Old Street Graffiti

Old Street tube station basically has about ⁵⁄₆ exits all around a massive busy traffic roundabout. The exit for old street, heading towards shoreditch is the best for seeking out street art. Pitfield Street & the little alley ways off it are known to have new things popping up all the time — that is when the council haven’t gone on a recent mission of cleaning all the walls! The streets surrounding Hoxton Square are also good, then if you cross Old street again & head over to Rivington Street & the surrounding area, you’ll normally spot bits n peices on the walls. Just really depends on how active the council have been in the area at removing /​repainting walls as to what you’ll stumble over. But there’s usually a few visiting artists in London at any given time, who’ll stop by this area to paste /​stencil something on the walls, that make it worthwhile having a look around if you’re so inclined! Faile is the most recent to have pasted up stuff locally — just in the last week — as an example.

Anyone remember the graffiti wall that used to appear at the start of the TV program Dragon’s Den? Well, that was on Coronet Street, just down from Sh! Sadly it’s been sandblasted clean (and looks pretty awful right now). However the graffiti artists have not been put off and there are some rather good stencils and poster art along this road: take a look while you are in the area, you’ll never know what will be there.
Walk along Old Street towards the tube station and you’ll find more to look at. Just past Pitfield St there’s a whole area of painted walls. Nothing stunning. As you get to the tube station’s roundabout look up at the anonymous brick building (I believe it’s something to do with the tube?). On the East side over the top of shop next door there’s a beautiful painting of a girl angel holding a skull. I think it could be El Chivo, though I don’t know. It’s quite new right now, so I hope it lasts. Round the other side of the building you’ll find a nice Space Invader. Walk North up City Road to Moorfields Eye Hospital, and you might be able to spot the Banksy rat by a disused entrance.
On the South side of the road at the junction with Gt Eastern St look carefully over the Chinese Takeaway. There’s an advertising hoarding up, but if you look carefully partially visible behind it is a set of Banksy happy choppers. I guess they are getting protected, shame you can’t see them properly! I’ve done other reviews of Banksy works: if you are interested use his name as a search tag to find them. There are several more close by.