{"id":10068,"date":"2022-04-17T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-04-17T08:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=28709"},"modified":"2022-04-17T10:16:13","modified_gmt":"2022-04-17T08:16:13","slug":"how-to-spend-a-weekend-in-bethnal-green","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/how-to-spend-a-weekend-in-bethnal-green\/","title":{"rendered":"How to spend a weekend in Bethnal Green"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Emma Longstaff\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 17 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Bethnal Green in London\u2019s East End may not be the obvious choice for an antiquing mini break. It was one of the worst slums of Victorian England, bombed heavily during the Second World War and, in the 1960s, it was home to infamous gangsters, the Kray twins, which earned the area an even grimier reputation.<\/p>\n

Unlike neighbouring parts of London like Shoreditch and Hoxton, Bethnal Green has been slow to gentrify. But what it lacks in achingly cool bars and restaurants, it makes up for with its cultural diversity and interesting urban history. Waves of immigrants have made Bethnal Green their home, from Huguenot weavers in the 17th century (some believe their love of cut flowers led to the evolution of the famous Columbia Road Flower Market) to the South Asian communities of today.<\/p>\n

These days, Columbia Road is the obvious draw: a Victorian street lined with Grade II-listed terraced houses now occupied by over 20 independent shops, specialising in everything from artisan perfumes<\/a> to old vinyl. Usually, on weekdays, many of these shops are only by appointment, but, at weekends, and particularly on Sundays when the flower market bursts into life, the area is filled with people, activity and colour.<\/p>\n

Where to shop in Bethnal Green<\/h2>\n
Glitterati<\/h3>\n
Julie has been trading on Columbia Road for 21 years, and her unstuffy approach attracts customers of all ages. Glitterati<\/a> is three shops in one, specialising in vintage costume jewellery, second-hand books and glassware<\/a>. The displays of the latter are particularly sparkling \u2013 ranging from Georgian decanters to Art Deco crystal glasses and playful vintage cocktail jugs, all at accessible prices.<\/p>\n
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