Chinatown

London’s Chinatown is great fun to explore with your camera especially if you enjoy street photography.  The atmosphere is always festive and reminiscent of Hong Kong’s Night Market (without the street vendors and stalls).  Is Chinatown one of the best places to photograph London?  Yes, for the pure enjoyment of it all.

Once home to Huguenot and Maltese immigrants, the area of Chinatown as we know it today started to form in the 1950s when a handful of Chinese restaurants opened. With other businesses and services moving in, by the 1960s and 1970s the neighbourhood had become a hub for Chinese culture. The original London Chinatown was actually in Limehouse, in London’s East End. Chinese employees of the East India Company settled at the docks in the late 19th century and helped to create a Chinese community. However, a decline in shipping and large-scale destruction of the area during the Second World War saw this quarter dwindle by the mid-20th century.

Geographically, Chinatown is bound by Shaftesbury Avenue to the north, Rupert Street to the west, Charing Cross Road to the east and Leicester Square to the south. The main focal point is Gerrard Street, which runs through its centre. Chinatown is part of London’s West End.

Where is Chinatown in London?  How do I get to Chinatown? London Chinatown GPS Coordinates ::  51.5118° N, 0.1311° W

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