A Street Art Tour of Brick Lane in London

Any casual visitor to the city wanting to find a high quality selection of street art need look no further than London’s Brick Lane.  It is the epicentre of street art in the city. Artists from all over the world and the UK come here to paint, safe in the knowledge that they will get an appreciative audience and a wide appeal.

This tour is designed for the casual visitor who doesn’t have much time and just wants to catch a glimpse of some decent art without having to traipse through a whole load of unfamiliar areas.

Tour start – Aldgate East tube station (Hammersmith and City and District lines)

Tour End – Shoreditch High Street station (London Overground)

Tour length – 1-2 hours, dependant on how much pottering around you do.

On exiting Aldgate East station turn left along Whitechapel Road until you come to the junction with Osborne Road.  Look across the road and  you’ll see ‘White Church Lane’, this is your first port of call.  Cross the road and wander to the end and back.

White Church Lane

White Church Lane has attracted many artists of late ably assisted by the diligent work of Global Street Art who liase with local wall and shutter owners who give permission for their property to be painted.  At the time of writing the street featured work from Alice Pasquini, Hunto, Anthony Lister, Malarky and Dan Kitchener amongst others.  It’s only a short road too.  Once you’ve done cross back over to Osborne Street and walk up towards Brick Lane which is just a continuation of the street.

Heneage Street

Next stop is Heneage Street where there is also a quaint little pub called the Pride of Spitalfields should the need for a pint arise.  Walk down the street until you come to a little playground, look around and on the gable end of a row of buildings an impressive giant mural from Sheffield based artist Phlegm can be seen. On your way back to Brick Lane keep your eyes peeled for other street art you can spot.

Seven Stars Yard

Almost opposite the entrance to Heneage Street is the entrance to a little yard known as the Seven Stars named after the pub which used to be on the site. Through the little alley you’ll be able to see some of the best paste up art in the city. Then in the yard itself, a place which suffered bomb damage in the war and which has never really been developed, A gallery of works from various artists all using the remains of remains of the buildings as a natural canvas.

The entrance to the Seven Stars Yard on Brick Lane

Princelet Street

Back on Brick Lane, head past the Brick Lane mosque and head towards Princelet Street.  There look to the left and within a doorway can be seen a work by Stik which depicts a covered Stik figure holding hands with a non covered Stik figure.  Called ‘A couple holding hands in the street’ It is very sweet and is a highly regarded piece by the local community. Recently this piece was included in a list of the Top 20 favourite pieces of British artworks.

Incidentally Princelet Street is also the former centre of the  Huguenots who settled in the East End from France in the 1700s.  The houses here are from this era and are quite unusual and worthy of greater exploration. If you are interested in the history of this area then try this free Walking Tour of the East End of London which covers the history in a bit more detail.

Hanbury Street

But for now we head back to Brick lane until we reach Hanbury Street.  Turn left and you get straight into the heart of Spitalfields, right takes you into the heart of Whitechapel.   This street is awash with art particularly along its length towards Spitalfields.  For this tour though we are only interested in the art to the immediate right.  Look down towards Whitechapel and dominating the view will be the giant Crane by Belgian artist ROA.  This is another well loved community piece as evidenced by the local uproar that went on when Tower Hamlets council tried to cover it over with a banner just before 2012 Olympic Games.

A contrasting number of murals in the ever changing spot of Hanbury Street. Here you can see works from Ben Slow, ROA, Otto Schade and Malarky

Ely’s Yard, The Truman Brewery

Continue down Brick Lane past the Truman Brewery.  This section gets particularly busy during the weekend because of its street food and markets during the day and its bars and curry houses at night.  The Truman Brewery is an excellent place for a detour should you want to take one.  The yard at the back of the building can be accessed via Brick Lane through a little alley and is usually very vibrant with plenty of street art.

Stalking lion by Faith47 at the gates of the Truman Brewery. It can be accessed from Hanbury Street

Pedley Street

Continue along Brick Lane until you come to the entrance to Pedley Street on the right. It’s only an alley at this point leading towards a park known as Allen Gardens. Walk down towards the park and you’ll see plenty of works. The building on the left covered in street art is actually the old Shoreditch station beyond which the space opens up and you’ll be able to see a lot of graffiti covered walls. From this spot you’ll also be able to see the entrance to the Nomadic Community Gardens just underneath the bridge which are well worth visiting if they are open.

Luis Gomez painting on Pedley Street a few years ago. The art here is always changing and the spot on the corner with Brick Lane is very popular

Nomadic Community Gardens

The gardens are a must see if they are open. Still officially part of Pedley Street, they can be found just beyond the railway tunnel where lots of art can be seen against the path leading along the railway line. The gardens are a community initiative and have been developed on land owned by Network Rail. They have given over the space for use by the community and it has a very eclectic feel with buildings having been made out of found materials. Inside you can see street art, allotments and you can even get a coffee. It’s a strange and special place.

Inside the Nomadic Community Gardens. The wall is the centerpiece wall painted every year as part of the Meeting of Styles festival

Grimsby Street and Cheshire Street

In order to visit the streets of Grimsby and Cheshire you can either double back and head to Brick Lane and carry on. Or, from the Nomadic Community Gardens, you can carry on, over the graffiti riddled footbridge over the railtrack. Either way you’ll find them pretty quick. From the Brick Lane end you just carry on up, take the next right into Grimsby Street to the end and then walk back along Cheshire Street back to pretty much where you started. Both streets will often have some good pieces to see and so it’s worth having an explore.

Art from Stik and Woserski on Grimsby Street near to the turning with Cheshire Street

Sclater Street

Upon returning to Brick Lane cross the road and head up Sclater Street.  The spot has in the past been a real hub for street art but now has become a real target for the developers.  You can still see some great spots though and directly in front of you will be an old looking warehouse building with lots of hidden gems on it.  Beyond the warehouse Sclater Street carries on and the street is full of art.  Have a wander along and then head back taking the little spur along Cygnet Street towards Bacon Street.

Eddie Colla paste up on the corner of Sclater Street and Brick Lane

Bethnal Green Road

Once at Brick Lane turn left and walk to the main road junction with Bethnal Green Road. This section of the Lane is full of coffee bars and as such is a good place to find some refreshment. It’s also a good place to come when the shops are shut because a lot of the art here has been painted on shutters which only come down when the businesses have packed up for the day.

Look over the road once you reach the end of Brick Lane and this little chap from Stik peers out from a doorway

At the junction turn left and walk along Bethnal Green Road. It is likely that you’ll be able to spot some stret art on the other side of the road which marks the start of Redchurch Street (which is a tour in itself). Continue down and you’ll come to the junction of Sclater Street which is a busy spot as there is often another market here. Look across the road and you’ll see the giant ROA hedgehog poking out from Chance Street on the other side of the road.

Giant hedgehog on Chance Street from Belgian artist ROA with some additions from local street artist Jim Vision. This piece has now been replaced entirely

The walk ends just beyond here at the Shoreditch High Street station which is just by the very cool Box Park one of Londons funkiest shopping centres. There you can get a coffee and explore the shops should you so wish.

So that’s it, a whistle stop your of Brick Lane certainly the key spot to find quality street art in the city. If your interested in getting a guided version of this or any of the other tours, give me a shout using the form below.

Finally for some more great street art tours try the outdoor street art gallery of Dulwich, A Street Art Tour of Hackney Wick and Fish Island and A Street Art Tour of Shoreditch. You might also be interested in checking out some of the street art of Camden which is beginning to establish quite a vibrant scene.