London – Around Town : Heading East (part 1)

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The East End is booming. Always a vibrant,
working-class area and home to London’s dockworkers, the area has also
prided itself on providing a refuge for successive generations of
immigrants, from French silk weavers to Jews and Bangladeshi garment
workers. Since the 1980s, the East End, where the murderous Jack the
Ripper roamed, has undergone a radical transformation. Today, the media
and finance worlds occupy stylish Dockland developments, galleries and
restaurants have sprouted in Hoxton and a host of Sunday markets,
including trendy Spitalfields, draw newcomers who marvel at the area’s
unspoilt 18th- and 19th-century architecture.

The Huguenots in London

Driven
from France in 1685, the Huguenots were Protestants fleeing religious
persecution by Catholics. They were mostly silk weavers, whose masters
and merchants built the beautiful Georgian houses around Fournier,
Princelet and Elder streets. Spitalfields silk was famous for its fine
quality, but by the mid-19th century the industry had declined.

Dining room, Geffrye Museum

Sights

  1. Canary Wharf

    The
    centrepiece of the Docklands development is Canary Wharf and the 240-m
    (800-ft) -high, 50-storey Canada Tower designed by the US architect,
    Cesar Pelli. Although the tower is not open to the public, parts of the
    complex are open to visitors, including the mall, where there are
    shops, restaurants and bars. The star of the area’s exciting
    architecture is the stunning Canary Wharf station, designed by Norman
    Foster.

    • Tube & DLR Canary Wharf

    Canary Wharf

    Fifty-storey-high Canada Tower at Canary Wharf

  2. Museum of London Docklands

    Set
    in a Georgian warehouse, this museum tells the 2000-year-old story of
    London’s river and port. Exhibits include whale bones, opium pipes and
    the unusual “cabinet of curiosities”. Among the highlights is a full
    size reconstruction of a 19th-century street in Wapping – here you will
    find a wild animal emporium, alehouse and chandlery.

    • No 1 Warehouse E14

    • Tube & DLR Canary Wharf

    • Open 10am–6pm daily

  3. Hoxton

    If
    you want to see the latest in British contemporary art, then this is
    the place to come. Hoxton Square is home to the White Cube gallery,
    where many of the now established contemporary artists, known as the
    YBAs (Young British Artists), such as Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and
    Tracey Emin, first made their names. Acrobats and aerial performers put
    on shows at Circus Space on the north side of Hoxton Market. Popular
    cafés and restaurants include the Hoxton Square Kitchen and Bar and the
    Real Greek.

    • Tube Old Street

  4. Whitechapel Art Gallery

    This
    excellent gallery has a reputation for showing cutting-edge
    contemporary art from around the world. The White­chapel has launched
    the careers of David Hockney, Gilbert and George and Anthony Caro.
    Behind the Art Nouveau façade there is also a great bookshop and café.

    • Whitechapel High Street E1

    • Open 11am–6pm Tue–Sun (Thu 9pm)

    Whitechapel Art Gallery’s 1901 entrance

  5. V&A Museum of Childhood

    Everyone
    will find something to delight them here: from dolls and teddy bears to
    train sets and games through the ages. There are special activities for
    kids of all ages, during weekends and holidays, as well as those themed
    to complement current exhibitions.

    • Cambridge Heath Road E2

    • Tube Bethnal Green

    • Open 10am–5:50pm daily

    • Free

  6. Spitalfields

    Streets
    such as Fournier Street, lined with 18th-century Huguenot silk weavers’
    houses, are a reminder that this area, just east of the City, has
    provided a refuge for immigrant populations for centuries. London’s
    oldest market, Old Spitalfields Market still has stalls selling food,
    as well as several cafés and shops dotted around its edge. But Sunday
    is the day when the market draws hundreds, eager to find a bargain
    among the fashion, vintage clothing, and crafts stalls here. Opposite
    the market is one of Europe’s great Baroque churches. Christ Church
    (1716) was designed by Wren’s pupil, architect Nicholas Hawksmoor
    (1661–1736).

    • Commercial Street E1

    Georgian terrace, Fournier Street

    Christ Church Spitalfields

  7. Thames Flood Barrier

    Rising like shark fins from the river, this piece of engineering is an impressive sight .

    Visitors’ Centre

    • Unity Way SE18

    • DLR Pontoon Dock or train to Charlton

    • Open Apr–Sep: 10:30am–4:30pm daily, Oct–Mar: 11am–3:30pm daily

    • Admission charge

  8. Brick Lane

    Once
    the centre of London’s Jewish population, this street is now the heart
    of London’s Bangladeshi community. Head here for inexpensive, authentic
    Indian food at restaurants such as Preem and Shampan. Some of the best
    bagels in the city are from the 24-hr Brick Lane Beigel Bake at No. 159
    – a famous dawn haunt for late-night revellers. There are vintage
    clothing/designer shops and, on Sundays, a lively flea market.

    • Brick Lane

    • Tube Aldgate East

  9. Columbia Road Market

    Londoners
    head east on Sunday mornings for the bustling street markets. In
    addition to Petticoat Lane in Middlesex Street, with its bargain
    clothes and household items, and Brick Lane’s bric-à-brac, there is the
    teeming plant and flower market in Columbia Road. Ten minutes’ walk
    from the north end of Brick Lane, Columbia Road is a delightful
    cornucopia of all things horticultural at bargain prices.

    • Columbia Road E2

    • Tube Old Street

    • Petticoat Lane

    • Tube Aldgate East

    Columbia Road Market

  10. Geffrye Museum

    Devoted
    to the evolution of family life and interior design, this fascinating
    museum has a series of rooms decorated in distinct period style.
    Originally a 1715 almshouse, the building has been transformed and you
    can wander through an oak-panelled 17th-century drawing room, a 1930s
    flat or a contemporary loft apartment. Stroll through a series of
    period gardens between April and October.

    • Kingsland Road E2

    • Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sat, noon–5pm Sun