East – Local tips (art & culture)

The area around Liverpool Street Station in East London was once associated with poor slums and the scene of the crime for the Jack the Ripper murders. Whilst the Ten Bells still stands, the pub that Jack’s victims drunk at, the area itself is now very popular with London’s edgy and artistic crowd.

After a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, you’ll come across the Old Spitalfields Markets (105a Commercial Street) which are open every Sunday. Whilst these markets are definitely worth a peak, keep wandering towards Bricklane where you’ll find the Old Truman Brewery (91 Bricklane).

These are one on my favourite markets as this is where up-and-coming designers set up shop every Sunday selling a unique variety of handbags, clothes and jewellery. There’s also a few vintage clothing stores and chic boutiques dotted around the area, which is a refreshing change from the usual high street clothing stores.

Whilst Bricklane has always been synonymous for its many curry restaurants, it now has a reputation for its warehouse art exhibitions and trendy clubs and bars. So, before your East London experience is complete, be sure to head to the Vibe Bars beer garden for a drink or two before stumbling across the road to 93 Feet East (150 Bricklane) for some late night groovin.

Whilst this place is sweaty and jammed, it has become an East End institution well known for its eclectic mix of live music and its intimate atmosphere.

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Bricklane | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Shopping, Restaurants (Various, however mainly Bangladeshi) | Average meal £ £5.00-£20
Bricklane | East
Markets open Sun, most clothing stores daily, 93 Feet East: Mon – Thu 17:00 – 23:00, Fri 17:00 – 01:00, Sat 12:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:30

If you know anything about art and you’re coming to London chances are you’ve heard of Banksy. Yes? Well, the Bristolian behemoth spawned (or rather grew alongside) such other graffiti art notables as D*Face, Eine and Sickboy – all of which are well worth checking out. And Stolenspace, along with some other east end venues (Shoreditch’s Tramshed and Stella Dore to name a couple) houses an impressive gamut of these pioneering arty-types’ work and regularly pops up with an exciting showing to whet the appetites of London’s social set.

The building itself is a rather drab, Orwellian concrete slab adjoining the trendily revamped Truman Brewery, to the Big Chill bar (a no-go zone – toyish cans of Tiger beer for £2.50?!?!) and the excellent Rootmaster (check the Rootmaster article). But what other sort of venue would you expect to house great urban artistry? Dulwich Picture Gallery this ain’t.

Keep one eye open on the gallery’s website for opening nights and special events; they’re free and, like most east end exhibitions, carry a huge amount of alcoholic clout for free. Hold tight, pretend you like what you see and you could be staggering away full of enough beer to cost about 50 quid next door! Drinks aside, going home with a arty piece of cool Britannia is surely the best gift to take home from London. Seeing such a vibrant scene in full swing is a gift enough for me – until I get some money…

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Stolenspace Gallery | Art & culture | Free
Dray Walk, 91 Brick Lane | East
Mon – Thu11:00 – 19:00

This once derelict house was bought by the Late American artist, Dennis Severs. Severs had been inspired by ‘Old England’, so he renovated the house to reflect the 18th and 19th centuries. Eager to share his passionate creation with the public, Severs then opened his house up to visitors.

However with no signage outside, the house looks like any other Victorian townhouse. Although once inside, it’s quite a different story, as I felt I had entered a time capsule and had been ejected out somewhere between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Spread out on four floors, each of the ten rooms tells a different story. Props such as the remains of half eaten toast and cups of tea make the visitor feel as someone just left the room. Whilst the more permanent structures, such as the uneven floors, low beamed ceilings, antique furnishings and the smell of gas from the fire places lingering through the air allows the visitor to visualise and smell yester-year.

To enhance your senses, attend a ‘Silent Night’ candlelit viewing on a Monday evening. The flickering of candles leave you feeling as if your presence is being observed by the occupants of the house, which of course are only as vivid as your imagination will allow.

Since Severs death in 1999, funding to keep the house open has been limited, therefore Severs intricate interpretation of centuries gone by can only be kept alive for as long as people continue to visit this special little place.

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The Dennis Severs House | Art & culture, Relaxing | ‘Silent night’ £ 12.00
18 Folgate Street | East | +442072474013
Mon evening & 1st, 3rd Sun & Mon of the month 12:00 – 16:00