An old form of the name is Soersditch, and the origin is lost, though early tradition connects it with Jane Shore, the mistress of Edward IV.
It was the site of an Augustinian priory in the 12th Century until its dissolution in 1539. In 1576 the first playhouse (theatre) in England was opened, and in 1577 The Curtain theatre was opened in the middle of what is Curtain Road today.
During the 17th Century, wealthy traders and Huguenot silk weavers moved to the area, establishing a textile industry centered to the south around Spitalfields Market. The area declined along with the textile industry and from the end of the 19th Century to the 1960s, Shoreditch was a by-word for crime, prostitution and poverty.
Today Shoreditch is a busy and popular district, noted for its large number of art galleries, bars, restaurants, media businesses and an urban golf club.
Shoreditch High Street station officially opened to the public on 27 April 2010 with services running between Dalston Junction and New Cross or New Cross Gate. The station replaced nearby Shoreditch, which closed on 9 June 2006. The next station to the south is Whitechapel and to the north is Hoxton.