London Borough of Hackney

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''For other uses of Hackney, see Hackney (disambiguation)

London Borough of Hackney

Shown within Greater London
Geography
Status	London borough
Area — Total	Ranked 349th 1 E7 m²}}} km²
ONS coding system>ONS code	00AM
Demographics
Population — Total () — Density	/ km²
Ethnicity	59.4% White (44.12% British, 3.02% Irish, 12.26% White other) 24.7% Afro-Caribbean 8.6% South Asian 4.2% Mixed Race 1.2% Chinese
Politics
Local government in England#Councils and councillors>Leadership	Mayor & Cabinet
Mayor	Jules Pipe
Executive
MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005>MPs	Diane Abbott Meg Hillier
London Assembly — Member	North East London Jennette Arnold
Official website	http://www.hackney.gov.uk/

Hackney Town Hall was built in the 1930s for the old Metropolitan Borough. (October 2005)

Arms of Hackney London Borough Council

The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough in East London (sometimes referred to as North East London) and part of Inner London.

Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor.

Borough of contrasts

The borough is known for being one of the poorest and most crime-affected London boroughs. Despite this perception it is a place of considerable contrasts. 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 centered 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 main commercial and retail centre of Hackney is known as Hackney Central to distinguish it from the rest of the borough. 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.

History

The borough was formed in 1965 from the area of the former metropolitan boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington.

Demographics of Hackney

The 2001 census gives Hackney a population of 202,824.Statistics for ethnicity[link], country of birth[link], and religion[link] are from the UK census.

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.

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 94,431 (47%) Christian; 27,908 (14%) Muslim; 10,732 (5%) Jewish; and 6,831 (3%) belong to other religions. A further 38,607 (19%) stated no religion, and 24,315 (12%) did not state a religion.

32% of householders are owner–occupiers.

Transport

Hackney is currently the only inner London borough north of the Thames that has no London Underground stations other than those on its borders with other boroughs. Manor House is in the extreme north-west of the borough and on the boundary with Haringey and Old Street is in the extreme south-west and on the border with 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 at Shoreditch High Street, Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston Junction. When complete, the line will be handed over to Network Rail who will run services from Hackney to South London.

The Silverlink North London Line and the 'one' West Anglia pass through the borough with the following stations within its boundary:

A busy sunset over Graham Road, Hackney Central (19 September 2005—3 days before the autumnal equinox)

North London Line

stations (west to east)

• Dalston Kingsland railway station
• Hackney Central railway station
• Homerton railway station
• Hackney Wick railway station

'one' West Anglia

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

Some locations in the borough of Hackney.

The borough includes the following areas:

• 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
• *see also Hackney parks and open spaces

Sport

Hackney Griffens Rugby Football Club play at Springhill Park, near the Lea Bridge Canal. The ground is one of the oldest rugby pitches in the country, hosting sides since 1879. The club play in quarters of yellow, green, blue and light blue. The name "Griffens" is taken from a local school. The team currently play in Herts/Middlesex north 3, and play regular friendly games against local sides. Planning is underway for a new club house at Springhill Park, which will incorporate a range of excellent facilities.

Cultural Attractions and Institutions in Hackney

• [Arcola Theatre]
• [Cell Project Space] (Gallery)
• Circus Space
• Dalston Culture House (which includes the Vortex Jazz Club)
• [Flowers East] (Gallery)
• The Geffrye Museum
• The Hackney Empire
• The Hackney Museum
• INIVA (The Institute for New International Visual Arts)
• The Lux Cinema
• The Rio Cinema
• Space Studios
• Sutton House (Heritage house and museum owned by the National Trust)
• Victoria Miro Gallery
• The White Cube Gallery

Individuals associated with Hackney

Edmond Halley

Sid Vicious

Among those who were born in Hackney, or have dwelt within the borders of the modern borough are:

• Grace Aguilar (writer)
• Steven Berkoff (playwright and actor, educated at Hackney Downs School)
• Tony Blair - (British Prime Minister, lived in London Fields in the early 1980s)
• Marc Bolan (musician - born in Homerton)
• Eric Bristow (darts player)
• Michael Caine (actor, educated at Hackney Downs School)
• Edith Cavell (Nurse executed in Belgium in 1915, worked at St Leonard's Hospital)
• Benjamin Cohen (British internet entrepreneur and journalist)
• Harry Cohen (Labour Member of Parliament born in Hackney)
• Phil Collen (Guitar player for Def Leppard)
• George Collison (first President of Hackney Academy, Well Street Hackney Central)
• Daniel Defoe (writer - born in Stoke Newington)
• Pete Doherty (Musician)
• William Godwin (political philosopher - studied in Homerton)
• Sir Edmund Gosse (poet, author and Critic - lived in De Beauvoir)
• Edmond Halley (astronomer - born in Haggerston)
• William Hazlitt (writer - studied in Homerton)
• Philip Henry Gosse (naturalist - lived in De Beauvoir)
• Shaka Hislop (goalkeeper for West Ham United and Trinidad and Tobago born in Hackney)
• John Howard (prison reformer - born and lived in Lower Clapton)
• Ronald and Reginald Kray (gang leaders, born in Hoxton)
• Marie Lloyd (entertainer - lived in Hackney Central)
• George Loddiges (horticulturalist and scientist - lived in Hackney Central)
• Martine McCutcheon (actress and singer)
• Anthony Newley (actor, singer - born in Homerton)
• James Parkinson (physician who researched Parkinson's Disease, lived in Hoxton)
• Harold Pinter (Nobel Prize-winning playwright, educated at Hackney Downs School)
• Edgar Allan Poe (writer - educated in Stoke Newington)
• Joseph Priestley (chemist and philosopher)
• Charles Reed (Hackney's first MP)
• Helen Shapiro was educated at Clapton Park girls school
• Iain Sinclair (writer - lives in Haggerston)
• Sir Alan Sugar (businessman)
• Jessica Tandy (actress, born in Clapton)
• Sid Vicious (musician)
• Isaac Watts (theologian, logician, hymnwriter - lived and died in Stoke Newington)
• Rachel Whiteread (artist, lives and works in Dalston)
• Barbara Windsor (actress), born in Shoreditch
• Ray Winstone (actor)
• Mary Wollstonecraft (reformer and writer, mother of Mary Shelley, lived early years in Hoxton)

References

Greater London | London | City of London