A closed pub walk

3.5 miles | 5.6km | 1 hour 30 mins +

In 1890s, Shrubland Road was the centre of a campaign to close pubs in the local area. Meetings were held - one with 2,000 attending - and they had Watchers who spied on the illegal activities of police officers drinking while on duty. The campaign was unsuccessful and pubs were at the heart of this working class community for decades to come.

The walk, which starts at the site of the Sir Robert Peel at 52 Shrubland Road, tests the claim by the Shoreditch Vigilance Committee that there were too many pubs in the area. It ends at the Perseverance near Broadway Market, one of the few remaining pubs in the area.

Did you drink in any of the pubs, sit outside with a pack of crisps while mum and dad were merry inside, or do you know any of the stories from the area? Help us to record our history.

Thanks to The Lost Pubs Project and Pub wiki London for their research and images.