Local life, culture and things to do

Nancy Kray portrait in her home, by Photographer Andrew Leo. Daughter of Charlie Kray.

Nancy Kray © Andrew Leo

Nancy Kray: surviving the fallout of Britain’s most notorious mobsters

January 20, 2022January 20, 2022 Lily Wakeley 42 Views 0 Comments Features 8 min read

After 21 years silenced, Nancy Kray – the niece of Bethnal Green gangster twins – shares what it means to

Eleanor Crow's oil painting of 'Interior at Bethnal Green Library

‘Interior at Bethnal Green Library’ by Eleanor Crow; 2021; oil on linen; 46 x 31cm w x h; (18 x 12” w x h); photograph by Steve Russell Studios

Painter Eleanor Crow: Bethnal Green’s accidental archivist

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 Lily Wakeley 27 Views 0 Comments Galleries 3 min read

Eleanor Crow’s illustrated world of the East End prove that paintings can develop lives of their own, instigating surprising and

Arthur outside of Calverts printing, on The Oval, Bethnal Green

Arthur at Calverts, The Oval. Photo by Lily Wakeley, © Social Street CIC

Arts & artists Cultural heritage Local

How Calverts cooperative has helped form Bethnal Green’s riotous and artistic identity

January 4, 2022January 5, 2022 Lily Wakeley 113 Views 1 Comment Features 9 min read

Channelling the seditious energy of printers from the 1600s, Calverts printing cooperative has been putting the activism into Bethnal Green

La Forchetta restaurant exterior, Bethnal Green Road

Food & drink Lifestyle Local Restaurants & cafes

La Forchetta restaurant review: a casual and celebratory Italian classic

December 20, 2021December 20, 2021 Lily Wakeley 84 Views 0 Comments Reviews 3 min read

La Forchetta’s large and cozy restaurant has withstood the test of time on Bethnal Green Road, thanks to its perennial

The E Pellicci cafe signage, glowing fluorescent in the dark, Bethnal Green.

Photo by Lily Wakeley, © Social Street CIC

Culture & communities Local Society

Three generations of E Pellicci: what it takes to run a world famous cafe

December 12, 2021December 12, 2021 Lily Wakeley 94 Views 0 Comments Features 7 min read

We talk to Bethnal Green’s most iconic sibling duo since the Kray twins, Anna and Nev – the third generation

Fishmongers and their fish at Fresh Fish, Bethnal Green Road

Photo by Lily Wakeley, © Social Street CIC

Culture & communities Local Society Street markets

A day in the life of Fresh Fish fishmonger Ramadan

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 Lily Wakeley 34 Views 0 Comments 3 min read

Fresh fish is a high street staple on Bethnal Green Road. We speak to the passionate fishmonger Ramadan about what

Christmas scenes at Columbia Market, Bethnal Green

Local Society Street markets

A Guide to Bethnal Green’s Best Community Christmas Events

December 3, 2021December 5, 2021 Lily Wakeley 75 Views 0 Comments Guides 5 min read

There is nothing that says Christmas more than the amuse-bouche assortment of tinsel tinted events that build up to the

Younger Repton Boxing Club participants train with older coaches, Bethnal Green

The grit and focus it takes to add to the ranks of Repton Boxing Club's 500 national champions is no joke. © Andrew Leo

Boxing Cultural heritage Culture & communities Local

The salvation of Repton Boxing Club for photographer Andrew Leo

November 24, 2021November 25, 2021 Lily Wakeley 95 Views 0 Comments Features, Galleries 5 min read

Leo’s photographs offer a behind-the-scenes insight into the world of the internationally legendary Bethnal Green Repton Boxing Club, beyond its

Large ash tree amongst the animal pens at Spitalfields City Farm, Shoreditch

A large ash tree, casting welcome shade for some of the resident champion racing goats © Rachel Ferriman

Leisure & recreation Lifestyle Local

Spitalfields City Farm: Bethnal Green’s enchanting, community-spirited oasis

November 6, 2021November 15, 2021 Lily Wakeley 109 Views 0 Comments Features 5 min read

From large community feasts, the Oxford v. Cambridge Goat Race, and hens accidental feminist lores, Spitalfields City Farm is nothing

The restaurant Morito amongst Georgian buildings covered in ivy on Hackney Road, Shoreditch

Local Things to do and places to visit Tours & trails

Once fit for horse and cart, Hackney Road is now Bethnal Green’s artisanal and foodie heartland

November 3, 2021November 15, 2021 Lily Wakeley 102 Views 0 Comments Guides 7 min read

Local resident and writer, Lily Wakeley takes a stroll down Hackney Road to take in its medley of offerings: restaurants,

The Laundrette of Dreams children's art installation shopfront by Yinka Ilori X Lego on Bethnal Green Road.

The Laundrette of Dreams installation, brightening up the dreariest of days.

Local Places to visit Things to do and places to visit

Laundrette of Dreams: the Lego art installation championing playtime

October 25, 2021November 15, 2021 Lily Wakeley 108 Views 0 Comments News 1 min read

The artist Yinka Ilori has reimagined the utilitarian laundrette as a play space of dreams, to inspire creativity even amidst

Shop front of The Common Press Bookshop, which 'welcome' graphic and illustration of womxn reading books. Brick Lane.

The Common Press welcomes you into their bookshop, inviting us to hire their podcast studios and to rent their event space. © Glass House Projects

Lifestyle Local Restaurants & cafes

Glass House Projects: Brick Lane’s radical new queer shop and venue

October 19, 2021November 15, 2021 Lily Wakeley 118 Views 0 Comments News 2 min read

It’s hard to miss the fabulous display of high-heeled buxom womxn reading on the glass front of Brick Lane’s new

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