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Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London Borough in the east end of London and part of inner London.
Of the UK's almost 500 local authority areas, Hackney is one of a small number which has a profile in rest of the UK. This has been the result of extensive coverage in the national media over a period of years stretching from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. It has served as the case study for most of the major political and public policy issues of this period: immigration, education, child protection, housing, urban regeneration, gentrification, crime and disorder. While not all of the coverage has portrayed a negative image of the borough, especially regarding urban regeneration, the majority has done so.
This has led to a national perception which can be at odds with the changing realities of the borough. So while Hackney is known as being one of the poorest and most crime-affected London boroughs, Hackney Police and Council achieved the biggest drop in crime across the whole of London in the four years up to 2007 (28% reduction)[1]. In addition, this perception has tended to mask the considerable contrasts in the borough with negative perceptions and coverage being related to Hackney, while positive perceptions and coverage being related to parts of the borough such as Hoxton and Shoreditch or Stoke Newington.
The south western tip of the borough is adjacent to the City and close to the Broadgate development. In this area some office development has taken place within the borough boundary. Also in the south west is Hoxton and Shoreditch which are central to the London arts scene and home to numerous clubs, bars, shops and restaurants, much of which is centred on Hoxton Square. The development of Shoreditch and Hoxton caused land value to increase in the area such that developers looked to other parts of the borough for development. Much of Hackney is inner-city in character and in places like Dalston large housing estates now sit side-by-side with gated communities.
The centre of Hackney is known as Hackney Central - to distinguish it from the Borough, the 1930s town hall is situated here. Adjacent to the town hall is the Hackney Empire, Ocean music venue and a modern library block, also housing the Learning Trust and the council museum. South Hackney abuts Victoria Park (which is in neighbouring Tower Hamlets) and terraced Victorian and Edwardian housing stock has survived in the area.
To the north of the borough is Clapton, Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington. To the east is the large open space of the Hackney Marshes and the districts of Hackney Wick and Homerton. There is some declining light industry around the River Lea (the eastern boundary) and land is planned to be re-used for the 2012 Summer Olympics, making the area one of the Host Boroughs for the games.
In October 2006, a Channel 4 survey programmes 'The Best and Worst places to live in the UK', claimed Hackney to be the worst place to live in the UK.[2] In response, Jules Pipe elected Mayor of Hackney stated "Of course Hackney has problems, as do all inner city boroughs, but it is an amazing place to live. It is diverse and exciting with fantastic architecture, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, and a bright future as an Olympic borough.". He went on to point out that the same production team had also made programmes boosting Hackney as a place to invest in property.[3] In January 2007, the House Price Index, released by the UK Land Registry showed the later view to prevail, with Hackney putting on the third highest increase (14.6%) in property values within London during 2006.
There are 1,300 listed buildings in Hackney, including the iconic grade II* Hackney Empire, Tudor Sutton House, and the grade I medieval St Augustine's tower. The Borough contains 25 conservation areas including Clapton Square, and many urban open-spaces including Clapton Common and Clissold Park. Conservation areas also protect large areas of Georgian and Victorian housing, and areas of industrial heritage
History
The borough was formed in 1965 from the area of the former metropolitan boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington. The new council adopted elements of its constituents in the new coat of arms; Shoreditch by three bells from Shoreditch Church (recalled in the rhyme Oranges and Lemons), Stoke Newington by two trees bearing fruit, and Hackney by the eight pointed cross of the principal landowners of the parish in the middle-ages, the Order of St John of Jerusalem. The shield is surmounted by a representation of St Augustine's Tower, the remains of Hackney's former parish church. The motto is Justitia turris nostra, translated as Being fair is what makes us strong[6]. The Queen's portrait hangs in the council chamber, wearing the robes of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.
Individual parts of the borough have a rich history. The Roman road, Ermine Street forms the western edge of the borough. Much of the rest of the land was covered with open oak and hazel woodlands, with marshland around the rivers and streams that crossed the area. Hackney lay in the Catevallauni tribal territory[7]. The eastern boundary of the borough is formed by the River Lee. This was an ancient boundary between pre-Roman tribes, and in the Roman era, was tidal as far as Hackney Wick and continued as the boundary between the historic counties of Middlesex and Essex.
In the Tudor period the lands of the religious order were seized and Hackney became a retreat for nobility around Hackney Central and Homerton, including Henry VIII's palace by the Lee Bridge roundabout, where Brooke House School stands today[8]. Sutton House, on Homerton High Street, is the oldest surviving dwelling in Hackney, originally built as Bryck Place for Tudor diplomat Sir Ralph Sadleir in 1535.
London's first Tudor theatres were built in Shoreditch and the Gunpowder Plot was first exposed at nearby Hoxton[9]. Many grand houses stood in Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill, with the latter providing a haven for Hackney's many orthodox Jewish residents from the 1930s. Alfred Hitchcock made many of his first films in Hoxton at the Gainsborough Studios in Poole Street[10].
Hackney Marshes play host to the largest collection of football pitches in Europe; and will be the site of part of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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| A busy sunset over Graham Road, Hackney Central | |
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Districts in Hackney
- Dalston
- De Beauvoir Town
- Hackney Downs
- Hackney Central
- Hackney Marshes
- Hackney Wick
- Haggerston
- Homerton
- Hoxton
- Kingsland
- Lea Bridge
- London Fields
- Lower Clapton
- Shacklewell
- Shoreditch
- South Hackney
- Stamford Hill
- Stoke Newington
- Upper Clapton
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