Once somewhat of a light industry and textiles centre, Shoreditch (and indeed most of East London) found itself neglected and forgotten in the decades between the second world war and the early nineties. This turned out to be very lucky for Shoreditch since it escaped the town planners of the sixties and seventies who would have torn down every building they could get their hands on and replaced it with  yet another concrete shopping centre (don't worry there is still lots of concrete in the area.)

The result is that the area is full of interesting old buildings, pubs, warehouses, markets, little alleyways and so on which were heaven sent to be turned into trendy restaurants, nightclubs and loft apartments. Shoreditch and nearby Hoxton have seen a massive resurgence in the last decade or so with everyone from musicians and artists to Jamie Oliver flooding to the area (by that I mean Jamie's restaurant - Fifteen - is here. Like many London celebrities, Jamie commutes to the East End from Primrose Hill).

Somewhat bemused by the sudden interest in the area is a large Bangladeshi and South Asian population that have been resident in Shoreditch and Whitechapel for decades. Their influence can be seen in the local markets and shops; above all their influence can be seen in the famous Brick Lane.

Curry has long been the most popular meal in Britain and Brick Lane ('the curry mile') is one of the most famous places in England to get one. It is authentically Asian including the blokes pretty much physically pulling you into their restaurants. It is one of the highlights of London and well worth a trip even if you're only visiting.

Shoreditch is, apparently, becoming the new Soho of London with an extensive nightlife, trendy boutiques and so on. One of the centres of things trendy (or pretentious, depending on your point of view) in Shoreditch is Hoxton Square, home of the infamous 'Hoxton haircut' (and some not bad restaurants).

This is not West or North London - there are no ivy covered pubs or cricket pitches here. It is very urban. Just about all the accomodation is in flats and a large proportion of that is in council estates. The people who live here love it for these reasons. If you like the nightlife but prefer to live where there are parks and trees, you might want to consider Islington or other parts of East London such as Bow.

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