About Bethnal Green

Photo courtesy of Ewan-M

Bethnal Green is in the East of London and straddles two boroughs, Tower Hamlets and Hackney.  It's hard to believe now, but it used to be an agrarian hamlet in the parish of Stepney, full of rolling fields, forests and grazing land.  Today, most of the green in the district is provided by eco warriors, but there are still some pretty squares and and parks in amongst the urban development.

See & Do

The Blind Beggar Pub was established in 1894.  It's a typical old Victorian bar in London, so if it's a traditional old London pub you're looking for, then this just might be the right place for you.  It's also the site of some pretty brutal history, and gangland London when the Kray Twins ruled the roost in the 1960s.  It's thought the pub got its name from an old Local Legend about a Blind Beggar and a Local Lord.  It was opened on the site of the old Mile End Toll Gate, where Jack the Ripper committed a lot of his crimes.  Later on, in the 1960s, 9th March 1966, Ronnie Kray walked into the pub and shot George Cornell dead with a 9MM Mauser.  The record playing on the juke box at the time, which also got hit by a bullet was 'The Sun Ain't gonna shine anymore' by the Walker Brothers.

Eat

Yummmy.  Brick Lane is a great place to go for South Asian food in London.  The community here is predominantly Bangladeshi, but not only, and all the British curry favourites can be found here, including deliciously smooth mango lassis.  Be it late at night after some drinking, chatting and dancing, or just if you want to go out for dinner.  The range of places is great, and fashions come and go, so follow the discerning crowds and you shouldn't be disappointed.  Also brilliant to eat after you fall out of a club at 3 in the morning, or as a Sunday breakfast, are the delicious bagels from the all night bagel bakeries on Brick Lane.  Salt Beef or Smoked Salmon are the most traditional flavours, although they do lots of other fillings too, and the queues are always snaking out the door as people queue up to sample some freshly made and stuffed full bagels.

Party

93 Feet East is just one great bar / club along Brick Lane.  In summer they have a delicious caribbean barbecue outside, and inside the music mixes between live sets and DJs depending on the night.  The drinks are good, the vibe is relaxed and the people generally pretty nice here.  The neighbourhood is also full of great pubs, both dressy trendy bars, and traditional 'old men's pubs full of history and character.  The Kray Twins grew up around here and so some of the pubs on the Mile End Road including the 'Blind Beggar' have some very colourful pasts.   The Blind Beggar itself was established in 1894, and has great Victorian decor.  It likes to play on its gangland past, but now its open to everyone and the old violence is luckily just a distant memory.

Stay

The Town Hall Hotel and Appartments in London's Bethnal Green combines Edwardian grandeur and style-a-plenty.  Dripping with marble and art deco furniture, striking flower displays and perfectly poised clocks meet you as you make an entrance.  It's great for a stay in the area, perfectly placed for popping into town, to nearby Hackney and not too far from the Olympic park either.  If you fancy the gritty cool of East London, this is a borough to check out, and it's still out of the way enough to make you feel like you've made your own special finds in amongst the bric a brac and busy high streets that characterise this part of town.

Shop

There are lots of great markets and vintage shops to browse through in Bethnal Green, Columbia Road Flower market is brilliant on a Sunday.  Spend all day there, having brunch and go home with armfuls of flowers and plants.  Also nearby are Spitalfields, Petticoat Lane, Roman Road, and Brick Lane.  There are lots of cool vintage Shops and boutiques on the Bethnal Green High Road too so take time to get to know this area, you'll find some great local bargains as well as some more chichi shops too.