Shoreditch, Hackney & Spitalfields: the gentrification of the old East End

MINIMUM TWO GUESTS PER BOOKING * CASH OR PAYPAL ONLY * SUGGESTED AMOUNT £24 EACH

Join me for a walk through the historic East End of London, starting at Hackney Town Hall (where I got married) and ending at Spitalfields Market. This isn’t just a tick-box tourist attraction trip – we discuss the real issues that have faced the multicultural people of the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets. 
We look at housing, gentrification, squatters, campaigners, traffic, immigration, the blitz, the industrial revolution and all subjects in between!
We follow the drover’s route where peasants drove their animals to Smithfield meat market, crossing London Fields along the way. We’ll explore three of the East End’s most famous markets and cross the Regent’s Canal. 
We explore Columbia Road, famous for its flower market and Victorian terraces, before visiting the peaceful Boundary Estate, Europe’s first social housing development, instantly recognisable by its sweeping red-brick mansion blocks curving around the bandstand at Arnold Circus. Many visitors say this feels like discovering a secret corner of London. 
We walk down Brick Lane, a street shaped by centuries of migration, from the Huguenots to Jewish communities and, more recently, the Bangladeshi community, each leaving their mark on its culture, food, and character. We finish at Spitalfields Market and Hawksmoor’s Christchurch. Follow me on @lizadoddstourguide  The walk is suitable for dogs with space to run in the park.