Scout Finch

I don’t know what it is but I’m obsessed with East London. And, no, it hasn’t got anything to do with the TV show Eastenders, which to the amazement of my Pommie husband I’ve never watched.

Yeah, you can all have your fancy Notting Hill, your posh Knightsbridge or even up-and-coming Fulham or Putney, I’ve always felt a strong attraction to the East. I don’t know if it’s the wonderful stories, the grim, the raw creativity, the multi-cultural diversity or just the energy, but it has always appealed to me.

I love going to the warm corner pubs and hearing stories of the gangs, seeing the bullet holes in the wall displayed with a matter of pride, the Jack the Ripper tours or even just the Cockney accents.

On our recent journey back to my second home, we stayed in East London for a few days and went exploring with our trusty Oyster Card (yep, it still worked after six or so years since its last outing) and a good pair of walking shoes.

Armed with a severe hangover, jetlag and a serious craving for a good coffee, we ended up at Bethnal Green on a dreary Sunday morning (ahh England you charming dirty git!) just in time for the iconic Flower Market along Columbia Road.

This market is as iconic as the Tower of London, red buses, Aussies living in Earl’s Court (and sporting Heathrow belly – ie too many pounds caused by beers and eating cheap and crappy chips at said pubs)… and it’s a wonder.

Every Sunday morning the street is transformed into an oasis of foliage and flowers. Everything from bedding plants to 10 foot banana trees are up for grabs. The air is thick with the scent of flowers and the chant of the stallholders “Everthin’ a fiver” is just music to the ears.

A lot of the flower sellers grow their own plants or import flowers from around the world. The flowers are amazing and I’m told that the sellers apply to be included in the markets. Some are multi-generational stallholders and have been selling their flowery wares each Sunday for many, many, many years.

The flowers are amazing and, most of all, incredibly cheap and fresh. Take a look for yourself.

Aside from the Flower Market, apparently, Columbia Road is one of the few commercial streets in the country that has avoided the lure of the chain store and is made up of 60 independent shops. Small art galleries sit next to cup cake shops, vintage clothes stores, English and Italian delis, garden and antique shops. There are also a couple of great pubs, cafes and restaurants. The shops have a common thread, a love of the flower market and its history, and a refusal to be dominated by a retail world where the sense of fun has all but gone.

Columbia Road flower market and shops are open on Sundays from 8am ’til 3’ish come rain, wind or shine and even on Easter Sunday. Columbia Road is in the East End sitting on the edge of the city with Shoreditch to the west, Bethnal Green to the south, and Brick Lane and Spitalfields nearby.

Do yourself a favour, drop in on a Sunday and immerse yourself in the colour and engage with the sellers who could literally sell ice to well you get the drift!

Here’s a handy little map if you get lost (it’s quite tucked away and can be hard to find for the non-local).