If you’re a fan of street art and want to discover some of the coolest street art in London, you’ve come to the right place. Shoreditch, one of the quirky and edgy neighbourhoods in East London, is famous for its amazing street art.
In this guide I’ve outlined the ultimate Shoreditch street art walking tour. I mapped out some of the most famous and striking street art in Shoreditch, so that you can plan your own street art tour.
The photos you see in this post are from June 2020. Street art is constantly changing so some of the pieces you see in this post have been painted over by the time you visit.
Don’t let that discourage you! I’m sure they’ll have been painted over with something even more epic. If anything, I hope that pushes you to get out there and explore the epic street art of Shoreditch now, don’t wait another day!
Map of the best street art in Shoreditch
I’ve mapped out below all the epic street art you will see in this guide. You can simply open the map to your phone and of your own Shoreditch street art walking tour.
Should you do a Shoreditch street art tour?
One of the beauties of street art is that it’s entirely free. You can just walk around and see if for yourself. Using this post and map as your guide you can easily get around Shoreditch and see all the best spots, that’s what I did.
That said, I’m by no means a street art expert and besides outlining the route and telling you a bit about the piece and surroundings, I can’t tell you much about the art or artist itself.
There are a few companies that offer tours of Shoreditch street art.
These will take you to all the main spots, as well as some hidden gems that I might have missed, and tell you all about the artists and the story behind the pieces you see. If you have a big interest in street art doing a tour might be a better option.
I’ve listed below some Shoreditch street art tours that have good reviews.
- Shoreditch street art bike tour
- Bricklane & Shoreditch street art tour
- Alternative London 2-hour street art walking tour
My Shoreditch Street Art Walking Tour (DIY & Free!)
Doughnut Time
Start off your Shoreditch street art walking tour at Doughnut Time, an awesome donut shop right on the corner of Old Street tube station. They have a very bright green shop front, with a fun rose graffiti.
They also have a sign above their donut display that says “it’s always a good time”, which I fully agree with.
I also absolutely love their donuts, which makes it a great starting point! It’s one of my favourite places to eat in Shoreditch. Grab a donut and fuel up before your street art adventure around Shoreditch!
Rivington Street
From Doughnut Time walk straight ahead for around 5 minutes and you will arrive in Rivington Street. Here you will find lots of cool graffiti waiting for you.
The first one are colourful faces on a turquoise background, on the right wall as you start walking down the street. These are similar to another piece further down the road next to the club Cargo.
Cargo is a cool club with reggaeton nights (maybe you can go for a cheeky dance after your street art tour?). The whole wall in front of Cargo is covered with a huge “SCARY” tag, painted to raise awareness about male mental health issues.
It’s a prime example of how street art isn’t just about looking pretty, but also conveying wider messages.
Bateman Row
From Cargo walk ahead to Shoreditch High Street and then turn right. On the corner with Bateman’s Row you will find some cool street art dedicated to the NHS.
The colourful NHS heart and Heroes tag are a beautiful reminder of the amazing work the NHS did (and is currently still doing) during the lockdowns. These were painted over what looked like a construction site so they might be gone soon.
New Inn Yard
From Bateman Row go straight and then down to New Inn Yard, and be ready to be amazed. In just this one short street there are so many incredible pieces that you could spend the whole day here just admiring them.
At the start of the street, just outside FRAME Ambition (a gym with some cool colourful signs out) and under the overground rail bridge, you will find some very cool and colourful graffiti tags.
They might not seem as fancy as some of the more elaborate street art pieces but I personally loved the pop of colour.
At the time I was visiting there was also a sign in the Ad space saying “I’M HAPPY VERY VERY HAPPY” in bold colours, which I loved the look of and think it’s always a fun message.
King John Court
Just after the bridge New Inn Yard meets King John Court, and this huge building that sits on the corner is one of the biggest street art canvases in Shoreditch.
Every inch of this building has been painted in a different style by different artists, but they actually blend in very well together to create a breath-taking piece.
Some of the artists involved in the creation of this piece are Hicks, Dr Zadok, Busk, Mr Cenz, and Oliver Switch.
Take your time walking around this building and admiring this piece because it’s worth it. Try to finish on the side on New Inn Yard, as there’s another piece worthy of mention here.
New Inn Broadway
This piece might not seem as grand when compared to King John Court, but it’s actually one of my favourites thanks to the great amount of detail. The entire façade of this two-story building is taken over by a Romeo & Juliet artwork.
We have Juliet looking out from a window, Romeo looking up to her, elaborate roses all throughout including also some famous quotes from the Shakespeare play.
Tattoo parlour on Curtain Road
Continue walking along New Inn Yard until you emerge on Curtain Road. About 10-20 metres on the right you will find a tattoo parlour with a huge red cat painted outside.
It might not be as fancy as others but I love cats so it’s going on this compilation of amazing Shoreditch street art.
Let’s adore & endure each other
From the tattoo parlour go onto Great Eastern Street and east towards Shoreditch High Street. You will soon see “Let’s Adore And Endure Each Other” on the left.
This piece by Stephen Powers is one of the most famous, although personally it’s not one of my favourites. I prefer the more colourful and bolder pieces.
But this one has a nice message and it’s been there for a long time (for street art anyway) so it’s considered a must-see on any Shoreditch street art tour.
Fairchild Street
This little side street that connects Great Eastern Street to Shoreditch High Street has some of the most ever changing street art in Shoreditch. Every time I walk down this street I see different pieces.
Whatever graffiti are on there when you’re visiting, you can rest assured that they’ll be colourful, bold and interesting.
Bull in a China Shop
Continue along Fairchild Street and onto Shoreditch High Street. On the left you will find a bar and restaurant called “Bull in a China Shop”. On the wall outside they have a very fitting graffiti of a bull.
It’s also a very cool Shoreditch bar if you want to pop in for a quirky cocktail! Day drinking is fairly well accepted in London anyway, it’s not so different from bottomless brunch!
Ebor Street
As you walk from Bull in a China Shop to Ebor Street you will walk past BOXPARK Shoreditch. This is a really cool place if you’re looking for quirky Shoreditch cafes, tasty brunches and unique stores.
After snapping some fun shots of the bull cross the street and go over to Ebor Street. All along the left wall you will find three “LOVE” graffiti. They’re all done in different fonts and styles but similar genres.
They’re al bold, colourful and stand out against the black wall. If you’re looking to capture some cool London Instagram shots, this is a great place to do so!
Chance Street
After the LOVE signs of Ebor streets just turn the corner onto the parallel Chance Street. This is another of those spots with a high concentration of beautiful street art all in one spot.
You’ll have colourful walls on both sides, with a bold red, blue and white piece spanning over the corner of the building on the corner with Whitby Street,
Whitby Street
Whitby Street is at an intersection with Chance Street and there area a lot of cool pieces on this short street.
The first one is the one building on the corner with Chance Street, of which you’d gotten a first glimpse while walking down Chance Street. I love the contrasting colours of this piece.
Just keep walking along Whitby Street and you will find three more awesome pieces within a few metres of each other. The girl just under the Whitby Street sign tagged Roxanne was one of my favourites.
It’s composed of different colours of sprayed dots, something that resembles a bit Pointillism, but which I had never seen in graffiti. It’s a must-see on any Shoreditch street art tour!
Sclater Street
After snapping a few shots of Roxanne on Whitby Street just turn the corner and walk down Sclater Street. Just after BOXPARK (another very cool spot for food and drinks if you fancy a stop) the rest of Sclater Street is covered with graffitis on both sides.
Some are tags and some are more elaborate pieces, but you can rest assured that none of them are boring. They’re the perfect line up to Brick Lane.
Brick Lane (under the bridge)
If you thought Shoreditch was quirky, just wait until you see Brick Lane. This is the edgy area of an already edgy neighbourhood.
On this street you will find not only some pretty awesome street art, but also great curries, popular vintage markets, tasty street food and fun bars.
Most of the street art is concentrated at the start under and around the train bridge, but you will find plenty as you walk southward.
If you visit early in the morning or late in evenings when the shops are closed you will see even more pieces, since many are painted over the shop railings.
All along Brick Lane and the streets perpendicular to it you will find cool street art. You could easily go wandering without an aim and find some incredible street art not listed in this article.
In the rest of this guide I’ve outlined some of the most famous or that I thought were particularly stunning.
Bacon Street
Before you make your way down Brick Lane, turn quickly left onto Bacon Street. This street has two beautiful pieces one in front of the other.
I prefer the rainbow girl because of the colours, but the King of Bacon Street is incredibly elaborate and detailed.
Code Street
While walking along Brick Lane we noticed some cool artwork at the start of Code Street. We didn’t venture too far along the railway but even just at the start we were simply amazed.
Right at the start of Code Street there is a private block of apartments with huge street art pieces that cover the whole building façade. They are bold, colourful and pretty awesome additions to buildings.
You don’t have to be an expert to recognise the mastery of these pieces.
Buxton Street
After Buxton Street we got back on Brick Lane and continued southward. We soon came to the crossing with Buxton Street. The street art you will find here isn’t in the grand artworks style, but more in the provocative style.
Most of them are posters or stickers, with messages about current events or issues. It was pretty cool to see something so different from other pieces we had seen until then.
Hanbury Street
When you reach the crossing with Hanbury Street just walk 10-15 metres along it and you will soon find a bright pink wall on your left. This funky London writing was one of my favourites.
Right next door to it is also a cool restaurant with wooden décor and colourful faces painted over the entrance. When you put them next to each other they make for a very interesting combination.
Fashion Street
Fashion Street is another of those streets with lots of awesome pieces one right after the other.
Just walk half way down Fashion Street and you will find the first, an incredibly skilful piece that resembles the style of one of the ones on King John Court.
There are two more just a few metres ahead of this one. We ended our Shoreditch street art walking tour here, but if you wander around Brick Lane and Shoreditch you will probably find more pieces that we haven’t touched on here.
Final thoughts on Shoreditch street art
There you have it, the ultimate guide to doing your own Shoreditch street art walking tour!
This is by no means a comprehensive guide to all the epic street art in London, I’m sure there are many more that I might have missed, but it’s a good introduction for those searching for the most famous or eye-catching murals in Shoreditch.
You can easily do your own walking tour following this guide and map, that’s what we did too, but there are also lots of guided tours.
If you have a keen interest in street art doing it with a guide might be better, as they’ll be able to tell you about the story and artist behind every piece.
Whether you decide to do a guided tour or do follow this map and do it yourself, I hope you find this guide useful in planning your Shoreditch street art adventures!
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