Brick Lane Roundels

Brick Lane is a street that lies in the Tower Hamlets neighborhood of east London. It is situated between Bethnal Green, to the east and Spitalfields Market to the west. It is a lively district due to its active and prosperous Bangladeshi community. This is reflected in the numerous curry houses and fabric outlets that dot the area. Earlier generations have left their own mark on the area, including French Huguenots and Ashkenazi Jews.

In the mid-1990s, a community organization named Bethnal Green City Challenge decided to fund a project that would illustrate the rich and vibrant history of the area. They contacted a local sculptor, Keith Bowler, to come up with various designs that reflected specific sites throughout the neighborhood. Over the course of several months, 25 were made.

These include a pattern of matchsticks to commemorate the matchgirls’ strike of 1888, an early labor action. Another depicts a ring of apple and pears that symbolize the fruit and vegetable market that once resided in the area. Some have been removed in the decades since they were installed, but over a dozen of the roundels are still in place as of 2025.