10 things you didn’t know about London’s Shoreditch
Bordering The City - the business-centric district of London, and nestled between art and design-focused Clerkenwell and Bethnal Green - is one of London’s most loved hotspots for culture, art, fashion and food. Yep, that’s right… Shoreditch.
If you’re heading to London soon and can’t wait to tick off amazing experiences in Shoreditch off your list, we’ve put together some fun facts about the area to help get you even more excited.
The name ‘Shoreditch’ is thought to originate from the Old English term ‘Soersditch’ roughly translating to ‘Sewer’s Ditch’, however, many believe the name was attributed to Jane Shore, a mistress of King Edward IV, who died and was consequently buried in a ditch somewhere in the area.
Boxpark is the world’s first pop-up shopping centre and is home to 60 shipping containers converted for use as shops and restaurants. It, therefore, offers one of the most unusual shopping experiences in London. Make sure you book your Shoreditch London accommodation nearby!
Shoreditch Church (which is dedicated to St Leonard) is of ancient origin and is referenced in the famous line “when I grow rich say the bells of Shoreditch”, from the much-loved children's’ nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons.
Beloved English playwright William Shakespeare came to Shoreditch as an actor and it is believed he lived down Holywell Street in Bishopsgate. His plays ‘Henry V’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are thought to have premiered at The Curtain Theatre during the late 1590s.
In the second ‘dot-com’ boom, the area became popular with London-based web technology firms who base their head offices around the famous Old Street. These include Last.fm, Dopplr, Songkick, SocialGO and 7digital. These businesses have tended to head towards Old Street Roundabout, giving rise to the term “Silicon Roundabout” to define the area, which was used by former Prime Minister David Cameron in a speech in November in 2010.
Charles Dickens visited Shoreditch to get inspiration for his works. Mr Micawber from ‘David Copperfield’ lived at Windsor Terrace on City Road, and Oliver Twist resided in South Shoreditch.
By the 17th century, Shoreditch saw an inrush of new homeowners as Huguenot weavers who were working in Spitalfields moved to the area. Across the next century, the area also grew to be well known for furniture manufacturing and craftsmanship. You can observe some samples of local work in the Geffrye Museum.
Today, there’s still a tonne of people flocking to the area so be sure to book early, as the best hotels in the area, such as the M by Montcalm spa, get booked up super quick!
English film director Sir Alfred Hitchcock, who was the name behind a number of classic thrillers including ‘Psycho’, began his career at Gainsborough Studios in Shoreditch. Also, Dame Barbara Windsor, known for her role in the ‘Carry On’ films and as London’s leading pub landlady, Peggy Mitchell in ‘Eastenders’, was born in Shoreditch.
Old Spitalfields Market is one of the capital’s earliest markets, dating back to 1638 when King Charles gave a grant for ‘flesh, fowl and roots’ to be sold on Spittle Fields. Now, it survives as one of the capital’s most diverse markets, offering goods from fruit and furniture to pastries and collectables.
Shoreditch is an East London preference when it comes to filming locations, with some contemporary examples including ‘Contagion’ (2011) with Matt Damon, Jude Law and Kate Winslet, as well as ‘I Give It A Year’ (2013) with Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall and Stephen Merchant.