Part ethnic enclave, part traditional London street market, and the only place any self-respecting hipster would be seen on a Sunday morning. Read on to discover the joys of Brick Lane. 

Portobello Road, Covent Garden, Camden Town. London is famous for its unique street markets. 

However, many of them have become over-priced tourist traps, where the only things you are likely to find will be tawdry t-shirts and expensive paperweights (I refer here especially to Covent Garden!).

The Brick Lane market in East London, howeverremains 

a true original. Located Near Whitechapel Road (a guy called Jack the Ripper used to hang out here), Brick Lane has managed to retain it's gritty charm and friendly atmosphere while attracting some of the city's most interesting and original artists, musicians and individuals.  

Like most of London, Brick Lane has its own storied past. It was used as a brick manufacturing centre (hence the name) and beer brewery in the 18th century, before Eastern European Jews settled in the area. They developed the Sunday market and left behind some great bagel shops which are still around today. Now, the area is mostly populated by Bangladeshis and it has actually been given the title 'Banglatown'. Because of this, Brick Lane is probably one of the cheapest and most authentic places to get a curry in London. Surrounding Brick Lane are several other markets, including the Old Spitalfields Market, which sells mostly New Age-y, handcrafted stuff, Petticoat Lane (clothes), and the Columbia Road flower market.

The market itself is a bargain-hunter's heaven. You can 

find anything here, and most items go for a pound,

whether it's a bag of chocolates or a 'smoker's kit'. You can get household items, fresh produce, seafood, hardware, jellied eels or a bicycle if you look hard enough. 

The highlight, however, is definitely 'The Auction'. The auctioneer, who shall henceforth be dubbed "Auctionman", conducts his weekly sessions from within his dangerously-cramped booth equipped with a live PA system peddling anything from DVD players to espresso machines. Despite the large crowds that gather to see him in action, he is not, in fact, conducting a Real auction. Instead of accepting bids from the crowd like a real auctioneer, "Auctionman" sets his own inflated price first and then lowers it at his own rate, causing onlookers to believe they are getting a great deal. He is indeed a true master of the human psyche. Admittedly, though, there are bargains to be had. DVD player for 30 pounds? Sold!

Besides the market, Brick Lane has plenty to offer the intrepid explorer. You'll find an excellent experimental music lounge in the form of 93 Feet East, where cutting edge digital music makers like Eat Your Own Ears, Si Begg's SI Futures, Robert Miles and something known as 'Spoilt Pussy' (I have no clue...) perform regularly. Want more beats? Check out our interview with Black Monkey, whose music is synonymous with the market (but only because he set up his speakers facing the entrance).

Look hard enough, and you may also come across an old brewery full of plastinated corpses! Body Worlds, the controversial science/art exhibition featuring preserved corpses in bizarre poses courtesy of a nutty German scientist is currently showing at the Truman Brewery, a converted space that used to be err.. a brewery. Art or perversity? I'm inclined to think the latter...

Georgina Starr's Bunny Lake Drive-in is a slightly 

less controversial exhibition. Inside a warehouse (what else!), she has re-created a 70's drive-in theatre complete with her own custom-made BunnyLakeMobile! You can even sit in it. It's meant to be a multi-layered interactive experience that blurs the lines between art and reality by using cinematic standards and reactions to cinema. Or something. 

Across the street from the Brewery you'll find a whole bunch of designer stores, notably the Eat My Handbag, Bitch! showroom. They sell all kinds of vaguely arty and expensive furniture. One to check out if you have cash to burn. But the real highlight of this strip of stores is the SCOOTER EMPORIUM! This temple to the pleasures of the scooter can satisfy even the most perverted scooter fetishist. Mod crash helmets, Lambrettas, ultra accessorised Vespas, it's all there. 

What would any shopping area be without vintage 

clothing stores! Thankfully, Brick Lane abounds with them, and their prices are much more reasonable than the grossly inflated prices that usually accompany this kind of clothing. True, the clothes here are also smellier than usual, but that's the whole point of wearing someone else's clothes isn't it? 

The perfect way to end a visit to Brick Lane would be lunch at The Boilerhouse, which is possibly the coolest food court. Ever. It's in a converted boilerhouse complete with skylight, garden, and beanbags and you can get all kinds of food for a cheap price. The bar is excellently priced and you won't find a better place for a beer. 

So, if you're in the neighbourhood... do

give Brick Lane a visit. The nearest tube is Aldgate East, and the market is only open on Sunday mornings from early til 2pm. 

-Joon, May 2002

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