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Street Art tour. London with a local

  • Oana Orzac
  • Apr 26, 2022
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 27, 2022

By Oana Orzac



London is one of the mega-metropolis cities in the world. It has over 2,000 years of history, and much of it can be seen by exploring the city. However, even if you were born here or moved in the previous years, there are still many things to explore in this city.


London with a Local


If you want to visit the small pleasures of the city, try this free tour that provides a wide range of subjects. And the most exciting thing is that the guide is local.

“London with a Local is made up of a mix of born and bred Londoners, who can give you a picture of how it feels to grow up in the midst of chaos, and those who decided to become Londoners after visiting as a tourist and falling in love,” their website says.


Street Art tour


Street Art tour starts at Shoreditch High Street Station, and for two hours, you are walking along the hip and trendy streets of Shoreditch, where creativity can be seen everywhere.

Nathan Elliot, 26, is the tour guide. He will wait for you in front of the Shoreditch High Street station with a big red umbrella and a big smile. He came from a small town in England called Stoke Lyne, with a population of just 500, and moved to London at 18 to pursue an acting career.


Now, he also does tours, working as a guide. He has worked in this industry for almost five years, and it can be obvious that he still loves what he does.


Nathan starts the tour by mentioning the last tour he guided, part of the ‘London with a Local’ tours. “Yesterday, we had the Royal Westminster Tour. People learn about the democracy, the corruption, and what a horrible history it was, and now we are here... 40 years ago, spray on walls was associated with criminals and hooligans, now is part of our culture”.


The first stop was on a wall where Thierry Noir painted colourful faces. “The reason I talk about these faces is that these faces 40 years ago in 1981 are credited as the first bits of graffiti on the Berlin Wall”, says the guide.


When such manifestations of ‘freedom’ were illegal, Thierry Noir began painting massive works on the Berlin Wall in 1984 and continued to do so almost every day for the following six years.

But this is just the beginning. In only two hours, visitors also learn about spray paint, sculptures, stickers, and stencils. Also, you would know about the history and creative people, some of whom still live locally.


Adrian Nowak, 29, was part of the group. He came with his girlfriend Krystyna to learn new things. “We recently moved to Hackney and want to discover more about this area. We worked very hard and wanted to relax a bit. We found this event, and we say to give it a go”, said Adrian. He loved the tour and found his favourite piece of art street.


“I loved the future ball on the building painted by Mr Cenz. I don’t know. It just gives the idea of connection and a futuristic vibe.”


Still not convinced to give it a try? See below what you can miss.


Thierry Noir in Holywell Lane


Adrian Nowak, 29, was part of the group. He came with his girlfriend Krystyna to learn new things. "We recently moved to Hackney and want to discover more about this area. We worked very hard and wanted to relax a bit. We found this event, and we say to give it a go", said Adrian. He loved the tour and found his favourite piece of art street. "I loved the future ball on the building painted by Mr Cenz. I don't know. It just gives the idea of connection and a futuristic vibe."


Still not convinced to give it a try? See below for a preview of the tour.









Still not sure? Here are some pictures from the tour




Check their Instagram for more pictures https://www.instagram.com/londonwithalocal/


Pictures and videos made by Oana Orzac

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