Shoreditch Street Art - the Ultimate Self-Guided Route

Posted 24/08/2023 | 24th August, 2023

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East London has enough incredible street art to rival the best in the world. Competing with the fantastic scenes of Berlin, New York, and Penang – thousands of people travel across the globe to enjoy the unbeatable Shoreditch Street Art.

If you’re looking to hit all of the highlights but move at your own pace, look no further than this self-guided walking route, which takes you through some of the best street art in East London.

Starting Point: Shoreditch High Street Station

Finishing Point: Spitalfields Market

Time Needed: Around 2 hours

Street Art Stop 1: Bull in a China Shop

Your Shoreditch street art tour starts at Shoreditch high street station, accessible via the overground route. Head left out of the station and immediately left again past Box Park. Cross over the main road and turn left. Before you hit the bridge, you will spot the Bull in a China Shop bar. On the side of the building is your first street art stop.

Street Art Stop 2: Let’s Adore and Endure Each Other

Continue along the main road until you reach the crossroads. Here, you should take a right turn onto Great Easter Sreet, and you will be greeted with perhaps the most famous street art in Shoreditch named ‘Let’s adore and endure each other’.

This piece was painted by the artist Steven Powers on the side of the well-known Village Underground music venue. Don’t forget to look up – two old tube carriages sit on top of the building completing the image.

Street Art Stop 3: New Inn Yard

Keep on Great Eastern Street for a few minutes until you arrive at the Old Blue Last pub. Take a sharp right turn here and arrive at the fabulous New Inn Yard.

On your right-hand side, you have a caricature collage of iconic musicians. Continue along the road, and you will enjoy some fantastic surrealist murals created by the well-known Mr Cenz. The girl holding the globe (pictured below) is one of Mr Cenz most famous pieces, but you can see heaps of his work around the Shoreditch area.

The brightly coloured intertwining lines also pictured below were created by AutOne & Neist, well known for their work in the Shoreditch area. This abstract piece is a take on London’s unground tube network – and is easily spotted from Great Easter Street.

Side note: Casa Do Frango is an excellent Portuguese restaurant on New In Yard.

Street Art Stop 4: King John Court

Take a right down King John Court and enjoy the breathtaking street-long mural. I particularly love this street due to its variety – although this is one enormous art piece, it contains many different images and artistic styles. On close inspection, each artist’s individual work can be easily identified, but how they blend together is spectacular.

My favourite section is the bejewelled woman in the red dress dancing with the robot (wearing a VR headset, of course!). Created by Captain Kris and Tizer, the almost cartoon-like style effortlessly blends the other pieces whilst keeping the futuristic technology themes present.

Stop 5: Redchurch Street

Once you’ve finished enjoying the beautiful King John Court, double back on yourself, and continue along New Inn Yard until you reach the main road again.

Cross over and head up Redchurch Street. On the left-hand side, you can enjoy the beautiful pink tiger painted on a shopfront. Interestingly, there is another piece by the same artist (David Speed) to enjoy further up the road.

Shoreditch Street Art Stop 6: Ebor Street

The sixth stop on this Shoreditch Street Art Tour is the beautiful Ebor Street. The colourful ‘I don’t like this anymore’ mural was created by the born and bread London artist Ben Eine, who has now relocated to the US. He is known for adding new work to his portfolio each time he returns to the Big Smoke.

Stop 7: Chance Street

From Ebor Street, double back onto Redchurch Street and wander down the next immediate right: Chance Street. The pink and yellow artwork brightens up the whole area and provides the background for an endless number of Instagram photos.

What makes chance street so incredible is the variety it offers. Largescale murals with tiny graffiti pieces summarize the myriad of personalities that live in east London.

Disappointedly but understandably, many of the murals in the area have been overtaken by the hefty conglomerates. So, expect to see Nike adverts nestled between authentic independent artwork.

Street Art Stop 8: Redchurch Street (Again!)

Continue along Redchurch Street and marvel at the various small pieces of art along the way. If you have the time, there is an excellent selection of coffee shops to relax inside, as well as independent shops to browse.

At the top of Reduchurch Street, you will be treated to the incredible Ukraine tribute piece created by the mural artist Woskerski. This is another of my favourite pieces, with the girl’s eye staring directly into your soul and the subtle nod to Ukraine in the colours of her hat.

Street Art Stop 9: Brick Lane

You will then meet Bethnal Green Road, cross over and turn right onto the top of the famous Brick lane. There are endless amounts of incredible street art to enjoy on Brick Lane. Take your time and browse the wonderful stalls and vintage shops on your way down the lane.

Brick Lane has a long and rich history, being one of the best-known areas in east London. Interestingly, the street gained its name due to its high clay reserves, which are perfect for creating bricks. Following the Great Fire of London, the demand for bricks spiked in the capital. As such, a kiln was installed on the north end of this road.

The area is a true melting pot of ethnicities, with a Methodist church, a Jewish Synagogue and a mosque all within a few minutes of each other. This fantastic mix of heritage and culture has created a vibrant area packed with various shops and restaurants.

Take a left down Cheshire Street. This is one of the street art voids in the area (bear with me), but it does have a great coffee shop Vintage Café Shoreditch. They do great coffee and cannolis!

Street Art Stop 10: Allen Gardens

For your next stop, you should double back onto Brick Lane and continue until you meet the bridge. You should take the street just before the Thai restaurant on your left-hand side.

This small square has some incredible street art, including the famous High 5 (pictured below) on the east side of Allen Gardens.

Take a right onto Code Street, then another right onto Buxton Street. When you read the crossroads, turn left to continue on Brick Lane.

Street Art Stop 11: Hanbury Street

Hanbury Street is one of the worst-kept street art secrets and one of my favourite areas for artwork in Shoreditch. It is home to a fantastic 12-meter-tall crane mural by the side of a street dancer.

You will be treated to a spectacular number of colourful realistic and abstract pieces at eye level, enough to keep you occupied for hours. Unless you’re up and out at the break of dawn, don’t expect to have this street to yourself, it’s always bustling with heaps of photographers due to the variety on offer.

Street Art Stop 12: Fashion Street

Fashion Street is the final stop on your Shoreditch Street Art tour, splattered with small pieces of intricate artwork. However, one of the best creations on this street sits beneath the Hawkers restaurant sign. It shows a man embracing a young girl and is made up of many tiny paint strokes, which look genuinely brilliant when observed up close.

Keep an eye out for another of Mr Cenz’s murals, a beautiful sci-fi-inspired mural depicting a woman’s face using stunning swirling paint strokes in pink, blue and purple.

Once you’ve finished marvelling at the delights on Fashion Street, follow the road to the end and head north on Commercial Street. Within a couple of minutes, you will be at Spitalfields Market.

This walk is designed to show you the Shoreditch Street Art highlights at a leisurely pace. But there is so much incredible work in the area! If time permits, wander around the side streets, taking in the smaller, lesser-known pieces.