Most Famous Roads in East London

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London’s East End provides a wealth of opportunity for guests at the Montcalm’s luxury hotels for families. From Shoreditch to Snaresbrook, the broad variety of districts provide a dizzying array of amazing attractions and entertainment opportunities. With so much happening on the day to day, however, it’s easy to forget the history that has gone into the East of London. With events and people dating back to the Roman era and even beyond, this area of London has a great many streets that over the years have gained fame and notoriety for locals and tourists alike. Whatever your business in East London, be sure not to miss these incredible streets and the stories that make them.

Fleet Street

With a history dating back to the Roman era, Fleet Street has been an important road for business and commerce for millennia. More recently, Fleet Street became most famous for being a hub of printing and publishing houses, many newspaper companies setting up shop in the area. The name Fleet Street is still a term that’s used to refer to the British press, even though most of the industry has moved elsewhere in the city.

Things to do

With its long history of journalism and fictional demon barbers, Fleet Street has amassed a great many London boozers that remain popular to this very day. These include Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a Grade II listed pub. Furthermore, the area is home to the 11th century Temple Church, which was home to the Knights Templar.

Cable Street

Cable Street is based near to the Wapping and Shadwell area of the East End. Alongside it being placed right in the heart of the East End, Cable Street was made famous by the Battle of Cable Street, a protest and riot in which locals from the Jewish and socialist community fought off a march by fascist Oswald Mosley’s blackshirts in 1936. This street still holds great relevance for political movements across the city, and many murals can be found on the walls along the road.

Things to do

Alongside the local Watney Market, Cable Street is probably most famous for the Grade II listed Wiltons Music Hall, the oldest music hall in the world. Whilst it no longer runs specifically as a music hall, guests at the nearby Montcalm the Brewery hotel will find it now as a multi-arts venue that has been fully restored to its mid-19th-century heyday.

Brick Lane

Located just around the corner from the Montcalm hotels afternoon tea in the city of London, Brick Lane is a famous street in Shoreditch that became a popular residence of the Jewish and Bangladeshi community during the 1950s’. Having undergone much redevelopment throughout the pre-war years, Brick Lane acts as a prime example of London’s vibrant East End, retaining much of its industrial warehouses that have been repurposed as property, shops and event spaces.

Things to do

From the multi-purpose Trumans Brewery event space to the thriving weekend markets, Brick Lane is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist spots in East London. Teeming with trendy bars, vintage and designer clothes shops and mouthwatering curry houses, Brick Lane has really rolled with the times whilst still managing to retain its vibrant identity.

Kingsland Road

Based in Dalston, Kingsland Road is one of the most popular nightlife streets in London. With enough entertainment to rival Shoreditch, Kingsland Road’s history dates back to the Roman era when it was originally a long roman road giving access into London from the East.

Things to do

Alongside many nightclubs and international cuisine restaurants, Dalston’s Kingsland Road is home to the revolutionary EartH Hackney music venue, which has played host to comedians such as James Acaster and bands like Yo La Tengo. Other cultural highlights on Kingsland Road are the experimental music venue Cafe Oto and the Vortex Jazz Club venues, as well as the off-West End Arcola Theatre.

Mare Street

Mare Street is located right next to Hackney Central Station and proves once again that London’s East End is a playground for entertainment and culture. With a history dating back to the late 16th century, Mare Street acts as the heart of the borough of Hackney and has seen the likes of Mary Wollstonecraft and other pioneering revolutionaries make their home here, or at least use it as a spiritual one.

Things to do

Modern-day Mare Street is home to a range of exciting attractions. With the Hackney Picturehouse being one of the most popular cinemas in East London, and the Hackney Empire theatre across the road from it, Mare Street has become a bastion for weekend entertainment.

Columbia Road

Guests making the most of weekend London hotel deals will no doubt want to visit Columbia Road in the Hoxton and Haggerston area of Hackney. This historic street was famous for housing the London Burkers, a group of grave robbers who sold stolen corpses to anatomists. In the mid-Victorian ear, what was once a slum saw a gradual rejuvenation due to the weekly flower market that took place here, and still does today.

Things to do

The Columbia Road Flower Market takes place every Sunday morning and afternoon on Columbia Road. During the market, around 50 traders set up shop along the street, selling a range of flowers and houseplants at great value prices. On top of this, cafes, bars and buskers pop up along the bustling street and add to the market day atmosphere of Columbia Road.

Broadway Market

Another great street for weekend market day atmosphere is Broadway Market. Overlooking London Fields, this street is famous for being a prime example of East London’s regeneration. Once the site of a fruit and vegetable market, the late 20th century saw a decline in Broadway Market, before a new weekend market in the early noughties began to attract other businesses. Nowadays, visitors will find Broadway Market to be a thriving and metropolitan hotspot full of restaurants, cafes, bars and independent boutiques.

Things to do

Broadway Market’s highlights include the Broadway Bookshop that focuses on political and philosophical theory, Donlon Books, Aesop’s skincare shop and a range of cafes spanning Moroccan cuisine, pub grub and classic East End fish and chips.