News and Events

With a direct focus on the east end, EastHaus does estate agency with a twist. Jenna Buck and Patrick Brady had both been in the property industry for a considerable amount of time before creating EastHaus. This Bethnal Greeners feature explores their journey and passion for the east end, so read on!

Your history

We’ve both lived in East London on and off for most of our lives. In fact, Patrick spent much of his youth growing up around Bethnal Green. We got together about 10 years ago, whilst working for a local East End property developer and since then continued to work in the property industry for both large and small East and Central London property consultancies and developers.

It was actually Patrick’s mum who inspired us to go into business together. In 2016, she decided to sell her house in Homerton and was really struggling to find an estate agent she felt comfortable with. We stepped in to help and were genuinely quite shocked at the level of service being offered from some of the agents in the area.

Then we had an idea…… if we could combine the quality of service offered in the West End with our knowledge of living in East End, then we would be able to offer something that was clearly in short supply in the East London property market. And so EastHaus was born.

Your business 

We are a residential sales and lettings agency specialising solely in East London property.

It is not that we necessarily do things differently, we simply do them properly. We have a genuine passion for East London property and for ensuring we provide the best possible service to all parties involved. We are really trying to bring the personal attention and consideration which defined our experiences in the West London property market and apply it to every East London client.

We are based in the Pill Box, a former pharmaceutical factory in Bethnal Green – now a workspace of studios and offices home to a really diverse mix of independent businesses from shoe makers to forensic scientists and of course, an Estate Agent!

Clients can still come and see us and the added benefit is that not having an expensive high street shop fronted office means we can be more competitive on the fees we offer.

We also have really flexible working hours to facilitate the busy lives of East Londoners. We are happy to carry out viewings at any time of day and any day of the week so long as it suits all parties involved. We tend to find that when people don’t have to squeeze in a house viewing because of time constraints, the viewing experience is enhanced, both for us and them!  And it is precisely because we are independent that we are able to be this flexible.  Not just with our time, but with our approach to every client and what might suit them best.

Having sold a number of new developments over the years, and having worked with several boutique developers in that time, we recognise the importance interior design plays in marketing and selling properties in East London.  That’s why we also recommend a local interior architect to assist clients in maximising the appeal of their property, whether to help in something as simple as picking the right curtains or something as complex as a full refurbishment project.

Your passion for the area, likes or dislikes 

East London is a fantastically diverse part of the capital. It is fiercely independent, wonderfully creative and offers an eclectic mix of people, businesses, sights and sounds. We have a genuine passion and love for this part of London and are committed to championing other local independent businesses helping to promote the face of the East End.

Patrick: My absolute favourite area is Homerton. I grew up around there so it’s been amazing to have watch its transformation. It’s still much rawer than some of the other Hackney districts but there are some great bars, coffee shops and independent retailers to explore.  A lot of people see Homerton as being on the edge of Hackney and slightly detached as it borders Hackney Marshes, but I would argue the opposite is true. From Homerton High Street you can walk to Central Hackney and the fashion hub of Hackney Walk, as well as Hackney Marshes, Hackney Wick and even Westfield in Stratford.  Not to mention that you can get from Homerton Station to Oxford Circus in just over 20 mins.

Jenna: If I’m honest, I tend to navigate my favourite areas by coffee shops! The Common E2 on Old Bethnal Green Road is an East London treasure, their food is so good and I would argue they have the best coffee in East London – I absolutely love it in there and I love the area around it.  Just a few minutes’ walk away you come across the eclectic shops of Columbia Road (Nelly Duff and Milagros are particular favourites) as well the picturesque Victorian terraces and brightly painted front doors of the Jesus Hospital Estate Conservation Area.

Your offers 

We are very happy to offer readers of this article a 20% discount off our standard sales and lettings fees should they decided to sell or rent through us. (Just quote ‘LOVEBETHNALGREEN’ when you get in touch). We would also love people to shout about our business so if you know of someone looking to sell or rent out their home anywhere in East London put them in touch with us and if they decide to use our services, we’ll drop you over one of our fab hampers packed full of East End goodies from all our favourite independent retailers.

Your future 

We have been up and running for almost two and half years now and are really pleased with the impact we have made so far in terms of people starting to recognise our name and also the amazing feedback we have had from our clients so far (have a look at our reviews on Google, All Agents and Trustpilot to see what people think of us). Our goal is to become the number one agent of choice for residents of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and the surrounding areas – but possibly more importantly for us, is to be recognised and remembered for the service we provide. We genuinely care about what we do and hopefully, in time, we can help to change the face of estate agency to a much friendlier and trusted one.

You can find out more about EastHaus on their website https://www.easthaus.co.uk/

Red Sun CrossFit, a truly welcomed new addition on the Bethnal Green health and fitness front! I recently spoke with Wassim Tawil, the studio manager at Red Sun CrossFit to find out more about what this new venture means to him, what’s on offer and on their exciting partnership with the NHS. As always, keep reading and following our Love Bethnal Green ‘Bethnal Greeners’ series to gain a unique insight into some fantastic businesses and organisations!

Your history

I’m the manager here at Red Sun CrossFit which recently opened in March 2018. The owners are based in Switzerland, which is where I was first introduced to this amazingly effective and accessible form of training and exercise. The head coach of Red Sun CrossFit whom I trained under has also come across from Switzerland to head up our teaching thus offering his expertise on a wide range of programmes catered to all skill levels. Our coaching staff have specialist degrees in adaptive training, and have extensive experience training athletes with physical, intellectual, and developmental impairment.

Your business

We want to be an accessible, open space for people of all levels, ages and backgrounds not just the experienced athlete. We are true believers of the benefits of CrossFit having experienced the positive changes it has brought us in our own lives. We hope to instil positive habits, discipline and a drive to achieve one’s goals! Our mission is to pass down the knoweldge and benefits that we’ve acquired from CrossFit onto others and help improve their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. We also hope to become embedded into the fabric of our community and thus were delighted when we were recently approached by the NHS East London Foundation Trust to pilot a custom programme for people with lifelong learning disabilities. Most of these people have been leading a very sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle, putting them at high risk of chronic and heart diseases. Alongside the help of a certified dietitian issuing bespoke nutrition plan to the clients, we achieved a great success amongst our first cohort, and are soon to be starting with a new cohort of people.

Your passion for the area

Familiar with the area, Tower Hamlets has a big demographic of people with health problems such as obesity, diabetes etc. In London it’s difficult finding a space  big enough to run group classes so we were quite fortunate to get something spacious and convenient. Bethnal Green still feels real, the people the high street; close by to Shoreditch which has its edge.

Your offers

We’re currently doing 50% off the first month’s membership as a new year’s promotion. We always provide the first class as a free taster, and students and members of the armed forces receive 10% off monthly memberships. We just introduced a new Burner class this year which has the same effectiveness as a CrossFit workout but is less technical and more accessible, making it ideal for beginners.

Your future

We want to be a truly comprehensive health provider, adding more elements to the services we already provide. We want to branch into the recovery, psychology and nutritional pillars that tend to a person’s overall wellbeing. In light of our recent partnership with the NHS, we are working to co-author a research paper demonstrating the benefits CrossFit has on a person, and push towards making exercise a prescriptive tool and an alternative to just issuing medication. We hope to provide the full service, encouraging sustainable wellbeing through emotional, physical and nutritional advice and guidance.

If you would like to find out more about Red Sun CrossFit, then please visit their website here. You can also find them on Instagram @redsuncf

Red Sun CrossFit is based in the arches at the following address – 195 Bancroft Road, London, E1 4ET

I recently met the lovely Simone of @siansahs_florist during my adventures exploring and profiling businesses and organisations based in and around Bethnal Green. Simone has a really likeable personality and strives to perfect her offer to all her customers. I myself have witnessed her craftsmanship curating pieces for clients and the attention to detail she gives this task. To learn more about her and Siansah’s Florist please do continue reading!

Your history

“Siansah’s florist is family-run business with a Colombian background, established since 1982 in the town of Bucaramanga, Columbia. We take pride in providing a floral service with a wide variety of approaches whether that is traditional or state of the art. Here at Siansah’s we hope to provide a service that is not only professional but also extremely personal. This has remained our core approach with all our customers, and has given us a unique edge enabling us to blossom over the years. Our flowers and plants are brought to you with nothing but love, freshness and exceptional craftsmanship. We’re more than happy to bring to life floral designs for any occasion such as weddings, parties and so forth. Please do come to visit us at our Bethnal Green florists and you will be welcomed by blooming flowers shining with elegance in each corner of our business premises and as always a smile!”

Your business

We cater for all types of events – celebrations, festive events and seasons. We are proud to be one of the best florists within London, with the added benefit of being located in the heart of the capital. Another awesome benefit of being based in this diverse city and rich Bethnal Green locality means we never find ourselves falling short of finding inspiration for our designs and floral arrangements.

Your passion for the area

In Bethnal Green, I find a mixture of ethnicity; it’s a good thing for humanity we can learn to get on with each other. The business sector is starting to extend with lots of new innovative shops such as the Columbia coffee shops nearby, Japanese restaurants all being a stone’s throw away from Siansah’s. I find it very welcoming that a lot of these shops are opening now. Business is improving on the high street as a result and you can now really find everything you’d need in Bethnal Green from the big Tesco supermarket to the smaller DIY and groceries stores.

Your offers

Until the end of January, I will be offering return customers 10% off their future purchases from Siansah’s Florist.

Your future

In the future I would really love to have more shops in time, possibly a chain across London with staff that complement us as a business.

You can tend to all your floral needs at Siansah’s Florist which is conveniently located at 216 Bethnal Green Road opposite the Post Office – make sure to check her out!

Bethnal Green can be a really great place to stay fit and healthy, whether that’s out and about in the local parks or by taking one of many classes in the gyms dotted around the area. We recently met with Laura who runs a weekly pilates session in the Cranbrook Community Centre, just off Roman Road every Saturday morning where you and a friend can join for just £5 each!

Your history

I come from a background of hating exercise! I had a real aversion to it, accompanied by some painful childhood memories of always being picked last for the netball team. I discovered more enjoyable fitness in my late 20s, having stopped smoking and needing an activity to help me manage both my weight and mindset, having put the cigarettes down. I’m quite the exercise cliché in that I haven’t looked back. I retrained as a fitness professional and set up my own fitness business in 2001. I’ve always felt in a great position to empathise and guide those who don’t warm to the idea of exercise initially.

Your business 

I aim to deliver fitness content that’s both effective and palatable. I try to keep routines short and low maintenance when it comes to kit and cost. When working with individuals, I ensure I listen to their limitations before issuing fitness and diet prescriptions. And when it comes to classes, my aim is to offer a dynamic environment and a thorough workout, but a session that feels to the individual like the time’s flown!

My Pilates Sculpt class is for anyone who’s ever wished they didn’t have to choose between a workout and Pilates. And for anyone who wants to strengthen their core, or top up their physio exercises, at a relatively low cost.

Your passion for the area

I’ve lived in Tower Hamlets since 1997 and worked in the Borough since 2000. It feels like it’s continually changing, evolving, whether that’s the addition of a new development on the Isle of Dogs or another independent coffee shop in Bethnal Green. I love the fitness offerings in the area too: it really does feel like there’s something for everyone, from affordable fitness classes and budget gym memberships to Europe’s largest luxury health club (Third Space)!

And I’ve been so lucky to work with Bethnal Green’s beautiful Cranbrook Community Centre and Food Garden on my classes – Janet, Eileen and Lizzie have been very supportive in helping me build this fantastic, friendly little class.

Your offers 

I try to keep my classes competitively priced, so they’re available to all. I’m currently offering my Pilates-Pal promotion – if you bring a friend, you both attend for half price (£5). I also offer concessions, and will always aim to be flexible on cost for anyone wishing to attend on a limited budget.

Your future 

My aim is to continue to build an effective, supportive and intimate exercise environment: one that encourages class participants to tick all their fitness boxes (strength, flexibility, a bit of heart health) as well as enabling them to meet other, friendly local residents on a Saturday morning!

Laura runs her Pilates Sculpt classes in the Cranbrook Community Centre on Saturday mornings from 9.30-10.30 AM. Visit Laura’s website for more details.

In the first of our Bethnal Greeners series of conversations for the new year! We are joined by local Architect and co-founder of Arboreal Architecture Tom Raymont. We recently spoke with Tom to learn more about his architectural and design practice; particularly their work constructing the Stairway to Heaven, in Bethnal Green, built on the site of the Bethnal Green tube station disaster of the Second World War.

Your history 

Arboreal Architecture is a vibrant young architecture and design practice founded in 2010 by local residents Tom Raymont and Harry Paticas. They met each other during their studies at the Architectural Association in central London and after working separately for a few years – Harry in London, Tom in Los Angeles and New York – decided to create their own studio together.

When we started working together we wanted a good name for our practice, something a bit more fun than just our surnames so we went for a walk in Victoria Park to brainstorm ideas. There, surrounded by all those incredible trees – the weeping beech is our favourite – we were inspired to use the name “arboreal”. What better inspiration could you have for a building than trees? They have such a wealth of forms, colours, textures, inventive structural systems, solar collection and shade, even plumbing! They seem to marry technical performance and beauty in a way that we humans should aspire to in what we build.

Your business

We’re an ecological architecture practice so our aim is to create buildings that help us live more sustainably. This means looking to the future and finding ways to build that are very different from our current practices that rely so much on fossil fuel energy and create huge amounts of waste and pollution. The construction industry creates 60% of the UK’s waste whereas households create 14% (according to 2014 DEFRA statistics) so there really is a lot to play for. Choosing materials carefully and finding ways to reclaim and reuse them becomes a key part of our design process.

Energy is obviously also a huge factor. We’re certified Passivhaus designers which means we use particular methods to measure how much energy our designs will use when built. It helps us to deliver very high performance buildings such as our retrofit in Clapham that won Residential Building of the Year in the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2016. There’s a lot of “greenwash” out there, people telling you that their product or design will save the planet, so it’s really important to have standards like Passivhaus to make sure buildings really are as energy efficient as they claim.

Your passion for the area

We’re based in St. Margaret’s House on Old Ford Road and we have always felt that being an architect means actively engaging with your neighbourhood, its buildings and public spaces. Our first project was the Bethnal Green Memorial which all started when Harry heard the story about the disaster in the Second World War and sent a sketch to the East London Advertiser. They published his sketch and that put him in touch with some of the survivors and relatives of those who died in the crush on the steps on 3^rd March, 1943. When these people heard Harry’s idea they were really touched and inspired to make it happen. Many years of fundraising and hard work later… here it is beside the tube station, overlooking the same steps where the accident happened. The project has been very well received in the local community and gone on to win quite a few awards: we’re the RIBA London Project Architect of the Year in fact.

Your offers

As architects we offer a full range of design services, often to people in East London but also all over the UK and occasionally abroad. We design new buildings as well as renovating existing ones. We are particularly passionate about retrofitting existing buildings, transforming them to suit new uses whilst radically improving their energy performance. London is naturally full of old buildings that are often beautiful but also cold, draughty and terribly inefficient. They were built when shovelling coal into a fireplace in each room was considered normal! No wonder they are not as comfortable or efficient as we need them to be today. We have our work cut out to transform all our existing buildings to fit the green paradigm of today.

Your future

We’re a thriving and growing architecture practice so we are always excited by the latest projects on the drawings boards (aka computer screens). We would like to keep meeting new clients that share our ecological thinking so that we can continue to build exemplary homes, public building and spaces. It’s a fast changing world and we are keen to keep innovating so that we can all be living and working in the green buildings our planet so urgently needs. Get in touch you green Bethnal Greeners!

You can get in touch with Arboreal Architecture at their Bethnal Green studio in St. Margaret’s House, London E2 9PL or check out their Instagram @arboreal_architecture

Some excellent news and much deserved congratulations for the East End Trades Guild having raised the amount they needed to produce a map of East End of Independents. We are massive supporters of their campaign to put small business back on the map, literally!

In celebratory fashion, they are holding a Christmas takeover at Old Spitalfields Market on December 1st between 11am – 5pm. Head along on the day with your friends and family to get all your festive shopping in order! with some great independents. Also, you can pick up a free copy of the map to keep #winning

Next up in our Bethnal Greeners series we have Sami Youseff; kickboxer, fishmonger and all round good guy! he’s just recently opened shop on 414 Bethnal Green Road selling all sorts of incredible fish, do check him out and have a good read of his interview below!

Your History

I’ve got a great deal of experience as both a fisherman and fishmonger. I’m originally from Rosetta in Egypt, just east of Alexandria where I owned a fishing vessel, so I’m experienced in this industry – ‘I’m like a fish you see, you take me out the sea and it’s a problem!’, with the scars to prove it – I lost a finger out in sea in a freak accident reeling in a net!

In London I used to run two restaurants in Shoreditch for around 12 years before I opened Fresh Fish with my business partner, who also owns a similar shop in Whitechapel. Initially, I helped him out over there when he had a child and now we’ve taken to opening up a venture in Bethnal Green.

Your Business

Having been witness to the successful Whitechapel shop of my business partners for some time now I decided to open up Fresh Fish as a local Bethnal Green fishmonger, sourcing the best quality produce every day straight from Billingsgate market.

Your passion for the area

Bethnal green is a good area with nice people, there is definitely a community spirit here. I get a lot of different customers; Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Bangladeshi to name a few. I used to live and study in Italy for around 6 years, so can speak both Italian and Spanish which helps. Bethnal Green is also a great location for me to work in, as I train professionally in K1 kickboxing, closing shop here most days and grabbing my bag and going straight to my gym which is based nearby in Shoreditch.

Your offers

We specialise in seabass, salmon, lobster alongside a variety of different fish. I source my fish from Billingsgate market 3am every morning, delivering this to both the shops before we open up each morning. We ensure that our fish is the freshest and the pricing remains competitive, I believe is because of this that nearly 80% of our stock is sold by the end of the day.

Your future

I would like to spend more money and time on the look of the shop, make it a classier and appealing to my customers. We are still at the beginning stages of opening up so have big hopes for the coming weeks and months.

& just like that, it’s nearly December. Season greetings!

We’re putting our #E2ToDo list out a day or so early, to make sure you get to see a couple of events that take place this coming weekend, & then we’ve peppered the rest of the list with plenty more festive goodness as we move closer & closer to 2019. The reality is that we’ll all spend a few quid over the coming weeks – so listed here are some of the better ways we can all go and do that in terms of supporting businesses & organisations that operate at a hyper-local level. Have a safe & peaceful December, & we’ll see you in 2019…

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Roman Road Market Square Christmas Celebration 

Saturday 1st December – 12-4pm

Roman Road Market Square will be buzzing with festive fun this Saturday 1st. This event is a collaboration between Tower Hamlets Council and Tower Hamlets Homes, working together with local schools, community groups, partner organisations and residents. There will be lots on on the day, with bulb and tree planting at Meath Gardens, as well as an opportunity to meet Santa at one of his Grottos!

More info on what to expect on the day here.

Roman Road Market Square, E2 0RN

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LADA Festive Fair 2018

Sunday 9th December – 12-6pm 

Please join Live Art Development Agency as they host their first ever Festive Fair, with over 15 exciting stalls run by local artists, activists and social action groups selling art, gifts and tasty things, as well as promoting a range of campaigns around social and environmental justice.

In 2017, LADA moved to its new home at The Garrett Centre in Bethnal Green, a former Unitarian mission that began as a centre for social action in the late 19^thcentury and continues to be a hub for working with local communities by housing arts, ethical and community focused groups.

The Festive Fair is part of LADA’s new developments for its new home and new neighbours in the East End.

All proceeds from the Festive Fair are retained by stall holders and reinvested into their work.

The Garrett Centre, 117A Mansford Street, E2 6LX

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 Uncharted Crossings – brand new work from Grand Union Orchestra

Sunday 9th December – 8pm

This brand new show stretches our E2 borders slightly, but features the full Bethnal Green based Grand Union Orchestra, celebrating not only Black British Music in east London, but the music of the whole of the African-descended diaspora.

This story began over 500 years ago, with the transatlantic slave trade, when millions of Africans were transported to Brazil, Cuba and the West Indies, and to the southern states of the USA. In horrific circumstances, they took their customs, their culture and their religion with them. Remarkably these survived in the New World, and above all their music has developed into an extraordinary legacy.

This is a story the Grand Union Orchestra is well-equipped to tell, with its core company including many musicians and singers of African or Caribbean descent. Several are first generation migrants themselves, but all of them fine exponents of their art – from West African drumming and chant, through Latin-American and Caribbean music to jazz.

Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, London EC1V 9LT

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Christmas Nativity Story, Live on the Roman Rd

Saturday 15th December – 2pm

This promises to be a seriously entertaining take on the Nativity story. It’ll feature a Community Gospel Choir, mince pies, carols & drinks, not to mention a real donkey!

Outside IDEA STORE, Roman Road, Bow E3 5ES

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New Years Eve at Pickle Factory & Oval Space

Monday 31st 9pm – Tuesday 1st January 7am

This NYE Oval Space and The Pickle Factory join forces for a double-venue party befitting the magnitude of the occasion. Your ticket grants access to both venues, which hosts the finest DJ’s across the dance-music spectrum, accompanied by extra-special production flourishes.

At Oval Space, UK icon and perennial tastemaker Gilles Peterson is joined by Oval Space’s resident-in-chief Sadar Bahar (pictured) from Chicago, who’ll soundtrack the infamous midnight countdown with his unparalleled selection of rare funk and soul – then expect house & techno ’til dawn.

Meanwhile across the road at The Pickle Factory, peerless German artist Move D holds it down for 6 hours. His longevity is testament to both his timeless productions from the early 90s to the present day, and his imitable DJ style. Not. To. Be. Missed.

29–32 The Oval, E2 9DT

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On Saturday 1st December 2018 between 12-4pm, Roman Road Market Square will be buzzing with festive fun! a collaborative effort between Tower Hamlets Council and Tower Hamlets Homes, working with local schools, community groups, partner organisations and residents. There will be lots on on the day such things as bulb and tree planting at Meath Gardens, as well as an opportunity to meet Santa at Santas Grotto!

Click on the link below for more information about what’s happening on the day.

Roman Road West Christmas event 1st December

Bring your friends and family along on the day to enjoy all things festive! The address for the event is Roman Road Market Square, E2 0RN.

Next up in the Bethnal Greeners series is the Mayfield Hall Community Interest Company, set up to re-imagine a disused space in the heart of E2. We caught up with Chris Thorn to hear about their hopes for the space, and to hear how we can all get behind the project..

Your history 

The Mayfield Hall Group Community Interest Company was setup by Bethnal Green residents Chris Thorn, Mo Wong and Punya Sehmi with a singular ambition: to promote and facilitate the reuse of Mayfield Hall for a community, cultural-based purpose. The group of friends had been passing by the decaying social hall at the corner of Cambridge Heath Road and Old Ford Road since it was boarded up in 2015 and wanted to see this iconic building return to use and become an active part of its civic setting.

We began by visiting the Tower Hamlets archive library to look into the history of the building. We managed to come across historic photographs of the social programs it was originally home to. This included the Bethnal Green music library, recital hall, public laundry and a number of historic articles about the civic and social principles on which the building was conceived. This was the start of our journey to campaign for the reuse of Mayfield Hall and reinstate its original socially driven purpose.

After a year of spending our weekends and spare time meeting, speaking with people, making contacts and digging around for information we decided to take the plunge and form the Mayfield Hall Group. We’ve created a Spacehive crowdfunding campaign to promote and gain support from the community to get the project off the ground. 

Your passion for the area

We have lived in Bethnal Green for 17 years and have worked here for the past 7. This not only means that most of our social network is in east London but also those people and organisations we work with are based here too. We love Bethnal Green for its diversity, vibrancy and its history, along with its challenges and its struggles. It is a continual inspiration for us and we hope this project will add to this dynamic mix.  

Your offers

We want to create something for the local community that reflects the heritage and civic pride of Bethnal Green. It is a shame that such an iconic building has been left to decay for so many years. Our vision is to repair and re-open Mayfield Hall so it’s able to accommodate a community, with plenty of culture-driven use, and also create a space for people to learn, engage and celebrate.

Your future

With the backing of our Spacehive crowdfunding campaign, we will run workshops with the community and local organisations to understand what is the best future use for the Mayfield Hall. We plan to test the outcomes from the workshops by running a series of free events and get feedback from visitors. We also need to commission a condition survey and feasibility study of the hall so that we can understand what repairs, adaptions and works would be required before Mayfield Hall can be brought back into public use.

Here’s the next in our series of longer conversations, ‘Bethnal Green; After Hours’,  in which we’re shining a light on all of the fantastic businesses that make E2 such a vibrant place to be at night. The pubs, the clubs, the galleries, the restaurants, the bars & much more besides – new & old – we’re blessed as an area with some hidden gems and some straight-up institutions that fly the flag for the ever changing, ever-beloved East End.

We caught up with Alex from Chiringuito – to hear about his new venture in Museum Gardens. One of the great things about Bethnal Green is its swirling melange of cultures, & it was lovely hearing how devout east Londoner Alex has brought a little slice of Barcelona to E2 – cheers Alex!

Hi Alex & Chringuito – tell us a bit about your new venue.

Hi Joe! Our new venue is called Chiringuito – named after the little all-day beach bars that line beaches in Spain. We don’t quite benefit from the Mediterranean sun, but we do sit in a lovely little corner of Museum Gardens, right next to Bethnal Green tube. Like our namesakes, we are an all-day venue serving you up a coffee and brekkie to start your day, right through to your post work dinner and cocktails. Whilst we can’t offer views of the Med, I think we have a pretty sweet spot to watch the world go by, and when the sun does pop out there’s no better place in BG than on our roof terrace.

Sounds great! What from the menu would you really recommend we tuck into when we visit?

Our menu is a blend of Spanish and Latin America dishes, and our Head Chef Marco Padilla is from Peru. That being the case, it would be wrong of me not to recommend his amazing ceviche. Like our beach side inspiration, the menu has plenty of fish and seafood options, and the seabass in chilli, passionfruit and grape sauce is amazing. For the meat lover, you would be hard pushed to beat our traditional Lomo Soltado – sliced rump steak sautéed with vegetables in a soy and ginger sauce, flamed with pisco.

Why Bethnal Green? Is the area close to your heart?

I love Bethnal Green. I’ve lived here for 15 years, and my family has grown up in and around Stepney and Bethnal Green for as many generations as we can look back. There’s something about its vibe and bustle that talks to me: sitting on the doorstep of the shiny City, but still kept down to earth and a little rough around the edges. Barcelona is another place very close to my heart, and I have spent time living in that spectacular city beside the sea and the mountains. Chiringuito is my attempt to bring a little piece of Barcelona to east London.

You came along to our meeting of ‘The Green’ last month – how do you think the community and the area are shaping up currently?

Thank you very much for inviting me along to meet with you guys. It was great to meet other like-minded, community-spirited people. It was really refreshing and interesting to listen to the group all speaking about their projects, successes, pitfalls, and coming together to encourage and support each other. Myself and other members of the team from Chiringuito would definitely like to belong to the group, and it would also be lovely to host you at our venue sometime.

..& how have you seen the area change over the years?

The area is changing a lot these days, and particularly in the fields of retail and hospitality. In the past I have found that in those fields the area has in the past been somewhat bland and lacking. Nowadays that is changing fast. Around our junction alone (Roman Road/ B Green Road/ C Heath Road) Paradise Row’s restaurants have cropped up, the new East London Hotel, nice coffee spots like Second Shot and Carmel, and even our very own winery in Renegade of Gales Gardens. I’m very happy to see that these have almost entirely been independent ventures, and yeah… we have space for a Starbucks too 😉

How will you be looking to maximise the great space you have there right by the tube station? That’s got to be a dream footfall spot!

It’s an awesome and unique spot, and I am proud to have the challenge of making it all tick. That’s quite a challenge when you consider that in the footprint of an old public toilet, we now have a 75 capacity roof terrace overlooked by St John’s Church, 50 or so bistro style seats facing the street and the park, another 50 or so spots on our park benches looking into Museum Gardens, and a further 30 seats in our cosy and bustling interior restaurant space. That’s quite some challenge for a first venture into restaurants, but myself and the team are giving it our all and getting closer and closer each day to our goals.

And tell us a bit about the design of the place – those roof tiles are proper!

It’s been quite a challenge trying to bring the chiringuito vibe to a derelict public toilet, 20 years after it’s doors were sealed shut. We’ve tried to do that by bringing the outside in as much as possible, with floor to ceiling windows on the street and park facing sides. When we started renovation, we found a whole in the roof where an old water tank sat, so we kept it… filled with walk-over glass of course. We’ve taken lots of cues from Catalan design, including the brightly coloured “hidraulico” tiles that you will find inside and on our rooftop.

Do you have anything exciting coming up that we should tell our readers about?

We are still adapting and expanding our menu and offering. By popular demand, we will soon be bringing you our take on Sunday roasts, of course still with a Chiringuito twist. So expect, roast chicken (Pollo Pachmanca), beef (Carne Asada) as well as a great aubergine vegetarian option. We will be bringing you a bottomless brunch, kicking off on Day of the Dead (a Mexican festival similar to Halloween); and a tribute to a famous little Cava and tapas bar from Barcelona called Xampagneria, serving up Cavas by the bottle

Chiringuito is at Museum Gardens, London E2 9PA

Find out more here

We’ve skipped Autumn, it seems. We’re already on the brink of winter with all its crispness, its need to walk a little quicker and its sharpening of cosy programming across Bethnal Green. The nights may have drawn in, but those in charge of bringing brilliant stuff to us here in E2 have been busy as ever. Check this lot out;

Backyard Comedy Club – Thursday Night
Thursday 8th November – 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm | £5

This is an exclusive sneak peak of brand new material from the great and the good of the comedy world. Every week on a Thursday, the show features established acts trying out new material, big TV names warming up for national tours and festivals, and some of the most exciting rising stars from the comedy circuit.

Previous names have included: Russell Howard, Seann Walsh, Russell Kane, Omid Djalili, Jack Whitehall, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Ed Byrne to name just a few. With resident hosts, David Ward and David Whitney.

Tickets here

Backyard Comedy Club, 232 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 0EL

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A Drunken Sailor Presents; Playback

Wednesday 14th November – 8pm – 9pm

A Drunken Sailor offers enthralling drama anytime anywhere: from the top of a bus to international festivals to national theatre tours. These Playback sessions are an open rehearsal combining improvisation techniques with Indian storytelling and the actors spontaneously playing back full length stories and moments from the audience or their own lives. It can be anything from a mundane event on the way to the theatre to a traumatic childhood experience.

For each session a conductor invites audience members to come up and share their stories and then between two to four players; these roles can shift during the session or remain fixed. The company use different forms and structures and coloured cloths to support the story telling. As well as focusing on the therapeutic benefits of sharing stories, Playback can also provide relief through comedy.

Free

St. Margaret’s House, 21 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, E2 9PL  

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EFG London Jazz Festival 

Friday 16th – Sunday 25th November 

The capital’s biggest pan-city music festival, which has long been acclaimed for showcasing a heady mix of talent from around the world is back this November, & our mates over at Rich Mix are right in the thick of it – hosting some superb stuff over the course of 10 days.

Widely acknowledged for delivering world-class artists and emerging stars, the Festival continues to take jazz to a massive audience, in one of the UK’s landmark music events.

Check what Rich Mix are hosting here, or see the full festival listings here

Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA

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The Green at Oxford House

Tuesday 20th November – 6pm – 7:30pm

We will be getting together again at Oxford House for our meeting of ‘The Green’ – an opportunity for businesses and organisations locally to share their work face to face, and for us to explore your plans for Small Business Saturday this year.

We want to promote your work and it doesn’t cost you a penny. Can’t say fairer or clearer than that.

Come and see us – book in for it now.

Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, E2 6HG