Old Street
Encyclopedia
Old Street is a street
in east London
that runs west to east from Goswell Road
in Clerkenwell
, in the London Borough of Islington
, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street
(south), Kingsland Road
(north) and Hackney Road
(east) in Shoreditch
in the London Borough of Hackney
.
The nearest London Underground station is Old Street on the Northern Line
. It is also on the National Rail
Northern City Line
.
, by-passing the City of London
. The western part was widened 1872-7, but it narrows east of Coronet Street and here survive, at Nos. 340-342 on the south side of the street and Nos. 323 and 325-329 on the north side, some domestic buildings from the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, though somewhat battered and altered in function. At the east end of Old Street on the south side is the old Shoreditch Town Hall.
The eastern half of the road is on the London Inner Ring Road
and as such forms part of the boundary of the London congestion charge
zone. Old Street and the surrounding areas of Hoxton Square
and Great Eastern Street also hosts a thriving night life including The Foundry
bar and arts space White Cube
gallery.
Old Street station
is located under Old Street roundabout
, the junction with City Road
.
Within the past few years Old Street has become a favoured location for notable graffiti artists such as Banksy
and Jef Aérosol
. Banksy especially has featured several pieces on "Shoreditch Bridge".
The eastern end of the street has attracted a great number of IT companies and start-ups and has been dubbed the Silicon Roundabout.
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
that runs west to east from Goswell Road
Goswell Road
Goswell Road is a road in the south of the London Borough of Islington. It runs north from the border of the City of London through Clerkenwell, crossing Old Street to The Angel....
in Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, in the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch High Street is the old main street of Shoreditch, London. It is part of the A10 road and connects Norton Folgate to the south with Kingsland Road to the north. It constitutes a segment of the Roman Ermine Street, which ran directly north from London to Lincoln and York...
(south), Kingsland Road
Kingsland Road
Kingsland Road is the name of a road, part of the A10, in the London Borough of Hackney in England. It runs from the junction with Old Street and Hackney Road north to the junction with Balls Pond Road and Dalston Lane, where it changes its name to Kingsland High Street...
(north) and Hackney Road
Hackney Road
Hackney Road is a London arterial route running from Shoreditch Church to Cambridge Heath. It occupies a no mans land in between Bethnal Green and Haggerston...
(east) in Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
in the London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
.
The nearest London Underground station is Old Street on the Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
. It is also on the National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
Northern City Line
Northern City Line
The Northern City Line is a railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park in London, once part of the Great Northern Electrics line. It should not be confused with the City branch of the Northern line, nor with the North London Line...
.
History
Old Street was recorded as Ealdestrate c.1200 and le Oldestrete in 1373. As befits its name there are some suggestions that the road is of ancient origin: part of an old Roman road connecting Silchester and ColchesterCamulodunum
Camulodunum is the Roman name for the ancient settlement which is today's Colchester, a town in Essex, England. Camulodunum is claimed to be the oldest town in Britain as recorded by the Romans, existing as a Celtic settlement before the Roman conquest, when it became the first Roman town, and...
, by-passing the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. The western part was widened 1872-7, but it narrows east of Coronet Street and here survive, at Nos. 340-342 on the south side of the street and Nos. 323 and 325-329 on the north side, some domestic buildings from the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, though somewhat battered and altered in function. At the east end of Old Street on the south side is the old Shoreditch Town Hall.
The eastern half of the road is on the London Inner Ring Road
London Inner Ring Road
The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a route formed from a number of major roads that encircle the centremost part of London...
and as such forms part of the boundary of the London congestion charge
London congestion charge
The London congestion charge is a fee charged for some categories of motor vehicle to travel at certain times within the Congestion Charge Zone , a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system...
zone. Old Street and the surrounding areas of Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square is a garden square situated in Hoxton in the London Borough of Hackney, in London's East End. Formerly home to industrial premises, since the 1990s it has become the heart of the Hoxton arts and media scene, as well as being a hub of the thriving local entertainment district...
and Great Eastern Street also hosts a thriving night life including The Foundry
Foundry (bar)
The Foundry was a bar and venue on Great Eastern Street at the junction with Old Street in Shoreditch, London. It was owned and run by Jonathan and Tracey Moberly. Bill Drummond, co-founder of the KLF, helped set up the Foundry. It had a basement which hosted art, music and poetry events...
bar and arts space White Cube
White Cube
White Cube is a contemporary art gallery designed by MRJ Rundell & Associates in Hoxton Square in the East End of London Mason's Yard, in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London...
gallery.
Old Street station
Old Street station
Old Street station is a central London National Rail and London Underground station located at the junction of Old Street and City Road just north of the City of London. It lies close to the border between the boroughs of Islington and Hackney...
is located under Old Street roundabout
Old Street Roundabout
Old Street Roundabout is located on the boundary of the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Islington, and is an interchange system at the junction of Old Street and City Road...
, the junction with City Road
City Road
City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through inner north and central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at the Angel, Islington where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for London's first bypass, the New Road from...
.
Within the past few years Old Street has become a favoured location for notable graffiti artists such as Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
and Jef Aérosol
Jef Aérosol
Jef Aérosol is a French stencil graffiti artist. He has been one of the main urban art proponents in France since 1982. He was born in Nantes. He belongs to the very first street art pioneers of the early 80s like Blek le Rat, Miss.Tic, Jérôme Mesnager, Speedy Graphito.He spray painted his first...
. Banksy especially has featured several pieces on "Shoreditch Bridge".
The eastern end of the street has attracted a great number of IT companies and start-ups and has been dubbed the Silicon Roundabout.