October 2017

From the busy intersection of Regent & Oxford street, we took the tube from Oxford Circus to Aldgate East headed to Brick Lane for lunch in one of the many halal cafes.

Brick Lane is a well-known street in East London. It is the hub of London’s Bangladeshi community and is known to some as ‘Banglatown’. It is also famous for it’s authentic curry restaurants.

In the yesteryear’s, ‘Jack the Ripper’ is known to have operated on the side streets of Hanbury and Fournier Streets, off Brick Lane.

A simple metal arch welcomes you to Brick Lane.

The narrow street of Brick Lane only caters for one way traffic.

A typical stretch of Brick Lane.

A supermarket along Brick Lane. Note the license plate of the Range Rover.

‘Banglatown’ cash & carry caters for the 30% of Brick Lane Bangladeshi community.

Brick Lane is world-renowned for its street arts. The side streets create an extensive gallery of eye-popping street art to explore. The area is alive with art.

Street art in one of the back lane.

An art work along ‘Fournier Street’.

Followings are street art captured along Hanbury Street where you’ll find plenty of them. These art aren’t permanent as it may be whitewashed and painted over with a new one. A work seen today may not be there when you come again. Thus what you see in Google streetview may not survive for your future planned visit.

At the intersection of Brick Lane & Hanbury, a wall gets a new artwork over the old.

Just beside the wall undergoing repainting above.

A much photographed street art along ‘Hanbury Street’. Due to it’s large-scale and being off the ground, it has survived for a long time.

Take a few steps backwards and another work (gorilla) comes into frame.

Another work along Hanbury Street, across ‘Banglatown’ cash & carry.

An art work at an entrance gate.

Street art on the walls of ‘Banglatown’ cash & carry.

To the right, another work on the walls of  ‘Banglatown’ cash & carry.

Art on the shutters of a restaurant.

Agreed, what the sign says.

Attractive colored door and windows along ‘Princelet Street’ heading towards Old Spitafields Market.

Several markets are in Brick Lane namely the ‘Old Spitafields Market’, ‘Boiler House Food Hall’, ‘Tea Rooms’, ‘Backyard Market’, ‘Sunday UpMarket’, and the ‘Vintage Market’. The best day to visit Brick Lane markets is on Sundays where there will be a large flea market with people hawking their second-hand wares selling everything from antiques, handmade clothing, accessories, jewellery, music, arts and crafts along with street food.

Old Spitalfields Market is a covered market built in 1876. It is one of the surviving Victorian Market Halls in London and you’ll find daily fashion and vintage stalls with restaurants and boutiques. Having had lunch, we just strolled around for a look-see before exiting.

One of the several entrances to Old Spitalfields Market.

The interior with plenty of cafes.

Modern facilities around.

The Brick Lane Jamme Masjid (Brick Lane Mosque) built in 1743, has functioned as a chapel, a church, a Synagogue and as a mosque since 1976. We took the opportunity to perform our midday prayers at the Brick Lane Mosque. The mosque is well maintained, with modern ablution facility and fully carpeted prayer hall.

Brick Lane mosque from afar.

Brick Lane Mosque right along Brick Lane.

The modern ablution area.

The main prayer hall.

Fully carpeted prayer hall.