Greetings to you all and thanks for coming along with me on another journey across the capital! Today’s walk begins in Shoreditch with a visit to Boxpark and Brick Lane, before taking me to The Geffrye Museum of the Home. I’ll then go to Haggerston Park, with a pleasant walk along the Regent’s Canal to Shoreditch Park, with my final stop of Islington Green!

My walk begins in swanky Shoreditch and at one of its fairly recent sights, Boxpark, which was installed in 2011 as the world’s first pop-up mall. Created by Roger Wade, the whole concept of the area was to refit and repurpose shipping containers into an independent and revolutionary retail experience which showcases fashion and creativity in a street setting.

The distinctive model of the park is an alternative set-up not just for customers, but also retailers who are on the hunt for more affordable space in the capital. With an array of brands and places to dine, the park illustrates the unique reputation that Shoreditch brings. The success of Boxpark Shoreditch has seen two others ‘pop up’, one in Wembley and another in Croydon. It’s certainly quite different to walking around a huge mall, and with space in London becoming more sought after, you expect niche and quaint places such as these to be launching in many other areas.

Now it’s time to leave Boxpark and do a bit of a wander around a few other sights in Shoreditch. Located in East London, Brick Lane was formerly known as Whitechapel Lane, though its name today derives from the brick and tile manufacturers who used the brick earth deposits in the 15th century.

Brewing began in Brick Lane around 1680, with one such brewer named Joseph Truman beginning his brewing there in 1683, and his family would go on to establish the sizeable Black Eagle Brewery on Brick Lane. The old building is still prominent in the Shoreditch skyline today, with it being used for food markets and events.

The Brick Lane market was first developed in the 17th century for the selling of fruit and vegetables. The area saw a wave of immigration throughout the 18th and 19th century with French Huguenots, the Irish and many people of the Jewish faith settling there.

The theme of immigration has continued into the 20th century with many Bangladeshi immigrants now residing in the area. It’s now the hub of London’s Bangladeshi community, which reenforced Brick Lane’s reputation of being famed for its many authentic curry restaurants. If you go there on a Sunday, which I did, the markets are thriving with a range of stalls selling a variety of clothes, handbags, jewellery and vintage, chic boutiques. 

The Brick Lane and Shoreditch area is seen by many to be quite edgy and hip, and whilst you walk around there past the many lovely independent coffee shops, there’s loads of street art which demonstrates the trendy reputation.

Shoreditch really is one of the most unique parts of London with it being a cultural hub of creativity and diversity through its art, food, people and places.

It’s time to leave Brick Lane, and head towards a peaceful little area called Arnold Circus, no clowns here though! The housing development within the Boundary Estate was opened in 1900 which makes it one of the earliest social housing schemes built by a local Government authority. The bandstand within the circus has the honour of having Grade II listed status.

Leaving the gardens, a walk towards Hoxton brings you to the very picturesque Geffrye Museum of the Home which was established in 1914 and aims to inspire everyone about the multiple meanings of the home from 1600 to the present day. To do this the museum showcases displays of urban living rooms, gardens, special exhibitions and events.

Located on a former almshouse, a house built originally by a charitable person for poor people to live in, the building was developed in 1714 with the bequest of the former Lord Mayor of London and Master of the Ironmongers’ Company. The almshouse had fourteen houses with each having four rooms which provided retirement homes for up to 56 pensioners.

By the 18th century the area was mainly rural with market gardens to supply Londoners with fresh vegetables and herbs. During the 19th century with London expanding the area became home to the centre for London’s furniture and clothing trades, with the farmland being replaced with housing, factories and workshops.

The Shoreditch area by 1910 had become one of London’s most heavily populated places and with serve overcrowding and little sanitation, the Ironmonger’s Company relocated and as a result sold the almshouses & gardens to the London County Council in 1912.

With the arts and crafts movement gaining momentum in the area, the location was converted into a museum in 1914 to inspire and educate people about the local furniture trade. With the furniture industry moving away from Shoreditch, the focus turned to collections around the home. As the years went on, the museum increased its collections of paintings, furniture and decorated arts, with a period garden being added in the 20th century.  The focus of the museum today centres on the home and home life reflected in changes in society, patterns of behaviour, style, fashion and taste.

The area does have a really grand and historical feel to it, and it’s quite hard to believe such a glorious area is hidden within bustling Shoreditch!

It’s now time to carry on my walk to my next destination of Haggerston Park which is located in the south-west corner of Hackney.  Originally created in the 1950s, and extended in the 1980s, the park is carved out from the area of derelict housing, a tile manufacturer and the old Shoreditch gasworks. Occupying 6 hectares (15 acres) the scenic park includes many open green spaces as well as many football pitches. It really is the perfect place if you require a quiet spot for a picnic or just to relax, and the area is pretty vast for a park right within the Shoreditch area.

Taking a detour out of the park I’ll now head off to Shoreditch Park, however, to get there I’ll need to walk along one of my favourite stretches of water, the Regent’s Canal! My walks have frequently taken me along this stretch of water, as it goes through a vast majority of places and sights through the capital. To find out more about its history, check out my walk from King’s Cross to Hampstead Heath!

I recall the first time I walked along the Regent’s Canal back in 2014 having just stumbled across it when walking through Shoreditch, and since then it has always been one of my go-to walks and places to explore. It’s both a quiet and pretty place to stroll along with so much to see along it, whether that’s the boats, buildings, parks, locks or the lovely nature, it’s the place to be for a London walk. You can’t help but fall in love with it!

I’ll now take a detour off the canal, and head to Shoreditch Park which at 7.1 hectares (17 acres) is one of the borough’s largest parks serving the South of Hackney.  During the Regency Era and subsequent creation of the Regent’s Canal, the area was originally open fields and was developed into terraced housing for workers and families. However, during the Blitz and later air-raids in the early 1940s the area was badly damaged.

In 1945 the damaged homes from the bombs were cleared with temporary housing erected there as a stop-gap for the homeless families during the war. These were only designed to be there for a short-term basis, and nearly 20 years on they were removed in 1964, with the site being redeveloped and cleared between 1964 and 1973.

The park we enjoy today has a number of facilities for sport, adventure & children’s playgrounds and an outdoor beach volleyball court. Every year the park is home to the Shoreditch Festival which offers live music, food and entertainment.

I’ll now rejoin the Regent’s Canal and head onto my final stop on my walk, Islington Green!

Based near Angel station, Islington Green is a small triangle of open land which marks the Northern boundary between the modern district of Angel and Islington. At the heart of the green is the Statue of Sir Hugh Myddleton (1560-1631) sculptured by John Thomas. Myddleton had a major role in constructing the original terminus for the New River, which was an artificial waterway in England opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water from the River Lea and Chadwell Springs and Amwell Springs. It’s so fitting that there is a statue for someone who did quite a remarkable job in helping provide such a significant aspect to people’s lives of clean drinking water!

Well that’s all for today’s walk exploring the East and Inner sides of London, where you can discover everything from art, to museums, to parks, it really is a walk that would cater for everyone! Thanks for coming along on my walk and in the meantime you can catch me on Twitter and Instagram and don’t forget to sign up to my blog too and have a read of my other walks! 🙂

Sources: (not the food sauces)

All photos taken by London Wlogger. © Copyright 2018

Boxpark: History of Boxpark

Brick Lane: History of Brick Lane

Geffrye Museum: History of the Geffrye Museum

Haggerston Park: History of Haggerston Park

Shoreditch Park: History of Shoreditch Park

Islington Green: Information about Islington Green