See The Best Shoreditch Street Art: Self-Guided Tour (+Map)
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Shoreditch has the best street art in London. Here’s a breakdown of all the best locations and artists including a self-guided walking tour and map to make sure you don’t miss anything.
LAST UPDATE: 16 Dec 2023
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London is rich with great street art, but nowhere is more blessed than Shoreditch. Gritty walls are packed with vibrant murals, striking typography, and political statements.
Artists flock from all over the world to paint in Shoreditch. But street art is, by its very nature, ephemeral. New street art pops up just as old favourites disappear. This rotating lifecycle is what makes it so appealing, and no exploration of Shoreditch is ever the same.
We’ve picked all our favourite Shoreditch Street art and artists and created a self-guided walk. We do our best to keep it up to date – but things change, and you might just see a brand-new Banksy.
If you’d rather join an organised tour, check out this well-rated Shoreditch Street Art tour.
SHOREDITCH STREET ART MAP
Here is our map of the best street art in Shoreditch as of December 2023. The street art locations are marked in red and the galleries in brown.
We have created a walking route to show you the easiest way to see them. The total walk is 5 kilometres and to see all the art, we suggest allowing around 3 to 4 hours.
The walk starts at Old Street Station and ends at Liverpool Street Station, but there is no reason you could not do it the other way round.
Download the map onto your phone and follow along. Information about the art is below.
How to use this map / Click on the top left of the map to display the list of locations, then click on the locations to display further information. Click on the top right corner of the map to open a larger version in a new tab or the star to save to your Google Maps.
1. COWPER STREET
Get the underground to Old Street Station. Just outside is Cowper Street. This little road has a collaboration between several exciting artists. Fusing their different styles Jim Vision painted the colourful portrait, Si Mitchell is responsible for the striking dragon and ThisOne added the black and white flowers.
At the junction of Cowper and Tabernacle there is a massive wall often covered in adverts. Adidas had taken it over on our last visit.
2. BLACKALL ALLEY
This narrow alleyway is a bit of a hidden gem. Too small for cars, it’s backed onto by warehouses and packed with street art and murals. There are hundreds of images to take in.
Don’t miss the numerous stencils by Buenos Aires-born artist Cartoonneros including “Van Gogh” and “Surviving England on Ten Pounds.” Our favourite was the striking face by Dubai-based street artist Fink 22.
3. AMERICAN CAR WASH
This multi-story car park is covered in graffiti from top to bottom. Rather than cool street art, it’s more a blast of colour against the skyscrapers of the city.
On the way to the car wash you will pass two interesting galleries.
Pure Evil Gallery, run by the eponymous local artist on Leonard Street, is a mecca for independent artists who wear their politics proudly.
Jealous Gallery, on Curtain Road, is a contemporary gallery often focusing on street artists. During our last visit it had an exhibition by Italian-born artist ALO (Aristide Loria).
4. RIVINGTON STREET
Before heading into New Inn Yard, the walking tour detours to Rivington Street. It’s worth the effort as there’s plenty of excellent art, including two Banksy’s.
In Cargo Bar’s Yard, behind an iron gate and covered in Perspex, you’ll find Banksy’s “The Guard Dog” and “His Master’s Voice.” Between them are the indelible thoughts by LA-based street artist WRDSMTH.
There’s plenty more to feast your eyes on. Ben Eine’s “Scary” is under the railway bridge and next to it is a wonderful art adaption of Marina Lewycka’s novel “A Short History of Tractors in Ukraine.”
Finally, the colourful heads of French artist Thierry Noir are under the Bash Street sign. He became a legend for painting on the Berlin Wall almost every day from 1984-1989.
5. BATEMANS ROW
Zigzag your way back to New Inn Yard via French Place (which has an image of a White Rabbit on large black doors) and Bateman’s Row. The walls under the railway bridge are often adorned with bright and colourful street art.
Pablo Allison’s vibrant spray paint mural dominates one side, while Chris Martin’s mixture of house paint and special ink lights up the other. The images on the bridge are often updated on Outside the Zone’s website.
6. NEW INN YARD & KING JOHN COURT
New Inn Yard has a tiny little courtyard containing rubbish bins, metal fire escapes, and a whole host of street art. The art rotates quickly, but there are plenty of images all over the walls and an evocative Cartoonneros stencil called Putting Putin in the Bin.
The brutalist building running along New Inn Yard and King John Court is covered top to bottom in one massive mural called Connectivity Matters. Numerous artists contributed to this remarkable endeavour which was completed in 2018.
- Autone Nest has created a crossing of lines in blazing colour topped with a Pride Matters rainbow heart.
- Mr Cenz and Lovepusher have combined to show a woman in deep thought holding a glowing orb seemingly connecting with the future.
- Nomad Clan use the fast-forward and rewind signs of old cassette decks to show connections through time and a pigeon carrying a letter for connections across space.
- Best Ever simply portray human connections through the shaking of hands.
- Oliver Switch and BUSK conveys the unbroken line of time from grand old masters to modern street art and graffiti.
- Ed Hick and Zadok, both formerly part of the 54 Crew, have created an eerie forest scene of connecting twisted trees and mushrooms.
- Tizer and Captain Kris highlight the links between nature and technology in their image of a robot dancing with a woman.
- Hunto & Mr Thoms have painted a series of intertwined faces in Picasso-esque cubist style.
7. WILLOW STREET & GREAT EASTERN STREET
Two tube carriages coffered in graffiti by Sime and Wendy are perched on top of the building that sits on the corner of Willow Street and Great Eastern Street.
The words “let’s adore and endure each other” are under the carriages on the Great Eastern Street side. Painted by Stephen Powers, it’s one of the most famous and loved street art pieces in London.
Below are four advertising boardings that regularly rotate with different street art.
8. BULL IN A CHINA SHOP
Otto Schade usually communicates anti-war themes with his trademark ribbon style. Painting in Shoreditch over the years he has earned the name Osch. Just under the bridge opposite Box Park Shoreditch you’ll find his “Bull in a China Shop,” which he painted on commission from a whisky bar of the same name.
9. BRAITHWAITE STREET
It’s always worth walking up to the railway arches on Braithwaite Street and seeing what’s there. If you’re lucky David Speed’s dramatic purple neon image of a girl will still be proudly displayed through the metal fence.
10. EBOR STREET
Ebor Street has some large, long walls making it perfect for big pieces of Shoreditch Street art. On our last visit there was a massive orange advert for Just Eat, and a couple of stunning portraits on the walls of the London Shuffle Club.
Typography artist Ben Eine’s 45-metre-long multi-coloured mural “I DON’T WANT TO BE LIKE THIS ANYMORE” dominates the other side of the street.
11. REDCHURCH STREET
Redchurch Street has some of the best examples of street art in Shoreditch. Columbian Vane MG’s bright and neon colours come together in a striking image of girl with a red face. ALO has two pieces in his usual liminal style.
The walking tour takes a detour onto Chance Street and Whitby Street, but when you return to Redchurch Street you’ll find the stunning “Ukrainian Girl” by Woskerski and a long rectangular piece reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein.
12. CHANCE STREET & WHITBY STREET
Go down Chance Street and you’ll find a massive wall packed with street art and a clothesline stretched across the street with shoes dangling from it.
The highlight is the vibrant mural of colourful diagonals by German street artist MadC (Claudia Walde). Underneath is Yorgos’s large black-and-white image reflecting his focus on human gestures (rather than cognitive justifications) as signs of meanings, emotions, and relations.
At the corner of Chance & Whitby Street is the bold blue and pink artwork called the Dream Factory, reminding you where dreams were made.
Head down Whitby Street and you’ll find Jim Vision’s kaleidoscope of colour in a portrait of a woman, followed by “The Whitby Street Lady.” Painted in 2018 by Jimmy C, an Australian Street artist based in London, it has incredible light and depth with the out-of-focus spheres drawing us towards the lady’s face.
13. BRICK LANE
Brick Lane is an excellent destination and not just for street art. This multi-cultured melting pot has vintage stores, bagel shops, curry houses, art galleries and record stores. There’s art on almost every spare space of wall and walking along here is an attack on the senses.
The rest of the walking tour heads down Brick Lane, making detours into some of the side streets. As you progress don’t miss “Funky Monkey” by Otto Schade, the image of Dali by Benzi Brofman under the bridge, and the mural of a lady with tulips that covers the entire building above Brick Lane Brasserie.
14. GRIMSBY STREET
The first detour off Brick Lane is Grimsby Street.
High up on the wall are two entwined elephants, painted by American artist Cernesto. Then there’s an entire wall of images behind which the trains rumble. The road ends at a bright orange mural called Scream. It was painted by Stik, a former homeless man who began painting to feel less invisible.
15. ALLEN GARDENS & PEDLEY STREET
The next detour turns left onto Pedley Street. On your right is “High 5”, a collaboration between Jim Vision and Fanakapan painted in 2019. Jim contributed the explosion of colours around the woman and Fanakapan added the helium balloon, a trademark of his work.
Continue into Allen Garden’s and you’ll find a mix of street art and graffiti all around the park. It can often be busy here with artists painting over old works or touching up their own. Once you’ve explored head back via Buxton Street to Brick Lane.
16. HANBURY STREET
Hanbury Street has some of the best street art in Shoreditch and it’s worth turning left and wandering all the way down the street.
Look out for Belgian artist ROA’s black and white crane high up on a large brick wall. Next to it is an upside-down breakdancing Coldstream Guard painted by Argentinian Martin Ron. Both have been here for over 10 years.
A little further up the street is another work by WRDSMTH.
At the junction with Spital Street there’s a wonderful piece by Woskerski. Known for his vivid illustrations and vibrant colours, the image of a boy and girl surrounded by bright pink mushrooms lights up the entire street.
17. PRINCELET STREET
At the junction of Princelet Street and Brick Lane is a simple yet striking image painted by Stik on red shutter doors. It features two stick figures holding hands, one in black wearing a burka and one in white. It celebrates London’s diversity and the bridging of cultures. Pointedly it’s only a few doors down from the Brick Lane Mosque.
18. SEVEN STARS YARD
Seven Stars Yard was looking a bit of a mess when we last visited. The wall of the yard used to be covered in art, but a large metal shed now covers half of it. Nevertheless, there’s been some intriguing pieces here over the years.
On our last visit there was a piece by British-American artist Tizer known for his blend of graffiti and character-based street art. High up on the wall was ‘FAN’ spelt out in Fanakapan’s signature helium balloons.
19. HENEAGE STREET
We’re big fans of Fanakapan’s hyper-realistic helium balloon 3D graffiti-inspired murals and our favourite lurks just off Heneage Street. The mural features the 3D character Carl Fredricksen, the 78-year-old balloon salesman from the Pixar movie ‘UP’ holding the strings to balloons that spell out the words ‘UP YOURS’
It’s a magnificent piece of street art in a yard adjacent to the 5th Base Gallery. A little tricky to find, we have marked its location clearly on the Shoreditch Street Art map above.
20. FASHION STREET
The final stop on our Shoreditch Street art walking tour is Fashion Street. First up is a portrait of café owner Danni with her grandfather Joe when she was three years old. Painted by Jimmy C in his usual pointillist / drip style in 2016, “Joe’s Kid” recalls the work of post-impressionist painters.
Further down the street is a portrait of a girl in vivid swirling colours by Mr Cenz. There’s also a mix of graffiti and street art around the door of Mission E1.
SPITALFIELDS
Fashion Street is the end of the street art. The nearest tube station is Aldwych East, but it’s much more interesting to head home via Liverpool Street Station, stopping off at Spitalfields Market on the way. Have a stroll through the market or grab a bite at one of the food stalls.
From Spitalfields, it’s a short walk along atmospheric Artillery Passage to Liverpool Street Station and the end of our Shoreditch Street Art self-guided walking tour.
If you enjoyed the tour or have any suggestions, please leave a comment in the comment section at the bottom of this post.
If you’d rather join a tour than our self-guided walk check out this well-rated Shoreditch Street Art tour.
