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ARTZU is all about contemporary art, so there’s always a variety of sculpture, photography and paintings on display, and they’re experts at mixing emerging artists with more established names. It’s also a commercial gallery, so if you see something you like, you can buy it!
Manchester is known for its industrial history, so it makes total sense for a museum dedicated to that very topic to be here, in the world’s oldest railway station no less. The Power Hall is home to working steam engines, check out triplanes in the Air and Space Hall, and see the machines that made Manchester famous in the Textiles Gallery. It may be family friendly, but it’s defo not just for kids.
Afflecks is quite simply a Manchester icon. Whether you’re after fancy dress, a new tattoo, a packet of fudge, a piercing, some vinyl, Star Wars memorabilia, you can find it in Afflecks…it sells virtually everything under the sun. There’s A LOT to explore, so set aside a chunk of time and go get lost in there.
Less known than it should be, The Hackney Museum is a great example of diversity among the local community as many of its exhibits tell the story of how people from all over the world have made London their home. Star exhibits include the ‘Hackney Hoard’, a collection of double eagle coins unearthed in a Hackney garden, a propaganda sheet from Nazi Germany and a sculpture made by a child from Sierra Leone.
For over twenty years Hackney City Farm has been providing fun days out for kids both big and little. And who says fun can’t also be educational? There are a whole host of animals on the farm, including donkeys, pigs, goats and guinea pigs. You can also buy produce supplied by the animals at the farm shop!
Even though this park is generally full of hipster East Londoners, there are records of the area going back to 1540…so people really HAVE been going there before it was cool. As well as the park, there’s also a lido and Saturday food market. Dig in!
Broadway Market is one of London’s most popular and most hipster-tastic markets, running the length of the road of the same name. Head there on a Saturday to check out the stalls, which sell everything from antiques to fresh produce to street food – the likes of Deeney’s, Kolkati, and Hoshi Katsu Wraps trade there.
Part of Hackney’s skyline since 1901, there’s nothing past-it about the Hackney Empire. Hosting everything from comedy, drama, opera and of course, their infamous panto at Christmas, there’s definitely something for everyone to enjoy.
Open since 2011, the Hackney Picturehouse has quickly become a staple part of the community and screens everything from foreign films to mainstream offerings. There are four screens, as well as an all-day bar and cafe, so everything you need to while away an afternoon or two.
For any of you that have been to Viktor Wynd’s Museum of Curiosities you’ll know it’s quite the err…curious place. Hackney’s world famous emporium of bizarre collectables houses everything from mummified skeletons to taxidermy is now not only a place to see, but also to eat. Allow us to elaborate. The museum is now home to a restaurant offering an exciting new menu of feasting platters and exotic game burgers featuring the likes of zebra, camel, ostrich and kangaroo. Yikes, sorry Skippy. Fancy the place to yourself? Then hire the entire museum for private dining and indulge in the luxury-feasting menu that includes oysters, foie-gras and pheasant terrine. They certainly don’t do things by halves over at Mr Wynd’s. Wash it all down with some house cocktails inspired by the museum’s inventory and you might just have yourself London’s most fantastical, but wonderful night out.
Hackney Cogs is a co-working space for creatives based in London Fields. Having opened in June 2015, Hackney Cogs offer affordable desks in a bright, clean open plan space that is aimed at freelancers and small teams who need an ‘office environment’.
It’s difficult to make the jump, get out of the house or coffee shop and into a real working environment when most spaces meaning forking out for overpriced desks in warehouses with no running water. But Hackney Cogs is all you need, filled with like minded creatives busting their gut and working on assorts of exciting, weird and wonderful projects, businesses and ideas.
Love booze & video games? Four Quarters is for you. It’s retro vibes all round with original Tron, Outrun, Street Fighter II, Star Wars Trilogy, Asteroids, Defender, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Point Blank and Sega Rally machines. And with local craft beers, hearty food, music, tournaments and film screenings, there’s something to keep everyone happy at Four Quarters.
This is probably the only cinema in London where you can catch a film for under a fiver; morning, noon or night you can catch the latest movies for the bargain price of £4.99. Yes, it may look like it hasn’t changed since the 80s, but that just adds to the charm.
Any film buffs amongst you may have already guessed the significance of this innocuous-looking bookshop. Yep, you guessed it. It’s THAT travel bookshop from the film Notting Hill. Having expanded its range since the iconic British film came out, it now sells books on a variety of different topics. It also has a blue plaque on the outside to commemorate the film that made it famous. It’s worth the trip for that alone!
A guided tour of the history of branding, there are around 12,000 different items in the Aladdin’s cave that is the Museum of Brands. Amongst other things, you can check out Rimmel cosmetics from the 1890s, First World War Oxo cubes and a 1970s chopper bike.
Over 300 years old, Portobello Road Market is the world’s largest antiques market. However, it’s not just antiques that you can buy – you can pick up fashion, both old and new, fruit and veg, collectibles, bric-a-brac and much more, and although Saturday is the main day there are stalls open during the rest of the week too.
The Notting Hill Arts Club is a basement events space that holds everything from art exhibitions to club nights to movie screenings. They also have a bar, serving a wicked selection of cocktails and shooters, as well as ciders, craft beers and wine.
Anything and everything a chap can unload is sold off the barrow on Portobello Road. But you’ll definitely find what you WANT on Portobello Road at The Penny Market. With a line-up of producers including Borough Cheeses, Blackhand charcuterie, Oak and Smoke fish and Lulin tea, those barrows filled will be filled high with fresh and organic produce, as well as natural products from some of the best soap and candle makers around, so you’ll be sure to find something worth spending all those pennies on at The Penny Market. Even better, they give 50% of the profits to charity.