14 Best Sights in East London, London

The remarkable interiors of this extraordinary time machine of a house are the creation of Dennis Severs (1948–99), a performer-designer-scholar from Escondido, California, who dedicated his life to restoring this Georgian terraced house. More than that, he created "still-life dramas" using sight, sound, and smell to evoke the world of a fictitious family of Huguenot silk weavers, the Jervises, who might have inhabited the house between 1728 and 1914. Each of the 10 rooms has a distinctive compelling atmosphere that encourages visitors to become lost in another time, deploying evocative design details like rose-laden Victorian wallpaper, Jacobean paneling, Georgian wingback chairs, baroque carved ornaments, rich "Catholic" wall colors downstairs, and more sedate "Protestant" shades upstairs.

The Silent Night candlelight tour, a stroll through the rooms with no talking allowed, is the most theatrical and memorable way to experience the house. The Denis Severs Tour draws upon recently discovered recordings and writings to re-create the tours that the artist himself gave when he first opened the house in 1980. Check the website for tour days and times.

In contrast to the West End's grand aristocratic town houses, this charming museum is devoted to the life of the city's middle class over the years. Originally a row of almshouses built in 1714, it now contains a series of 11 rooms that re-create everyday domestic interiors from the Elizabethan period through the 1950s to the present day. The Home Galleries, located in the basement of the museum, puts it all in context with a wider history of the concept of home that includes plenty of interactive exhibits.

Outside, a series of gardens charts the evolution of the town garden over the past 400 years; next to them is a walled herb garden. In the museum's front garden, you'll find a statue of Sir Robert Geffrye, the English merchant who founded the almshouses; the museum used to bear his name, but in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the acknowledgment of Geffrye's connections with the transatlantic slave trade, the museum has been renamed. After consultation, the museum decided against removing the statue and instead commissioned displays and artwork to recontextualize it. There's currently no on-site café, but visitors are encouraged to bring their own food to enjoy in the lunchroom.

Founded in 1901, this internationally renowned gallery mounts exhibitions that rediscover overlooked masters and showcase tomorrow's legends. Painter and leading exponent of abstract expressionism Jackson Pollock was exhibited here in the 1950s as was pop artist Robert Rauschenberg in the 1960s; the 1970s saw a young David Hockney's first solo show. The exhibitions continue to be on the cutting edge of contemporary art. The gallery also hosts talks, film screenings, workshops, and other events; First Thursdays is a regular event designed to highlight monthly openings at more than 150 local galleries, with the Whitechapel offering curated tips about where to visit on the first Thursday of the month. Pick up a free East London art map (also available online) to help you plan your visit to the area. Townsend, the gallery's on-site restaurant, serves good-quality modern British food in a bright and pretty room.

A treat for all but designed specifically for children under age 14, this East London outpost of the Victoria & Albert Museum houses one of the world's biggest toy collections. The iron, glass, and brown-brick building—an architectural joy in itself—was transported here from South Kensington in 1868 and reopened July 2023 following an extensive five-year renovation project. The collection of more than 2,000 objects is organized into three galleries: Play, Imagine, and Design, all offering plenty of interactive experiences, including an amphitheater-style stage, a free-play construction area, and a working design studio. Fun new acquisitions include a skateboard belonging to 13-year-old 2020 Olympic medalist Sky Brown. The shop is a good spot to pick up original toys.

The 19th-century waterway known as Regent's Canal officially starts in Little Venice in West London, but you'll find this quirky section east of City Road Basin. Join the towpath, where horses once walked as they pulled barges carrying all manner of cargo, at Wharf Road in Islington (N1), then head east on foot or by bike to experience the East End from an unusual perspective. What was once a no-go area is now a route lined with trendy cafés, floating bookshops, and a distinct community of water-dwelling Londoners. Regent's Canal runs through Hackney before heading south through Bethnal Green and Mile End, ending up at Limehouse Basin and the River Thames. Or you can continue eastward by turning off along the Hertford Union Canal at Victoria Park, a route that eventually leads to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

This tiny basement establishment professes to be a museum but feels more like an art installation, with real historical and occult artifacts (the range of taxidermy is astonishing) displayed alongside satirical items like celebrity poops, all accompanied by serious handwritten description cards. It's a hoot, especially following a visit to the upstairs cocktail bar, which specializes in absinthe. The museum is sometimes hired out for private events, so check before you visit.

This is Britain's oldest synagogue still in use and is certainly its most splendid. It was built in 1701, after Jewish people, having been expelled from England in 1290, were allowed to return under Cromwell in 1656. Inspired by the Spanish and Portuguese Great Synagogue of Amsterdam, the interior is embellished with rich woodwork, seven hanging brass candelabra (representing the seven days of the week), and 12 trompe-l'oeil wood columns painted to look like marble. The magnificent Ark, which contains the sacred scrolls of the five books of Moses, is modeled on contemporary Wren neoclassical altarpieces, with oak doors and Corinthian columns. In 1992 and 1993 the synagogue was seriously damaged by IRA bombs, but it was subsequently completely restored. It's closed to visitors during Jewish holidays and has been undergoing construction work in 2023, so check the website before visiting.

This is the 1729 masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren's associate Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of his six London churches and an example of English baroque at its finest. It was commissioned as part of Parliament's 1711 Fifty New Churches Act, passed in response to the influx of immigrants with the idea of providing for the religious needs of the "godless thousands"—and to help ensure they joined the Church of England, as opposed to such nonconformist denominations as the Protestant Huguenots. (It must have worked; you can still see gravestones with epitaphs in French in the crypt.) As the local silk industry declined, the church fell into disrepair, and by 1958 the structure was crumbling, with the looming prospect of demolition. But after 25 years—longer than it took to build the church—and a huge local fundraising effort, the structure was meticulously restored and is a joy to behold, from the colonnaded Doric portico and tall spire to its soaring, heavily ornamented plaster ceiling. Its excellent acoustics make it a superb concert venue; its organ, which was built in 1735, is thought to have been played by Handel.

Inspired by the DIY punk aesthetic and the funky galleries of New York City's Lower East Side, Maureen Paley started putting on exhibitions in her East End home back in 1984, when it was virtually the only gallery in the area. Since then, this American artist and gallerist has shown such respected contemporary artists as Gillian Wearing, Helen Chadwick, Jenny Holzer, Peter Fischli, and Wolfgang Tillmans, and today she is considered the doyenne of East End gallerists. Paley now has two London spaces, one in the midst of a cluster of galleries in Bethnal Green and another in a former school building in Shoreditch. 

Built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this 560-acre parkland still boasts some of the city's best sporting arenas. The London Stadium, site of the London 2012 athletics competitions, is now home to local soccer team West Ham United; it also hosts major athletic events. In addition, it's open for behind-the-scenes tours; check the website for dates. You can try four types of cycling (track, road racing, BMX, and mountain biking) at the Lee Valley VeloPark, or go for a swim in the magnificent pool within the London Aquatics Centre, while the Copper Box Arena hosts basketball, netball, and volleyball contests.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, an enormous sculpture, is well worth a visit—the views across London from the top are terrific. Thrill seekers have a couple of options when it comes to getting back down: a gasp-inducing slide that twists its way around the outside of the structure (art buffs might recognize it as the work of German-Belgian artist Carsten Höller) or via vertical rappelling (available on selected dates, advance booking essential). The highly acclaimed ABBA Voyage, a live music experience that includes avatars of the Swedish pop group in their heyday, continues to draw visitors while the development of the East Bank includes a 550-seat dance theater and hip-hop academy at Sadlers Wells East, with BBC studios and a V&A museum coming in 2025, making it one of London's newest cultural hubs.

An oasis of rural calm in an urban landscape, this little community farm raises a variety of animals, including some rare breeds, to help educate city kids about life in the country. A tiny farm shop sells freshly laid eggs along with organic seasonal produce, while the Tea Hut is a nice spot for a cup of coffee and a snack.

Built by a courtier to King Henry VIII, this Tudor mansion has since been home to merchants, Huguenot silk weavers, and, in the 1980s, a group of arty squatters. The house dates back to 1535, when Hackney was a village on the outskirts of London surrounded by fields. Later, in 1751, it was split into two self-contained houses. Its oak-paneled rooms, tranquil courtyard, and award-winning community garden are an unexpected treat in an area that's yet to entirely shake off its grit. Visits to the house are self-led during open hours or guided tours can be prebooked online. They take place on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 11 am and 2 pm, plus 3:30 pm on Sunday.

The last old East End brewery still standing—a handsome example of Georgian and 19th-century industrial architecture, and in late Victorian times the largest brewery in the world—has been transformed into a cavernous hipster mall housing galleries, record shops, fashion-forward boutiques, bars, clubs, and restaurants, along with an array of international street-food vendors. There's also a fantastic—and absolutely sprawling—vintage-clothing market in the basement, trendy retailers at street level, and offices and studios on the upper floors. Events include fashion shows for both new and established designers, excellent sample sales, art installations, and, on weekends, a food hall and market stalls selling both new and vintage clothing. The brewery itself shut down in 1989.

Located on what was once one of the worst slum streets in London, this achingly contemporary gallery space (MacGarry's third in the East End—she's been here since 2002) has an excellent reputation for its shows of cutting-edge international artists like Chicks on Speed, Luke Rudolf, and Iain Forsythe & Jane Pollard, with a particular emphasis on conceptual works and video.