Shoreditch Street Art and Where to Find It

Perhaps the place most synonymous with murals, street art and graffiti in London is Shoreditch. Wall art, paste ups, stickers, sculpture. You name it and Shoreditch is the place to find it.

Of course we’ve written about Shoreditch many times before. For Inspiring City it is the spiritual home of this blog. First moving to the area in 2012, the walls of Shoreditch and indeed the area around Brick Lane were ever changing. The area has developed since then as high rises have gone up along with the rents. There is still plenty to see though and despite it’s changing face, the street art remains the best in London.

Adore and Endure Each Other. A famous mural on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch — Adore and Endure Each Other

Shoreditch Street Art Map

Braithwaite Street

The street upon which sits the entrance to the Shoreditch Overground Station. Braithwaite Street is often the first view of Shoreditch for any new visitor to it. As such it’s bustling with activity. Turn left out of the station and you enter Shoreditch proper with it’s shops and art. If you turn right then you’ll be confronted with a dingy looking arch. You need to pass in order to walk to Spitalfields. Along the whole stretch you’ll be able to find art. Walking up and down you’ll come across the whole range. It’s a good first introduction to the street art of Shoreditch.

A graffiti covered bridge in Shoreditch — The view from Shoreditch High Street station down Braithwaite Street towards Spitalfields

Graffiti on Braithwaite Street in Shoreditch — The railway bridge on Braithwaite Street

Brick Lane

The king amongst lanes. Brick Lane is the epicentre of the scene in London. Stretching from Whitechapel in the south it runs up to Shoreditch in the north where it connects with Bethnal Green Road. Filled with every form of street art imaginable it is from Brick Lane that everything else follows. Here you can find the famous Truman Brewery as well as numerous offshoot lanes. In fact this street is so significant it deserves an article all of it’s own. So, to learn more about where to find street art on Brick Lane, click here.

Chance Street and Whitby Street

Some of the biggest street art murals in Shoreditch can be found on Chance Street. For years it’s been a great spot to see work and it’s artists have often been some of the biggest names around. A couple of large scale pieces from Reka and MadC can be seen with another from Shepard Fairey recently adding to the area. The street also blends in to Whitby Street which is why I’ve joined the two together. Here you can see a number of works by the popular Australian artist Jimmy C who seems to favour this particular spot.

A street art tour looks at a street art mural on Grimsby Street in Shoreditch — A tour stops to look at work from Jimmy C on Whitby Street

Street Art by Reka and MadC on Chance Street in Shoreditch — The view up Chance Street showing pieces from Reka and MadC

Dereham Street

A small unassuming street, Dereham Street nonetheless has boasted some impressive street art murals over the years. Most of this is around the railway arch through which the street passes. You can access Dereham from both Curtain Road and Shoreditch High Street but keep your eyes open for the entrance.

Ebor Street

This street has become the defacto outdoor gallery of local artist Ben Eine. His typefaces have been covering the walls of Ebor Street for years. Indeed he has been creating murals, street art and graffiti in Shoreditch for years. Certainly he seems to have established it as his spot. You can listen to a podcast we recorded with Ben here.

Great Eastern Street

Intersecting the area the busy Great Eastern Street runs through Shoreditch towards Old Street. Development work to the buildings along the street has been the main cause of street art here. The hoardings which tend to go up in order to protect the public from the redevelopments have a habit of becoming canvasses in their own right. As such they have proved to be ever changing, if temporary, canvasses over the years. Great Eastern Street also boasts one of the areas finest urban art galleries. The Jealous Gallery has a number of excellent artists on its books and is certainly a great place to pop in.

The Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch — The Jealous Gallery on Great Eastern Street

Leonard Street and Blackall Street

Running from Great Eastern Street through to City Road. Leonard Street is the home of the Pure Evil Gallery and formerly a key place to see Shoreditch street art. As it stands now, Leonard Street has been extensively redeveloped and a shadow of the edgy street it once was. Blackall Street however retains a lot of smaller little gems. Much reduced nowadays because of the huge development that’s been happening there. It is still, nonetheless, a good place to visit.

Street art and graffiti on Blackall Street in Shoreditch — Blackall Street contains paste ups and a lot of smaller pieces

The Pure Evil Gallery can be found on Leonard Street

New Inn Yard

The area here was once better known as being the home of the famous ‘Theatre’. The first purpose built playhouse that gave its name to all others. Shakespeare himself treaded the boards and would have known it well. Now the area is dominated by London’s largest mural. A collaboration between many artists, it’s connecting theme is… ‘connectivity‘.

Nearby the Village Underground wall on Holywell Lane can be easily walked to. There have also been a number of hoardings here which artists have been painting in lieu of further development.

Giant street art from Autone and Neist on New Inn Yard in Shoreditch — Mural from Autone and Neist on New Inn Yard

Giant 'Connectivity matters' mural in Shoreditch — The mural stretches around the corner to the junction of Holywell Lane

Redchurch Street

Cutting through Shoreditch, Redchurch Street runs parallel to the main Bethnal Green Road to the south. A smaller street it is nonetheless, where a number of the other streets and lanes emerge. Pieces can be seen all along the street hidden between the bars, galleries and fashionable shops.

Rivington Street

The home of the famous Cargo bar. This was at one stage a place at the very heart of the street art scene in the area. Banksy himself hosted pop up shows here and many artists will have passed through. Inside the courtyard to the bar can be seen two originals from Banksy as well as pieces from C215 and and DS Art amonst others.

Further down the street there is a work from Stik and you may also see art from Thierry Noir. The street leads from Curtain Road to the junction of Great Eastern Street and Old Street. At the Old Street end it finishes where the famous Foundry once stood. Now undergoing extensive redevelopment, this was once the beating heart of the art scene in the area hosting over 2000 pop up shows in the years it was open. Now the Foundry is destined to become a trendy art hotel.

For more on the Art of Rivington Street click here

Original Banksy street art in Shoreditch — Two original Banksy pieces can be seen in Cargo’s courtyard

Street art by Stik on Rivington Street in Shoreditch — Mural by Stik on Rivington Street

Scalter Street

Running from Brick Lane towards the station in Shoreditch. The walls of Sclater Street are lined with art. This despite the fact that of all the places this has been one of the most built up in recent years. Towards the Brick Lane end survive some rare examples of old weavers houses though the walls are now peppered with smaller artworks. A bit further on and Sclater Street backs onto the former Bishopsgate Good Yard. The wall of which is also full of artworks and worth spending some time exploring.

The wall of the former Bishopgate Goods Yard lines the edge of Sclater Street

Village Underground, Holywell Lane

The largest wall in the Shoreditch area which is continually in use. There are other claimants to that honour but the wall at the Village Underground is constant in the amount of murals painted onto it. Overlooked now by the trendy Citizen M hotel you can often watch the painting from it’s balcony and lounge area. As walls go though, this is the big one. It’s a sought after spot and attracts artists from all over.

The Village Underground wall with a giant mural from French street artist Zabou — The famous Village Underground wall as seen from the Citizen M Hotel. The art is by Zabou and the tube carriages are by Amara Por Dios and Botkin

Shoreditch was visited on 18 and 19 January 2020. For more on the area take a look at this free self guided tour. You can also find street art across the UK. Have a look at these articles on Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield and Aberdeen.

For other posts relating to Shoreditch street art have a look here: