THE LONDON SCENEworldtravellermagazine.com 25South of the river
Of the many London neighbourhoods to be
billed as ‘the new Shoreditch’, Peckham, to the
south of the River Thames, is where art galleries
and rooftop bars now rub shoulders with street
markets and indie coffee shops – the four hallmarks
of hipsterdom. Check out Hannah Barry Gallery
(hannahbarry.com) for contemporary creations,
and the lofty terrace of Bussey (busseyrooftopbar.
com) for Shard views over your artisan espresso.
Closer into central London, Bermondsey was once
lined with warehouses and shipping wharves (it’s
right on the river) – but they’ve been transformed
into trendy boutiques and loft apartments. The
restaurant scene is buzzing: Andalucia-inspired José
serves a mean patatas bravas and padrón peppers
(josepizarro.com) – while Village East’s menu has a
New York twist (think smoked Applewood burgers
and crab mac ’n’ cheese, villageeast.co.uk). In a
striking yellow cubist building – trust us, you can’t
miss it – Bermondsey’s Fashion and Textile Museum
(ftmlondon.org) showcases London’s rich
design history.
North of the river
Hackney Wick was once one of London’s best-
kept secrets: the kind of place you’d ‘discover’ for
a weekend breakfast, and then spend the next
two days skipping between vintage boutiques,
art galleries and achingly cool cafés (actually,
Stour Space combines all three: stourspace.
co.uk). Halfway between Regent’s Canal and the
Olympic Park site, the Wick is five minutes from
Stratford’s Westfield mall (westfield.com) and the
Olympic-icon-turned-slide – slide! – ArcelorMittal
Orbit (arcelormittalorbit.com). With its swimming
pool and Scandi-chic interiors, the shiny new
Manhattan Loft Gardens Design Hotel is the area’s
coolest place to stay (manhattanloft.co.uk). As
any style maven will tell you, Kings Cross is hot
property too – check out its shopping district Coal
Drops Yard (coaldropsyard.com) and sexy new
hotel The Standard (standardhotels.com). Still
hung up on Shoreditch? It’s a winner for street art
(head to Rivington Street or Great Eastern) and
speakeasy nightspots (check out Callooh Callay,
calloohcallaybar.com) – and now two new hip
hotels, the nhow (nhow-hotels.com) and Redchurch
Townhouse (redchurchtownhouse.com).
THE ’HOODS
Move over, Shoreditch. For too long,
London’s east had the monopoly on
cool: now it’s all about the smaller,
sassier neighbourhoods it inspired