London is a collection of villages, they say, but perhaps that’s because Londoners tend to act like a bunch of villagers, getting parochial in advocacy of our home turf. Thus, buying your artisanal foods in Hackney is somehow cooler than shopping for them in East Dulwich, or vice versa. Given such partisanship, it’s surprising that West Londoners are heading across to the East End in large numbers – not to relocate permanently, you understand, but for the weekend.
It all began with the flower market on Sunday mornings in Columbia Road. Then came brunches by the pool at Shoreditch House. Now Boundary, Sir Terence Conran’s hotel/eaterie/rooftop bar just off Shoreditch High Street, is awash with Notting Hill types of a weekend, distinguished by their shiny BMWs parked outside and their even glossier coiffures. Rumour has it that some actually stay the night, so they can also have a Hoxton night out – like a mini-break, only closer to home.