London Street Art Guide

London has one of the world's most dynamic street art scenes — rotating constantly, with work from internationally recognised artists alongside emerging local talent across several concentrated areas.

Shoreditch & Brick Lane

The highest concentration in London — Brick Lane and the streets surrounding it (Hanbury Street, Sclater Street, Bethnal Green Road, Fashion Street) are covered in pieces large and small. The area changes constantly; what was there six months ago may be painted over or added to. The Old Truman Brewery car park walls are one of the most active surfaces. Explore slowly on foot rather than looking for specific pieces.

Leake Street Tunnel

Under Waterloo station, a 300-metre tunnel designated as a legal graffiti space since Banksy organised an event there in 2008. The tunnel is constantly repainted — no piece is permanent — making it a genuinely living gallery. Free to walk through at any time, open daily.

Brixton

The David Bowie mural (Tunstall Road) is the most famous, but Brixton has a broader spread of murals and wheat-paste pieces across the market area and the streets to the south. The annual Brixton street art festival brings new large-scale commissions.

Croydon (RISE Gallery area)

An underrated destination — Croydon has attracted significant large-scale murals to its building-side surfaces over the past decade, with work from internationally known artists. The area around the old Boxpark and Matthews Yard has the densest concentration.

Tips

• Shoreditch street art changes constantly — visit without fixed expectations of seeing specific works.
• Leake Street Tunnel is free, always open and always different — easy to combine with a South Bank visit.
• The best street art in each area is usually on the back streets, not the main roads.
• Several guided street art tours run in Shoreditch — worth doing once for the context of what you're seeing.