Great British walks
In the first of an exclusive series of British walks, TV presenter and architectural expert Dan Cruickshank gives us a tour of his native Spitalfields, in London's historic east end
From the Georgian splendour of Spitalfields to the trendy street markets of Hackney, uncover some of the capital's most fascinating sights.
Each month, Dan will be featuring a different walk in the UK for you to enjoy. Simply print out this page and take it with you.
If you've done the walk, please let us know. We'd love to hear about your experiences.
Walk 1: Spitalfields to London Fields, East London
- Start point: Liverpool Street Station, London
- End point: Broadway Market, Hackney
- Essential gear for all walks: a compass, ordnance survey or other detailed maps as appropriate, stout walking shoes, a waterproof coat, a torch and a bottle of water.
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Walking time: Two hours amble, best on a Sunday morning
Columbia Road flower market on a Sunday, just one of the unique sights on this walk
Walk north along Bishopsgate, which follows the route of the Roman road to York and then turn right, east, down Brushfield Street.
Baroque Spitalfields
Ahead is the sublime view of Nicholas Hawksmoor’s Christchurch, Spitalfields – a wayward Baroque masterpiece built between 1714–1729.
The aim was to bring the power of state religion, the Church of England, to an area that was rapidly expanding and inhabited largely by foreigners and non-conformists. They were mainly French Huguenot Calvinists, who from the late 17th century had fled persecution in Roman Catholic France and introduced the silk industry into Spitalfields
On the north side of Brushfield Street is the old wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market that, since its closure in the 1980s, has become an extremely vibrant crafts and food market, although now partly ensconced within modern and massive commercial developments.
London's Jewish heritage
The market - still beneath a fine 1880s cast iron roof - is liveliest on Sundays. This part of the east end is a reminder of the Jewish community that dominated the area from the late 19th century until the Second World War. For them Saturday was the Sabbath and Sunday the big day of trade and conviviality.
Cross Commercial Street and head east along Fournier Street, along the side of Christ Church. Fournier Street is one of the very best early Georgian streets in London. Built during the 1720s and virtually intact, it is sensational in its detail and when the brick houses are viewed in conjunction with the monumental stone-built Christchurch.
Huguenot silk weavers
The best view is from the east end of Fournier Street where it joins Brick Lane. If you look back, to the west, the view is incredible - a vision of the early Georgian city.
Fournier Street was initially inhabited by Huguenot master weavers, but during the late 18th century the silk trade went into terminal decline. The houses became multi-occupied and were in multi use, families living and working on the lower floors while weaving was carried on in the tall, well-lit garrets.
East end slums
During the 19th century the houses became slum, at the heart of the Jewish East London, generally with a family living on each floor. As many as 30 people lived in each house. Miraculously Fournier Street - and neighbouring Wilkes Street and Princelet Street survived this and war-time bombing and are now among the most prized houses in London.
Joining Brick Lane
Turn left, north, along Brick Lane. This lane forms the spine of the area, reaching from Aldgate to Bethnal Green Road, and is the key part of an extraordinary route through the east end. Brick Lane is the commercial hub of Spitalfields – now the heartland of the local Bangladeshi community, the southern portion is lined with Bangladeshi restaurants and shops.
Jack the Ripper territory
Pass the eastern end of Hanbury Street - the location of the murder, by Jack the Ripper, of Annie Chapman. She was last seen alive in the Ten Bells pub, which you passed on the corner of Fournier Street and Commercial street. At the end of Hanbury Street - on the corner of Commercial Street - is another fine pub, the Golden Hart, which is a popular haunt of the artists of the area.
After about a hundred metres you pass between the 18th and 19th century buildings that formed the Truman’s Brewery, founded in the mid 17th century. By the mid 18th century the brewery, under the control of Ben Truman, was one of the largest and most modern industrial complexes in Britain.
The brewery closed in the mid 1980s but much of the fabric survives, now home to smart restaurants, shops and a vast Sunday market. Truman's mid and late 18th century counting house survives on Brick Lane furnished with grandiose Tuscan pilasters outside. The inside of the building boasts one of the finest neo-classical interiors in London, much like a late Georgian country house.
The trendy east
Going north from here the character of Brick Lane changes - Bangladeshi restaurants are replaced by imaginative bars and unique clothes shops. It has become a centre for young people from all over Britain and abroad.
Continue north, past the junction with Sclater Street and Cheshire Street, which forms the heart of the Brick Lane Sunday market. It was once a famed tinkers and animal market but is now far less intriguing.
Once you reach the end of Brick lane on the west side, just before Bethnal Green Road, is an admirable bakery - the Bagel Bake. It's open seven days a week, 24 hours a day - a most useful place and a reminder of the now lost Jewish community of the area. Try a fresh bagel with salmon and cream cheese - delicious.
Cross Brick Lane and continue along the northern extension of this road.
Flowers and furniture
After a few hundred metres turn east towards Columbia Road, pass through a small housing estate and, on a Sunday, you will be able to hear, smell and see the bustling flower market. Columbia Road is a narrow Victorian street lined with a variety of eccentric and often rather smart shops selling food, furniture, ethnic art and perfumes.
But, like the flower market operating from stalls set up between the rows of houses, only open on Sundays. In the springtime Columbia Road is one of the great and most beautiful experiences of London, bulging with blossoms, packed with purchasers and heady with scent.
Halfway down on the north is the Royal Oak, a fine pub that provides tasty food. At the end of the lane, just to the Oak's north, is an amazing survival - Jones’s Welsh dairy with an intact 1920s shop interior. The shop sells delicious cheeses and in the stable behind, where cows and donkeys were tethered, is a delightful coffee house - open from Thursday to Sunday.
Return to Columbia Road and continue to Hackney Road, past a Spanish Restaurant and a welcoming pub. Cross over Hackney Road, past the sprawling Hackney City Farm on your left and Haggerston Park, then north along Goldsmith’s Row to the Regents Canal.
Lunch in Broadway Market
Just before the canal bridge, on the left at number 87 is the Little Georgia Restaurant - highly recommended for its authentic food. Cross the bridge and you are in spacious Broadway Market - the site of a Victorian street market. It is now the location of a very delightful Saturday market for high quality food.
Although more quiet on Sundays, Broadway Market has a good selection of cafes, shops and pubs including F. Cooke’s Pie & Mash and Eels. It was established in 1900, and has a fine tiled interior with marble topped tables and benches arranged in rows in the style of an 18th century chop house.
Halfway down is The Dove - an excellent place for Sunday lunch. Continue north to the end of the street, past an outstanding Regency shop front, opposite the Cat & Mutton, another good pub. This brings you to London Fields - an ancient open ground, now preserved within the heart of Hackney. it's a good place to sit - just to look at life and ponder.
You can see more of Dan Cruickshank in his BBC series 'Adventures in Architecture' starting on 2nd April 2008
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