Here are the details of the street-art walk we did with our teenagers in London’s Shoreditch neighbourhood. East London, and Shoreditch in particular, is known for its vibrant urban-art scene. I recognised some artists from our street-art tour in Bristol and discovered others who are closely associated with London. I am sharing our walk in the order we followed it with Ticoeur and Titpuce. At 13 and 16, they were interested in this other side of London: vibrant, colourful and cosmopolitan.
I have not included photos of every piece of street art we saw, as there would simply be too many! I focused on works by well-known artists and those I particularly liked. While writing this article, I realised that I had especially enjoyed the portraits of women! I hope you like my selection and that it will interest your teenagers on your next trip to London too. Of course, street art is constantly changing. Some of the works below may no longer be there when you visit, but others will have appeared, making every visit unique. That said, most of the works featured here have been in place for many years.
Start of the street-art walk
Start at the southern end of Brick Lane, at the corner of Wentworth Street (the nearest Underground station is Aldgate East).
Brick Lane is Shoreditch’s lively main shopping street, with markets, vintage shops and Indian restaurants. You will find a few pieces of street art on Brick Lane itself, but even more in the side streets listed below.
Fashion Street and Toynbee Street
As you walk up Brick Lane, turn left into Fashion Street and follow it to Toynbee Street. From left to right in the photos, these are the works we came across:
- A Mickey Mouse by London artist Fat Cap Sprays, known for neon-style pictures combining street art and pop culture.
- A work by Mr Cenz, a London artist who creates highly colourful portraits.
- A young girl and her grandfather on the side of a shop owned by the family shown in the picture: a work by Jimmy C, an Australian artist based in London who is known for his pointillist style.
Heneage Street
Take a look into a courtyard on Heneage Street. Here you will see a work by Fanakapan: an impressive helium-balloon effect, his speciality, humorously inspired by the Pixar film Up.
Hanbury Street
A Song of Poppies by Jimmy C and Taqi Spateen. This painting evokes conflict and war while its bright colours and flowers convey hope and memories of better days. Jimmy C’s colourful style and street-art pointillism are instantly recognisable.
A heron by Belgian artist ROA:
ROA is known for his large animal murals, usually painted in black and white.
Code Street
High 5 by Jim Vision and Fanakapan:
The two styles come together: Jim Vision’s vibrant colours and Fanakapan’s helium-balloon effect.
Brick Lane
We are now back on Brick Lane. The work below was created by Dave Plants, an Italian artist living in London, who painted the face. Floral designer Renato Ribeiro created the hair. It had something of a Christmas theme. The face is gradually being covered by less elegant graffiti and the floral decoration has deteriorated, but that is part of the nature of this often ephemeral art form.
Where the railway passes over Brick Lane, there used to be a famous Banksy stencil featuring three monkeys, but TfL (Transport for London) had it removed. Journalists wondered whether those responsible realised that they had erased a Banksy. We will never know. For TfL, however, rules are rules and they simply ‘cleaned’ some ‘graffiti’. Apart from a few official commissions, drawing and painting on walls is illegal. Yet in neighbourhoods such as Shoreditch, some wonderful works have survived for years, perhaps because the walls were not very attractive to begin with and the street art actually improved them.
Grimsby Street
The Screamers by Stik. Stik comes from a disadvantaged background and is from the Hackney area. He wants his work to speak to everyone and show that you do not need sophisticated lines to be heard or convey a message. His pared-back geometric figures are easy to recognise. We also saw some of his works in Bristol.
Bacon Street
A work by London-based South African artist Drakes Work – another beautiful portrait of a woman!
Whitby Street
I particularly liked this work by Jimmy C: The Whitby Street Lady. The influence of 19th-century pointillism and Aboriginal art is especially clear in all the rounded spots of colour.
On the same street, we came across this work by East London artist Jim Vision:
A work signed by Jimmy C, without pointillism this time:
Redchurch Street
Half a woman’s face, created by Colombian artist Vane MG:
Ebor Street
A mural by London artist Ben Eine, stretching along the whole street with the message I don’t want to believe this anymore.
Braithwaite Street
On the left is a work by London artist David Speed, known for using this shade of purple against a black background in all his paintings. On the right is a work in a 1950s cartoon-like pop-art style by Cept, an East London artist.
Great Eastern Street
This is a commissioned work by artist Ed Hicks, who is drawn to themes of fire, volcanoes and the apocalypse.
New Inn Yard and King John Court
A large-scale work by Mr Cenz and Lovepusher: perhaps a reader setting off on an adventure?
Romeo and Juliet:
This commissioned artwork recalls The Theatre, which once stood on this very site. Shakespeare’s company performed here before the Globe was built, and the early plays associated with the venue included Romeo and Juliet. Artists from Global Street Art created this façade.
Bateman’s Row
Here you will find my favourite piece of street art in East London: Hope by London-based artist LUAP, whose real name is Paul Robinson. He is known for the pink bear in his work. He paints on canvas in his studio and has also created street art around London. I find Hope very moving. It expresses sadness and even depression, but also hope through the colour pink, the flowers, the bear’s innocence and the light on the right. Hope is not always simple. Unfortunately, when we visited, a crowd was queueing to enter a shop, so my photo does not show the whole work. We will have to go back!
Rivington Street
The only Banksy we encountered in Shoreditch was Graffiti Area, also known as Guard Dog, in the courtyard at 83 Rivington Street, formerly Cargo.
On the same street is a work by French artist Thierry Noir:
That brings us to the end of our walk exploring Shoreditch’s urban art. From here, you can take a stroll through the City of London, just to the south. For more walks and sightseeing ideas, see our complete guide to London with kids.
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Where to eat during your London street-art walk
- On Brick Lane: there is a wide choice of food markets and small restaurants all along the street.
- At Spitalfields Market: this restored old market hall has several stalls for a quick lunch as well as shops.
- Dumpling restaurant: we had lunch at Xi Home Dumplings Bay (10 Blossom Street). Our teenagers loved it!
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Where to stay in Shoreditch with your family
It would not be my first choice because Shoreditch is not especially family-orientated. It is an alternative neighbourhood: lively and well located, but not every street is equally appealing. On the other hand, there is a wide choice of accommodation, often a little cheaper than in central or west London. So it can work, but read recent guest reviews carefully before booking. These two options look very good to me:
The One Hundred Shoreditch hotel has modern rooms for four; check whether breakfast is included in your chosen rate. If, like us, you sometimes travel with grandparents, this apartment in Shoreditch is on the ground floor and has a garden and three bedrooms.
For more ideas in other parts of London, read my guide to where to stay in London.
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So, are you tempted to take your teenagers to discover the street art of East London?
You may also like our visit to Bristol, a city of street art.
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