Hackney Wick
A canalside warehouse district turned open-air gallery, free to wander, where almost every wall, shutter and bridge is covered in street art beside the Olympic Park.
The lowdown
Hackney Wick is what happens when artists take over an old industrial estate. Wedged between the canals and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, its warehouses and railway arches are smothered in street art, and wandering it is completely free.
Every shutter, bridge and gable seems to carry a mural, from giant photoreal eyes to the much loved Hackney Wick roundel that riffs on the London Underground sign. The work changes constantly as new pieces go up over old, so no two visits look the same.
Add in the canal towpaths, the breweries and the converted yards full of studios and it makes a brilliant free afternoon, half gallery and half neighbourhood, with the Olympic Park right on the doorstep when you want some grass.
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