographer, and philanthropy consultant. She's been tackling the world for forty years and has been to 43+ countries and territories.

Comments

  1. Janna says

    August 30, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    Hmm interesting. I’ve never been on a art walking tour. I’ve taken pictures with colored and graffiti walls but that’s about it. The buildings are so interesting. I love the historic look on that one photo – century weavers.

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 30, 2016 at 2:34 pm

      I’m appreciating the guided tour more and more because of all of the background that you get. Maybe a perfect mix is to so the regular tour, and then leave time to wander around on your own after. That’s what I did in the East End and it was great

      Reply
  2. Carmen's Luxury Travel says

    August 28, 2016 at 11:17 pm

    I LOVE the street art in London! I should really take a tour next time I’m there. Thanks for sharing and happy travels 🙂

    Reply
  3. Laura Lynch says

    August 28, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    I’m sure there are a lot of neighborhoods in London that are like that with history running into art and culture, just waiting to be explored. I’d love to do the street art tour there and check it out. Those markets all sound fun too.

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 28, 2016 at 8:18 pm

      Visit on a Sunday…there are tons of markets in the East End on Sundays

      Reply
  4. Drew says

    August 28, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    We live in London and have done a few walking tours through East London. In fact, we’ve done a street art tour, but never one that included so much history of the neighborhood. It is a really fascinating area, both for its history and for its current status as the ‘hip’ area of London. Looks like a great Context tour!

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 28, 2016 at 8:19 pm

      It was very informative…but in a fun way…not like in an eat your broccoli kind of way

      Reply
  5. Joe Ankenbauer says

    August 28, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    I’ve recently become a huge fan of street art, especially since living in LA. There are some great pieces here and many more around the world. It’s great to see some of the creativity in the world today!

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 28, 2016 at 8:20 pm

      Check out my post on LA street art in the arts district – the neighborhood is really cool. https://wayfaringviews.com/walking-tour-los-angeles-street-art/

      Reply
  6. Chrysoula says

    August 28, 2016 at 10:07 am

    Very nice post. Although I have been to London many times, I am not very accustomed to East End. The only place I know there is Spitalfields market. I love how the population shaped the neighborhood and it’s a must for my next trip to London in November.

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 28, 2016 at 8:23 pm

      Go on a Sunday and you can do the Brick Lane market as well as Spitalfields.

      Reply
  7. Sia says

    August 28, 2016 at 3:04 am

    Gotta love East London, it is so vibrant and colorful and I especially love the street musicians, cafes and hipster shops. This was really interesting to read, had no idea about most of the information. Would definitely love to take this alternative art walking tour 🙂

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 28, 2016 at 8:24 pm

      I think that next time I’m in London, I’d like to stay in the neighborhood

      Reply
  8. Jema says

    August 27, 2016 at 10:20 pm

    Ha! Love the “parting shot” 🙂

    Sounds like an awesome tour. I love really getting to understand the rich histories of places and specifically getting to understand why cities have come to be laid out in certain ways – prevailing winds and all.

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 28, 2016 at 8:25 pm

      Thanks- I found that street art to be fascinating

      Reply
  9. Bob says

    August 27, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    Actually looks like a pretty cool neighborhood to explore.

    Reply
  10. Tami says

    August 27, 2016 at 4:33 pm

    Very interesting post. I have recently become fascinated with beautiful street art I’ve discovered in San Diego. I’ve also enjoyed random sightings of street art in New York City and Paris. It’s a wonderful way for neighborhoods to reflect their culture and personality!

    Reply
    • Carol Guttery says

      August 27, 2016 at 8:56 pm

      San Diego has great street art in Chicano park. Here’s my post on it https://wayfaringviews.com/visual-pow-san-diego-chicano-park-murals/

      They also have great street art in LA, Buenos Aires, Bristol, Melbourne. You could develop a bucket list just on street art

      Reply

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