Exploring East London (Ridley 1)

Hi! This is Ridley.

It is my second week working as a CIDA intern and yesterday all CIDA interns were given a task to exploring the area around our company! CIDA is located in East London, only a stone's throw away from Brick Lane and the famous Whilechapel Gallery. The four of us come from different places outside London, so that means we were granted a chance to be tourists while working! This is probably the best task I have ever received. Let me take you through what we had seen.

We decided to visit Brick Lane first, but on the way to Osborne Street, we were distracted by the beautiful frontage of Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It is one of a kind on a very busy London street amongst many modern buildings. A staff welcomed us and told us something interested about the foundry. It has stand on the Whitechapel Road for centuries and is the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain (as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records)!! Some of the most notable bells like Big Ben and the Liberty Bell, which was a gift to America to celebrate its independence, were cast there. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to see inside the factory as they are at work, (Yes, it is still working after hundreds of years!) and the tours are fully booked until August!
(http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk)

One of the entrances of Brick Lane is opposite the foundry, a few steps to the left. Brick Lane is the heart of London's Bangladeshi community and runs along several streets, passes through Spitalfields and reaches Shoreditch. It is famous for street arts and vintage markets. I have been to Brick lane a few times before in the weekends and it was packed with people. There were pop-up stores and stalls selling trendy items everywhere.   We visited there on a weekday and some of the shops were closed, even so, there was still a lot for us to see! We spent a great deal of time looking at paintings on the walls. Sometimes the artworks are so small that they are very easily missed, but it was fun searching for them! Some of the paintings are gigantic and we noticed them from a few metres away. We were so excited when we managed to recognized some of the well-know pieces. For example the signature pieces by Stickman and Roa.
(http://www.visitbricklane.org/)

We eventually arrived at the Old Spitalfields Market and it was opened! We decided to have walk around and have a quick lunch there. I did a little research on the market and found out that it has been there since 1638, selling fruit and vegetable originally. After years, it was transformed into a very organized general market, which opens every day and particularly lively on Sundays. There a rows of stalls selling popular fashion, food and handicrafts. Surrounding the market, we can see different boutiques and some of them are famous brands, like Dr. Martens and Fred Perry. Not far away from the market, it is the Liverpool Street area with lots of commercial propriety and modern buildings; it looks totally different from Shoreditch!
(http://www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/)

After lunch, we walked through the Petticoat Market and made our last stop at the Whitechapel gallery. The exterior of the building is very eye-catching and I particularly adore the gold leaves decorated on the walls outside. The gallery exhibits contemporary artworks and organizes exhibitions that are of the interest to the local community.  Besides, it provides resources and space for school education.
(http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/)

East London, with its cultural diversity, is an area that no visitor of London should miss, I believe even the locals will not get bored in there!