MINI GUIDE TO STREET ART IN LONDON

London is one of the best places in the world to see street art. Street artists come from far and wide to paint its walls, and visitors travel for miles to see it. London’s East End in particular has a renowned reputation. However, there are other fantastic places with some great art scenes in their own right.

You won’t find street art in every London neighborhood, so to help you out, I’ve put together a guide to the best places to see street art in London.

This article is by no means an exhaustive list of all the places you can find street art in London. I’ve only selected areas where you’re guaranteed to find some great murals that are worth the trip. And by venturing into some of these lesser-known areas, you’ll be exploring some of London’s hidden gems.

If you’re looking to explore some of London’s street art districts but don’t have much time in the city, then I’d recommend focusing on East London. Shoreditch would be my number one street art destination, especially for its famous Brick Lane street art scene.

Before we get started, I’d like to point out that I’ve used a mix of brand new and slightly older photos for this post. Some of the artwork you see here may no longer be around.

SHOREDITCH

One of the best areas in London for street art, however, is Shoreditch, where the artwork changes almost daily. You can even join the Shoreditch Street Art Tour, a guided walk to discover the work of many of the world’s best graffiti and stencil artists. This lively part of East London is an ever-changing canvas for street art, filled with spectacular graffiti art, beautiful murals, painted shutters, cool stickers and many other types of urban art in London:

Admire the stunning murals adorning the walls of Fashion Street.
Discover the monster sculptures hidden on the rooftops along Grey Eagle Street.
See the works of world-famous Banksy on Rivington Street.
Check out the Insta-worthy art decorations of Brick Lane.

It’s hard to imagine yourself wandering around hipster Shoreditch these days, but this London neighborhood wasn’t on any tourist’s radar until the late 90s. Even the average Londoner wouldn’t dare venture there.

And doesn’t the name Shoreditch ring a bell? The historic East End of London is best known for its gritty past, characterised by a multicultural and rather poor population. It’s no wonder that areas of East London like Shoreditch and Hackney have become a playground for urban artists.

As time went on, the area slowly changed. Graffiti tags evolved into sophisticated street art and artists like Banksy emerged on the scene. But years before these extraordinary murals attracted crowds of world-famous artists and tourists to Shoreditch, local authorities still considered all forms of urban art illegal. As a result, most of Banksy’s iconic pieces are now a thing of the past.

The nature of street art is changing again due to gentrification. Quite typical of the area, street art is also becoming more commercial. In recent years, I have seen murals in Shoreditch promoting luxury brands such as Gucci. I find this development somewhat sad and depressing, but also very telling of the direction in which the once free spirit of London is slowly taking its course.

MY TIP

Streets you should definitely check out: Princelet Street, Hanbury Street, Corbet Place, Brick Lane, Dray Walk, Wheeler Street (tunel vedle Shoreditch High Street), Pedley Street, Grimsby Street, Bethnal Green Road (konec Brick Lane), Sclater Street, Whitby Street , Chance Street, Ebor Street.

How to get there: London Liverpool Street station or Shoreditch High Street Overground station

BRICK LANE

Perhaps the most famous place in the UK is Brick Lane. A place that has become synonymous with the street art and graffiti scene in London. So if you head south from Columbia Road, you will reach a part of the city called Brick Lane. And why is it so famous throughout England? Its second name is “curry capital” because Brick Lane is home to Bengalis and Pakistanis who run a large number of Indian restaurants here. The intoxicating aroma of curry will accompany you the whole time.

As for street art and graffiti, you’ll find plenty along Brick Lane. Be especially careful of sticky tape and stickers. The area between Buxton Street and Bethnal Green Road, where the railway bridge crosses, is the most heavily trafficked.

It’s a cool place where international street artists want to paint, while locals keep it lively. There’s a strong core of artists who are constantly drawing on the historic brick walls. Every week, thanks to local creatives, you can find a new painting here.

Brick Lane was at the heart of the East End before the East End was even formed. It’s called that because it was along this old track that bricks from the old brickworks that run along its length were transported to build the developing neighbourhoods of London. It’s a street full of character. Layers of history are layered on top of each other. The many different architectural styles tell the story of a place that has never stopped evolving.

HANBURY STREET

Hanbury Street, which runs through Brick Lane, leads to Spitalfields Market and the entrance to the Truman Brewery to the west and to Whitechapel to the east. You’ll see plenty of street art along the length of the street. You’ll also be able to see perhaps the area’s most famous mural, a giant crane by Belgian artist ROA. The intersection between Brick Lane and Hanbury Street is perhaps one of the most famous places for street art murals in the world.

ARTIST ROA

One of the foreign artists who repeatedly returns to London to leave their mark is the Belgian artist ROA. He is known for his black and white portraits of various animals. And real ones. His works occupy a considerable area so that they have no chance of escaping your attention. One of his most impressive works, The Crane, is located in Brick Lane.

Hanbury Street shows works by Dscreet, Martin Ron, and long-term work from ROA, among others.

BUXTON STREET

One of the best walls in the area is at the junction of Buxton and Brick Lane. It is literally overflowing with art. Walk a little further down Buxton Street and you will come to Allen Gardens, an open park separating the area from Whitechapel. The lane also runs past the back of some of the social housing towards Pedley Street, accessed via Buxton but which then runs parallel to Brick Lane. You can often find good pieces of street art in the lane itself.

PEDLEY STREET

A surprisingly long street, Pedley Street is actually more like a road. It runs from Brick Lane eastwards, actually through Allen Gardens, under the railway bridge and along the side of the former nomadic community garden. The wall at the KinKao restaurant closest to Brick Lane is iconic. The sought-after spot for painting art here doesn’t last long, but it’s usually of high quality and sought after by artists. Towards the gardens, meanwhile, the art takes on a much more graffiti-like feel.

ALLEN GARDENS

Allen Gardens is more of a graffiti space than a garden these days. There are many walls around the gardens which are now full of painted pieces. The main walls run along the railway line on both sides of both the Nomadic Community Garden on one side and the Allen Gardens on the other.

What I enjoy most about this art is that it tries to impress passersby in any way it can and often responds to current issues, whether political, ecological or social. If I can give you any advice, and I would be happy to, pay attention to small details in the streets. I discovered a long-sought-after brain or Mona Lisa here. 🙂

PRINCELET STREET

Home to the famous and long-standing work of local artist Stik. His work, titled “Couple Holding Hands on the Street,” has become popular in the local area for its message of social cohesion. You’ll also see other smaller works near Stik.

ARTIST STIK

A very “proficient” artist is the author who works under the pseudonym Stik. His story is very interesting. He lived in a homeless shelter for a while and it was there that he prepared for his first exhibition. He received his art education only on the streets during his wanderings in West London. I think you know his work, it is characterized by black and white figures. Now he paints murals all over the world in Europe, Asia and America.

ARTIST BANKSY

Banksy comes from Bristol. He was the one who brought street art to galleries and auction houses. His stencil paintings had a huge impact on street art, which was no longer perceived as just vandalism. When Banksy appears in public, he only wears a mask, and he even has his voice changed. Although it is a certain artistic or commercial principle, he admits that he could even be prosecuted for graffiti. Today, he earns incredible money from his works.

COVENT GARDEN

Covent Garden has many cute shops, bars and restaurants. It’s just lively there. Probably the most famous is Covent Garden Market, where trading first started in 1654. You can buy a lot of souvenirs here. You can find the Wild Food Café, which is a colorful paradise. You can find delicious food here, prepared in an open kitchen by a hippie chef. I probably like the view of the sun-drenched courtyard the most. You can also find Bambi works here, such as Lady Di as Mary Poppins in Neal’s Yard.

And what kind of artists can you find in London?

20 BEST STREET ARTISTS IN LONDON

Many street artists work under pseudonyms. I’m sure you can see why? They usually create their work on illegal areas or private property, so it’s not surprising. I usually try to take a lot of photos too, because I know that what I discover while wandering around London today may not exist tomorrow.

There are of course many street artists working in London. They use a variety of techniques, but they have one thing in common: they want to draw attention to something. I’ve often thought to myself, how beautiful it is, but if I owned a house here, I probably wouldn’t want someone to paint my clean wall like this. I think there’s a very fine line between ordinary vandalism and art.

Here are just a few of the best London street artists who currently have their work on display in London:

Stik: One of the most well-known street artists on the scene, his work Past, Present, Future in Shoreditch overlooks the Old Street roundabout and reflects the area’s ongoing gentrification. @stik

Bambi: Anonymous artist living in London who creates striking art inspired by politics, modern society and contemporary icons. @therealbambistreetartist

ROA: The Belgian artist who created The Crane, a Brick Lane icon. His signature black and white animals can be seen all over the world.@roa

C215: A French artist who creates highly detailed, multi-layered color portraits. @christianguemy

Phlegm: A Sheffield artist who has a whole world of characters, often on a huge scale.@phlegm_art

Pegasus: A Chicago-born artist from North London, known for his portraits of pop culture icons. Meghan, Madonna, Whitney, Amy, Tina – he’s painted them all. @pegasusart

Space Invader: This Parisian mosaic artist is one of the most prolific. His pixelated computer game characters challenge “players” to collect points by finding his hidden works. @invaderwashere

Jonesy: His quirky pieces, which sell for thousands of pounds in galleries, sit out of peripheral vision on columns in East London, particularly along the canals. @jonesy_street_art

Ben Wilson: This North London artist’s work is probably the hardest to find. He turns discarded chewing gum into intricate works of art, and he has over 400 of them on the Millennium Bridge alone. @benwilsonchewinggumman

Frankie Strand: Práce Londýňana Frankieho Stranda obsahuje draky, obří chobotnice, supervelké krokodýly a mnoho dalších fantastických zvířat. @frankie_strand

Amara Por Dios: V díle Amary Por Dios narozené ve Švédsku se často objevují barevné bohyně inspirované jejím jihoamerickým dědictvím. @amarapordios

Sweet Toof: This London artist is well known for his vibrant street art, which features his signature teeth surrounded by bright pink gums. @thesweettoof

Fanakapan: A pioneer of Balloon Graff, Fanakapan creates work that looks 3D until you get close, and often features pop-culture icons such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Sonic the Hedgehog. @fanakapan

Eine: He may be the first living British artist in history to have his work displayed in the White House after former Prime Minister David Cameron presented one of his works to President Obama. @einesigns

Jimmy C: Painter of striking artwork and the iconic David Bowie mural, this Australian artist creates vibrant street art that can be found in London and around the world.@akajimmyc

Dreph: Nottingham native Dreph, a former high school teacher turned visual artist, is known for his vibrant, colourful, large-scale portraits painted around London buildings. @dreph_

Mr Cenz: Mr. Cenz has been active in the street art scene since the late 1980s. His stunning futuristic art is painted on large murals in places like the UK, Canada, and Sweden. @mrcenzone

Carleen De Sözer: Carleen, who specialises in Afro-futuristic art, is brightening up Shoreditch with her stunning murals using bold colours and gold tones.@carleendesozer

Candie: A lover of letters, Candie develops buildings with her art of scriptwriting, a passion that has allowed her to cover walls in bustling cities such as New York, Barcelona and Milan. @candie_bandita

Vanessa G: Better known by her stage name VANE MG, she combines bright colours with portraits to create stunning murals that have made her the first artist in the world to paint inside the walls of Kew Gardens. @vanemg.art

Is street art legal in London? Technically, street art in London is very much illegal. However, some local authorities have become one of the world’s leading cities with such high-quality urban art.