Home / Coverage areas / Great Eastern Street
Named After A Cobbler's Own Tool
Locksmith Great Eastern Street: A Shoemaker's Pub That Hosted Future Legends
A pub here still carries the name of an old cobbler's mould, decades before it became the kind of venue where genuine future stars once took the stage. Ring 020 8534 4949 for a locksmith who actually knows this stretch.
- Round-The-Clock Response
- Period Buildings & Modern Offices
- Commercial & Residential
- Great Eastern Street Coverage
Covering Great Eastern Street, through Shoreditch. Open in Google Maps
Why This Street Is Different
A pub's name that remembers a vanished trade
Long before Shoreditch became known for its nightlife, this particular corner belonged to shoemakers. The Old Blue Last pub first opened here in 1700, taking its name directly from a cobbler's own last, the shaped mould craftsmen used to build and repair footwear. That original building didn't survive unchanged. It was rebuilt entirely in 1876, a rebuild most likely triggered by the rerouting of Great Eastern Street itself, since the new road's path cut directly through this stretch of Shoreditch.
The ground beneath carries older roots still. This section once formed part of Holywell Priory, a religious house whose memory survives today only in the name of nearby Holywell Lane. Centuries of quiet trade eventually gave way to something considerably louder.
Where Future Stars Once Simply Turned Up
By the late 1990s, the rebuilt pub had become a genuine fixture of Shoreditch's emerging nightlife scene. Bands that later became household names played there before anyone outside music circles knew who they were. The Arctic Monkeys performed at this exact venue, as did Amy Winehouse, and even Kylie Minogue took the stage there in 2014. Reportedly, members of Oasis and Morrissey himself were spotted simply watching gigs from the crowd rather than performing. We're concerned with something considerably more practical than any of that. A lock on Great Eastern Street gets fixed properly, whatever cobbler's trade or chart-topping act once passed through the building nearby.
Pressed for time? sort out a lockout, line up a repair when it suits, or ring past midnight if that's when it strikes.
What Great Eastern Street Businesses & Residents Call About
What this stretch brings us
Offices Along A Rerouted Street
Much of this stretch now carries commercial tenants, on ground reshaped when the street itself was created. We tailor security to what's actually here, never a generic template. Book ahead
Period Buildings Near The Old Priory Ground
Close to where a religious house once stood, older architecture survives in pockets here. We look at each building individually, not through a one-size approach. Book ahead
Shops Serving A Genuine Nightlife Crowd
Bars and venues pulling people into Shoreditch drive much of the evening footfall here. Quick hardware replacement keeps that trade flowing past a jammed door.
Same-day priorityFlats Mixed Among The Venues
Among the bars and commercial units here, genuine residential entrances still appear. We assess each on its own terms, separate from the venues around it.
Book aheadBroken Or Snapped Keys
Older mechanisms along this stretch can grip a broken key with real stubbornness. Here, we explain the method we use to free one safely.
Call nowLate-Night Lockouts
Nightlife means lockouts rarely stick to convenient hours around here. We answer the same way regardless.
Call nowOutside what we handle: making copies of keys, and setting up building access systems. Those go through the property's own management company.
Locked Out On Great Eastern Street
Daytime trade, then a genuinely different evening
This street follows an ordinary office rhythm throughout much of the day.
Come nightfall, an entirely different crowd takes over, drawn by the bars and venues lining Shoreditch.
Neither crowd changes our process. We work gently first, and only resort to drilling when truly nothing else resolves it.
The type of key problem decides our next step. Check this page if it's snapped, or this one if it's simply gone missing.
Around Great Eastern Street
What this stretch connects to
The furniture-trade story, in full.
North of this stretch.
East of here.
North-east of this stretch.
The wider district this street sits within.
South of here.
What We Do
Services across Great Eastern Street
What A Trade Name Carries Forward
From cobbler's tool to a stage future stars once stood on
Few pub names survive quite this intact from the trade that originally inspired them. Fewer still go on to host musicians who later fill arenas.
The Old Blue Last's own origins and its connection to this street's creation are detailed by this account of the Shoreditch area. The street's wider character today is covered further by this guide to Great Eastern Street.
What a building used to be is irrelevant to us. A lock here gets fixed on the basis of how it's actually working.
Spotted a problem with your own lock? Let us know the details and we'll answer honestly.
The Process
Booking a locksmith Great Eastern Street callout
- Drop us a lineShare your location, unit number, and a quick description.
- We handle permissionsBuilding access gets organised ahead of time, where needed.
- In-person check firstCosts follow only after a direct look at the problem.
- Everything testedWe verify both lock and door work before stepping away.
Access & Traffic
Getting to you along Great Eastern Street
This stretch carries steady daytime traffic, picking up again with evening venue crowds. Loading restrictions apply throughout.
Old Street and Shoreditch High Street stations both lie within easy reach, often the quicker option when surface roads are congested.
Weekday daytime hours bring office activity. Evenings bring an entirely different kind of busy. We plan each visit around whichever applies.
Why People Call Us
What Great Eastern Street tenants and residents rely on us for
- Only present condition matters. Whatever history a building carries, today's lock gets judged on its own.
- Gentle comes before forceful. We only reach for a drill once every other option's been tried.
- Evening crowds are routine to us. A busy nightlife scene doesn't slow our work down.
- Homes get equal priority. A residential job receives the same care as a commercial one.
- Our scope is clearly defined. Keys and access systems are handled by others.
- We're consistent at any hour. Quiet mornings or busy nights, nothing changes.
Nearby
Areas around Great Eastern Street
Common Questions
A Pub Named After A Cobbler's Tool
Does a genuinely old pub still trade along this street?
One dating back to 1700, carrying a name tied directly to a vanished trade.
What does that pub's own name actually refer to?
A cobbler's mould, reflecting the shoemakers who once worked this area.
Did building this street itself affect that pub directly?
Very likely, its 1876 rebuild probably followed directly from the road's own rerouting.
From Cobblers To Chart-Toppers
Did famous musicians genuinely perform at this exact venue?
Yes, including acts who later became household names.
Were any particularly big names spotted simply watching, rather than playing?
Reportedly, yes, including some seriously well-known figures from British music.
Does this ground connect to any older religious history too?
It does, tracing back to a priory that once stood nearby.
Booking On Great Eastern Street
Which stretch does this page actually cover?
Great Eastern Street itself, through Shoreditch.
Do you work on period buildings as well as modern offices here?
We do. This street has a genuine mix, and each building gets assessed on its own terms.
Can you reach a lockout during a busy weekday?
We can, though finishing on foot often works out faster once this stretch gets congested.
Is weekend cover realistic given how lively this area gets at night?
It is, every day, regardless of how busy the evening crowd gets.
Do you handle residential premises as well as offices here?
We do, though commercial work accounts for most of what we're called out for on this street.
What if my building has its own security procedures?
Let us know what they involve beforehand and we'll plan the visit around them.
A cobbler's own tool gave a pub its name, and future stars later filled it. We'd rather your lock needed nothing quite so eventful, just a proper fix.
Office, shop or flat on Great Eastern Street — get in touch, and we'll send the right engineer.