A Colorful Bike Ride in London’s East End

The East End.  For decades those three words sent shivers down the backs of Londoners.  The area known for its docks, railways and industries has a rather sordid past.  From the earliest times the East End has fought the good fight.  First the Plague, then cholera, and later typhus and tuberculosis, all with little success.  The overcrowding and poverty endemic to the East End made it a tough place to survive.  Living conditions were spartan and job prospects few and far between.  Crime was just an accepted part of the East End’s fabric.  The slums produced the requisite gambling and prostitution.  Those vices came together to produce London’s most famous serial killer—Jack the Ripper.  History is not sure of the list of Ripper victims nor to this day has his identity been confirmed.   All of the murders remain unsolved.  For years the East End was not a preferred destination for locals or visitors.  That has changed.

Tourists are coming to the East End.  Yes, some come for the oft-crowded Jack the Ripper night time tours but others are coming for art.  We here at the SBT crew recommend you bring a bike.  Let’s ride the East End. 

A ride in the East End is colorful (or, for our UK friends, colourful).  It used to be called graffiti, now it is simply known as “street art” and it is cool.  Walking tours are popular but you may be able to see more and do more on a bike--just remember Englanders drive on the other side and those big buses will leave a mark if you aren’t careful.  Who are these artists?  Well, the go by the nom de plume D*Face, ROA, Stik and Vhils.  Some actually use their given names: Conor Harrington and Shepherd Fairey.  

Recently the reclusive artist Banksy was in the news.  His iconic image of a young boy sewing a Union Jack flag was stolen (pictured) from the wall it had called home in the East End.  It isn’t easy to steal this art form.  In order to abscond with the Banksy work the entire mural was removed with a chisel.  The work showed up in Miami, USA of all places for sale under the guise “Slave Labor.”  It should fetch up to $700,000 USD at auction.  The sale is legal due to the fact that British law only protects public art over 50 years old.  The ethics of such a theft and subsequent sale are deeply troubling and East Enders are demanding the work be returned and protections be put into effect to save current and future street art projects.   Stay tuned for further developments.  UPDATE: The work was pulled from the auction by the auction house proprietor.  What happens next is up in the air.

A bike ride of the East End will reveal the art in Brick Lane, Shoreditch, Hoxton, Hackney and Islington.  Brick Lane is unique.  It doesn’t smell like London.  Curry is in the air in Brick Lane.  Cultures collide in the area and sometimes the collisions are real between the native residents and “new” inhabitants from Bangladesh.  The heart of the city center is known as Banglatown and curry house restaurants are ever-present.  But it is in Brick Lane that Banksy’s work is most prominent and worth the ride.  

For a ride in the East End find parking where you can and pedal up one street and down the next.  It’s that simple.  Do you still need to leave the East End at sundown?  Well, one travel site offered this advice: “…the normal precautions after dark are advisable. People of the East End have pride in their homes, so it would be wise to tread carefully around regulars in pubs and bars in places like Whitechapel, Mile End and Bethnal Green, but most people are warm, friendly and interested in you as a traveler providing you behave with the respect and deference due from a visitor.”  Sounds like good advice.

We have a video of East End street art on our website www.stickybottleteam.net.