mark 29th September 2008

Brick Lane is a street in the East End of London, site of a Sunday market, heart of the city's Bangladeshi community, former heart of the city's Jewish community, and before that, of its Huguenot community. dad spent a large amount of time working around this area as a meat trader in the 1950 and early 1960. 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. The 'curry houses' of Brick Lane are known for their cheap and cheerful food, and for allowing customers to bring their own beer (often the curry house itself will not sell alcohol as most are run by Muslims). More recently the area has also broadened to being a vibrant art and fashion student area, with considerable exhibition space. Each year most of the fine art and fashion courses exhibit their work near Brick Lane. 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. Nearby buildings of interest include Christ Church, Spitalfields, The Jamme Masjid or Great London Mosque on the corner of Fournier Street, and the head office of Habitat on Princelet Street. 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.