Cremer - Hoxton

Hoxton area guide:

Living on the edge is where it’s at

Hoxton area guide:

Living on the edge is where it’s at

AN AREA GUIDE FOR WORKSPACE BRICKFIELDS, HOXTON

Hoxton is one of East London’s most creative neighbourhoods, known for its independent galleries, nightlife, street markets and concentration of creative and technology businesses. From Workspace Brickfields, opposite Hoxton Overground, its best places to eat, drink and explore are all within walking distance.

Hoxton has an in-your-face character that few other parts of London can rival. It’s been a brickworks, a bomb-cratered East End wasteland, and evolved to become the very definition of edgy cool. It’s the area that defined the YBA movement of the nineties, when artists like Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst rocked the establishment. It’s a place where trends sprout like weeds, where crazy ideas become normality. This is somewhere that shrugs at the mainstream and where, exactly because of all this, some of the world’s most creative businesses have set up home.

In Hoxton, you’ll find advertising agencies and tech start-ups rubbing shoulders with independent galleries, sticky bars and market stalls. It’s gritty, unfinished, a work in progress – and it’s never dull.

"There's just so much to do around here. If you're not dipping into a gallery for an art fix, you're discovering more about how this area became the buzzing heart of London, and all doable in a lunch hour"
Elle May | Centre Manager
Workspace Brickfields

The history of Hoxton: built brick by brick

Hoxton’s early development was shaped by the bed of clay beneath it, which proved ideal for making bricks. They were dug out by the million and fired into the yellow London Stock bricks that make up Georgian terraces across the capital.

Around the corner, Kingsland Road traces the route of Ermine Street, the Roman road that once ran from London all the way to Lincoln and York. It’s a reminder that, even going back a couple of thousand years, Hoxton was a thoroughfare.

Industry shifted up a gear with the arrival of the railways in the 1860s, and quiet market gardens became factories and warehouses. Several of these now house the galleries, studios and coworking spaces that define the area today.

It’s a miracle any of it survived the Blitz. Its proximity to the City and the docks put Hoxton directly in the firing line. Victorian buildings were lost, and much of the area fell into ruin for years, but gentrification changed all that. Today, Hoxton buzzes with a vibrant, trailblazing culture.

What is Hoxton known for?

Hoxton is known for its influential art scene, independent culture, nightlife and long-established street market. Hoxton Square has long been the social heart of the neighbourhood. Depending on your preferences, it’s a beer garden, gallery opening or picnic spot, with the Victoria Miro gallery still drawing the art glitterati and the surrounding streets carrying more street art and small independent studios per square foot than almost anywhere else in London.

Meanwhile, Hoxton Hall is a Grade II-listed Victorian music hall that’s been staging performances since the 1860s. A short walk away, the Museum of the Home, built in 1715 as almshouses for 50 elderly ironmongers, does a genuinely moving job of tracing three centuries of London domestic life.

On Saturdays, Hoxton Street Market, established in 1687, is the least Instagrammed, most reliably good street market in East London.

Where to eat and drink in Hoxton

Hoxton has no shortage of places to eat, drink or recharge within walking distance of Brickfields. Try a croissant and cold brew at Nutmeg ’n Koffee, or enjoy an authentic Tuscan schiacciata for lunch at Dal Fiorentino. Take a client to Cremer for a catch-up or get a sweat on at Legacy Martial Arts.

Going out has always been a Hoxton speciality. The Stag’s Head is prized for one of the best beer gardens in the area, while The Macbeth does a mean pint and bacon butty. Equal Parts cocktail bar is a Time Out favourite, and Happiness Forgets is a basement cocktail bar that lets its queues do the talking.

Dialling it up, the rooftop at the Queen of Hoxton is an institution, and Gigi’s brings DJs and a genuinely good menu together. For eating, Solaya at art’otel London Hoxton, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Kenny Atkinson, serves polished French-Mediterranean food, while Noisy Oyster offers seafood and a very good martini.

Wind down along the Regent’s Canal, which is lined with pop-up bars and cafés built for exactly this kind of low-key evening.

"Hoxton is one of those places where you can do a day's work in a really nice office and then hook up with friends at a lovely bar on the way home without missing a beat. For convenience, this has to be one of the best areas to work in London"
Bianca Zucco | Sales Manager 
Workspace Brickfields

Office space in Hoxton: everything within a stroll of Brickfields

Workspace Brickfields offers office and studio space in the centre of Hoxton, directly opposite Hoxton Overground and around ten minutes’ walk from Old Street. Rebuilt from a former metalworks factory, it has 98 offices and studios arranged around a soaring central atrium, with exposed brick and steel beams throughout.

Grab a panini or a handmade sausage roll at the downstairs café run by Redchurch Street favourites Kiln by Franze & Evans and soak up some of that Hoxton energy.

Frequently asked questions about working in Hoxton

  • Is Hoxton a good place to work?

    Hoxton is particularly popular with creative, digital and technology businesses. It combines easy access to the City and Shoreditch with independent cafés, restaurants, galleries and places to meet or socialise.

  • What transport connections does Hoxton have?

    Hoxton Overground station is directly opposite Workspace Brickfields, while Old Street station is around ten minutes away on foot.

  • Where can I find office ande meeting space in Hoxton?

    Workspace Brickfields has 98 offices and studios in a converted former metalworks opposite Hoxton Overground. Its well-equipped meeting rooms can also be booked by the hour without a Workspace membership.

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