Brick Lane is a street in the East End of London, site of a Sunday market, heart of the city's Bengali community, former heart of the city's Jewish community, and before that, of its Huguenot community.

The Sunday market at Brick Lane, like the one nearby at Petticoat Lane, dates from when it was a Jewish community.

In the 20th century the Brick Lane area was important in the second wave of development of Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh migrated to London to look for work.

It has also been, since the late 1990s, the site of several of the city's best known night clubs, notably 93 Feet East and The Vibe Bar, both built on the site of The Old Truman Brewery, once the industrial centre of the area - now an office and entertainment complex.

Brick Lane has been at the centre of protests against the proposed Crossrail project, which aims to build new underground railway lines. Residents have claimed that this would have a huge impact on the area, effectively placing them at the centre of a building site for several years.

Transport

Nearest tube stations:

• Shoreditch tube station
• Liverpool St
• Aldgate East

Nearby places:

• Bishopsgate
• Aldgate
• Whitechapel
• Spitalfields Market

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Brick Lane is also a novel by Monica Ali (named after this street), and was shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize.

External Link

Neighborhood web site (http://bricklane.omweb.org), a bit commercial but has some good photos.