LONDON'S EAST END - PETTICOAT LANE / EL EAST END DE LONDRES.

Hi my dear friends. Have you ever been to London? It's a very recommendable city so today we are going to visit the London's East End which maybe a bit more  unknown but it's worth it too. I hope you'll like it!

Hola mis queridos amigos. ¿Habeís estado alguna vez en Londres? Es una ciudad muy recomendable así que hoy vamos a visitar el East End que quizás sea  un poco más desconocido pero que  merece la pena. ¡Espero que os guste!

Info:  SPEAK UP magazine.

Photos: London.East.Ebd.UK.things todo  /  The.East.End  /  Exploring.London  /  Appples.&.Pears  /  Little.London.Observationist

PETTICOAT LANE

Traditionally, the East End, the area that lies to the east of the City of London, was one of the poorest parts of the capital.  Dramatic population growth in the 19th century created overcrowding and poverty. Conditions improved in the 20th century, but it was still a pretty rough place.

HIPSTERS

In recent years, however, the East End has changed beyond recognition.  Today areas like Soredicth and Brick Lane are synonymous with "hispsters," affluent young people who often run their own businesses.  The long hispter beard is a symbol of this new trendiness and wealth.  So where did all the poor people go?  Well, actually, they're still around, and if you go to Petticoat Lane market on a Sunday, you can see them.  This street market, which is a short walk from Liverpool Street station, is where locals gather to buy the latest bargains: usually cheap clothes, but also shoes, handbags and other accessories.

The ethnic mix is interesting; the market is popular with Muslim women who shop for shoes. After all, we aren't far from Brick Lane, which is known as "Bangla Town".  Petticoat Lane wasn't always a market for the poor, Rachel Lichtenstein explains (author of the book "On Brick Lane"). When she was a child in the 1970s, it was "the" place to go in order to find the latest fashions. It has constantly changed character and that could easily happen again.

THE CHANGING MARKETPLACE

If you go to the East End of London you will find three famous markets, namely Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane which has often changed personality over the years

Petticoat Lane doesn't actually exist on the map.  It officially consists of two separate markests. Middlesex Street Market and Wentworth Street Market and later became a very cool place. It's more of a local market. It is not a fashionable market. There is a lot of African market stalls and sellers but, again it's become the kind of place for kind of knock-off cheap clothing and cheap this and that.

VOCABULARY

DRAMATIC: espectacular  /  OVERCROWDING: superpoblado  /  ROUGH: peligroso  /  TO GATHER: reunirse  /  BARGAIN: ganga  /  KNOCK-OFF:  de imitación