Our London campus is in the East End, where the city’s modern skyscrapers border old buildings in intricate streets. It’s a bustling, colourful, exciting corner of the capital. An abundance of coffee shops and curry houses, fashion pop-ups and markets. Lots of markets, in fact. Old Spitalfields market, East Street market, Columbia Road Flower market and Broadway market (among others) jostle for position alongside Petticoat Lane market – one of London’s oldest market sites.
Although the rights of Petticoat Lane market were only formally protected by an Act of Parliament in 1936, people have been selling in this area since Tudor times.
Nowadays, you won’t find a Petticoat Lane on Google Maps. The Victorians felt the name was a little too risqué for their tastes. But the market is still very much in existence and it sells everything from knock-off designer clothing to cleaning products. The candy-striped stalls are just a short walk from university campus – even more reason to visit! Here’s our guide to the best bits.
A five-minute walk from Liverpool Street Station and our campus. The market extends across Middlesex St, Goulston St, Toynbee St, Wentworth St, Bell Lane, Cobb St, Leyden St and Strype St.
8am-4pm, Mon-Fri (Goulston St, Toynbee St and Wentworth St only); 9am-2pm, Sun.
All students like a bargain, and you’re bound to find one at Petticoat Lane market. Everything here is super cheap. Looking for some cosy pyjamas? A fur coat? Or some batteries for your TV remote? You’ll find plenty of clothing here as well as luggage, toys, leather goods and convenient stalls. The market is renowned for its multicultural heritage and this is represented in the items on sale.
Pho, 48 Brushfield Street
Wander from Cobb Street down Bell Lane and onto Brushfield Street and you’ll find Pho. A Vietnamese restaurant serving up fresh, delicious food at wallet-friendly prices.
If you pay attention while you walk, you’ll see that East London is home to some pretty amazing graffiti art. To learn more about it, and uncover some hidden recesses in the process, why not take the Shoreditch Street Art Tour? You’ll learn about the ever-changing canvas in one of London’s most vibrant areas.
The Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St
For more art, head to this ground-breaking East London space. The gallery has showcased modern masters like Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo as well as contemporaries like Sophie Calle and Paul Noble. An afternoon in the Whitechapel gallery is certainly not time wasted and you can learn all about modern and legendary art.
We would highly recommend visiting the market. It’s a spectacle and a wonderful piece of London history. The fact that it’s close to our campus is just a bonus!
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