Shoreditch Area Guide
Shoreditch is an inner city district in the historic East End of London and modern Central London. It is within the London Borough of Hackney, lying immediately to the north of the City of London.
The historic heart of Shoreditch is Shoreditch High Street and Shoreditch Church. In the past the area of Shoreditch was defined by the borders of the parish of Shoreditch which later defined the borders of the Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch. Since 1965, when the latter unit of local government was dissolved, it has been more fuzzily defined. Hoxton to the north of Old Street was historically part of Shoreditch parish and borough, and is still often associated with it.
Shoreditch has, since around 1996, become a popular and fashionable part of London. Often conflated with neighbouring Hoxton, the area has been subject to considerable gentrification in the past twenty years, with accompanying rises in land and property prices.
More recently, during the second 'dot-com' boom, the area has become popular with London based web technology companies, who base their head offices around Old Street. These companies have tended to gravitate towards Old Street Roundabout, giving rise to the term "Silicon Roundabout" to describe the area. Formerly a predominantly working class area, Shoreditch and Hoxton have, in recent years, been gentrified by the creative industries and those who work in them. Former industrial buildings have been converted to offices and flats, while Curtain Road and Old Street are notable for their clubs and pubs which offer a variety of venues to rival those of the West End. Art galleries, bars, restaurants, media businesses and the building of the Hackney Community College campus are further features of this transformation.
Shoreditch and its neighbouring areas offer fantastic transport links in and out of London. With two national rail stations within the vicinity as well as two London Underground Stations, residents and visitors alike are never far from transport options. London Liverpool Street Rail Station also offers the Stansted Express, the easiest and cheapest way to get to Stansted Airport.
Shoreditch is also well known for its collection of schools and colleges, with a vast array of state funded and privately funded girl’s and boy’s schools. This makes the trendy area popular amongst young families operating on different incomes.
It is clear that Shoreditch has quickly become the cultural heart of London. From its popular bars and clubs through to its close proximity to other popular London areas, Shoreditch offers the quintessential London experience.