Petticoat Lane Market

If the promenade of trendies at the nearby Spitalfields Market gets a little overbearing, head a few streets south to the famously salt-of-the-earth Petticoat Lane Market. Note, however, that the stalls are actually located in and around Middlesex Street - the Victorians deeming the road's original name a touch too saucy. Wares range from knocked-down toiletries to knocked-off designer clothing: batteries, cleaning products, fabrics, luggage, toys and everything in between are hawked at bargain prices while the area's multicultural heritage shines through. Persecuted Huguenots (French Calvinists) settled here in the late seventeenth century, cementing the East End's association with the textiles industry, while Jewish immigrants dominated in the 1800s. The area has since played home to a large Asian community.