Everything about London Borough Of Hackney totally explained
The London Borough of Hackney is a
London borough in
East London, and forms part of
inner London.
Borough of contrasts
Between 1999 and 2001 serious concerns were expressed about Hackney's performance as a council by the
Audit Commission, and many aspects of council services were failing. This led to considerable negative press coverage that still colours perceptions of the area, but is at odds with the changing realities of the borough. In 2005,
MORI identified that residents were significantly more satisfied than they'd been in 2002, and in 2007 the Audit Commission showed that improvements continue to be made in council performance, with the council now achieving 'three stars', and described as 'improving strongly'.
While every ward remains among the 10% most deprived in the country, with 47% of children living in low income households, the ethnic diversity of the area creates a vibrant inner city area of London. Hackney has a reputation as one of the most crime-affected London boroughs, but cooperation between local police and council has resulted in the borough experiencing a bigger drop in crime than in any other London borough in the four year period up to 2007 (28% reduction). Gun and knife crimes continue to be the borough's biggest problem. These are primarily waged between gangs in estates fighting out turf-wars however innocent youths have also become victims. A high level of teenage pregnancies is also prevalent in Hackney.
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 historical and administrative heart of Hackney is the area roughly surrounding and extending north from Mare Street known as
Hackney Central. Hackney Town Hall Square has been developed as a new 'creative quarter'. Surrounding the public square itself is the Ocean music venue, a new Library, Technology and Learning Centre, Hackney Museum and the refurbished
Hackney Empire. A new town hall complex is being built behind the existing building.
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.
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 Augustin's Tower, the remains of Hackney's former parish church in the
historical centre of Hackney. The motto is
Justitia turris nostra, translated as
Being fair is what makes us strong. The
Queen's portrait hangs in the council chamber, wearing the robes of the
Venerable Order of Saint John.
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. 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.
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. The village of Hackney flourished from the Tudor to late Georgian periods (approx 1605 - 1850), popular with courtesans and city brokers. Notable residents included Lenin,
Samuel Courtauld,
Joseph Priestly, Governor of the
Bank of England and founding director of the
Honourable East India Company.
London's first
Tudor theatres were built in
Shoreditch and the
Gunpowder Plot was first exposed at nearby
Hoxton. 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.
After industrialisation, extensive post-war development and immigration the area is now gentrifying its large stock of Georgian and Victorian terraces and new apartments, warehouse conversions and period restorations are being built. Despite development it's inner London's 'greenest borough' and London Transport's 'best bike borough 2006', with 62 parks and open spaces, covering .
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.
Council
directly-elected Mayor who is also the political leader of the council. The Mayor – currently
Jules Pipe CBE – is supported by a Cabinet, Councillors and a Speaker, currently Councillor Ian Rathbone, who fulfils the civic and ceremonial duties previously undertaken by the (non-political) mayor.
At the
Hackney Council election on
4 May,
2006 the
Labour Party were returned with 44 councillors, winning one seat and losing one. The
Conservative Party forms the largest opposition party on the council with nine councillors, the
Liberal Democrats have three, and for only the second time a candidate from the
Green Party was elected.
Demographics of Hackney
The
2001 census gives Hackney a population of 202,824.
The population is ethnically diverse. Of the resident population, 89,490 (44%) people describe themselves as White British. 30,978 (15%) are in other White
ethnic groups, 50,009 (25%) are Black or Black British, 17,414 (9%) are Asian or Asian British, 8,501 (4%) describe themselves as 'Mixed', and 6,432 (3%) as Chinese or Other.
There is also a large
Turkish population in Hackney, mainly whom are
Turkish Cypriot. Turkish-speaking communities are located in all parts of the Borough, though there's a greater concentration in North and Central parts of the Borough.
Stoke Newington,
Newington Green and
Dalston have the greatest concentration of population and in particular
Green Lanes, running from
Manor House down to Newington Green Roundabout, has a high concentration of businesses and shops.
132,931 (66%) of the resident population were born in the UK. A further 10,095 (5%) were born in other parts of Europe, and the remaining 59,798 (29%) born elsewhere in the world.
The 2001 census also shows Christianity is the biggest religion in Hackney, with (44%) Christian; (18%) Muslim; (4%) Jewish; and (3%) belong to other religions. A further (19%) stated no religion, and (12%) didn't state a religion.
32% of householders are owner–occupiers.
Education
In 2002, the borough entered into a ten year contract with
the
Learning Trust, an independent collaborative body that organises education for Hackney's 27,000 pupils in over 70 schools, nurseries and play centres. The trust was set up in response to an
OFSTED report that identified failings in the then existing system. Two of London's most successful City Academies are in Hackney with another two in development and plans to rebuild or renovate every other Hackney school by 2016.
Transport
Hackney is currently poorly served by London Underground services. Only one station,
Manor House is located in the Borough, on its extreme north-westen fringe on the boundary with
Haringey.
Old Street sits only a few yards south-west of the Borough in
Islington.
Transport for London is extending the
East London Line northwards through the borough, reusing some of the abandoned line between
Dalston Junction and
Broad Street, with stations planned at
Shoreditch High Street,
Hoxton,
Haggerston and
Dalston Junction. When complete, in June 2010, the line will be handed over to
London Overground, who will run services from Hackney to South London.
The
North London Line is operated by TfL, as a part of the
London Overground. The
Lea Valley Lines also passes through Hackney:
North London Line
» Hackney stations (west to east)
Lea Valley Lines
» Hackney stations (north to south)
Stamford Hill railway station
Stoke Newington railway station
Rectory Road railway station
Clapton railway station
Hackney Downs railway station
London Fields railway station
Districts in Hackney
Postcode districts
Postcode districts include EC1, EC2, E1, E2, E5, E8, E9, E10, N1, N4, N15, N16.
People associated with the London Borough of Hackney
Cultural attractions and institutions in Hackney
Arcola Theatre (Theatre performance)
Cell Project Space
(Studio rental and gallery)
Chat's Palace Arts Centre (Community based arts and performance)
The Circus Space (International circus school and performance space)
Clowns' Gallery, Museum and Archive
Dalston Culture House (which includes the Vortex Jazz Club)
Flowers East (Commercial gallery)
The Geffrye Museum (Domestic rooms through the ages, presented in an 18th century Alms House)
The Hackney Empire
The Hackney Museum (Local history museum)
Hackney Archives (Local archives - booking essential)
The Hackney Society
Hoxton Hall (Community centre & performance space in Victorian Music Hall)
INIVA (The Institute for New International Visual Arts)
The Lux Cinema (Cinema closed, collection moved to Shacklewell Lane)
The Rio Cinema
Space Studios (studio space for artists, and exhibitions)
Sutton House (Heritage house and museum owned by the National Trust)
The Reservoirs Nature Society (TeRNS)
Transition Gallery (Commercial gallery)
Miro (Commercial gallery)
The White Cube (Commercial gallery)Further Information
Get more info on 'London Borough Of Hackney'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://london_borough_of_hackney.totallyexplained.com">London Borough of Hackney Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
