Hackney Marshes
Hackney Marshes | |
---|---|
The River Lea passing through Hackney Marshes | |
Location within Greater London | |
OS grid reference | TQ375845 |
• Charing Cross | 6 mi (9.7 km) SW |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LONDON |
Postcode district | E9, E10 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Hackney Marshes is an area of open space in London's Lower Lea Valley, lying on the western bank of the River Lea. It takes its name from its position on the eastern boundary of Hackney, the principal part of the London Borough of Hackney, and from its origin as an area of true marsh.
The marshes were extensively drained from
The principal area of the marsh lies below
Hackney Marsh is one of the largest areas of common land in Greater London, with 136.01 hectares (336.1 acres) of protected commons.[1]
History
The marsh
The River itself was always an important waterway, being navigable to
By
Around 1770, the river was straightened by the construction of the Hackney Cut, now forming the western extent of the marsh. The natural watercourse passes to the east over the Middlesex Filter Beds Weir, just below Lea Bridge Road. A nature reserve occupies the former Middlesex Filter beds on the island between the two watercourses.
By 1795, the former Templar mills were being used for preparing lead (submerged in urine, and heated by decaying cow dung, the lead was converted to lead oxide, and then finely ground to form a pigment for white, yellow and red
At the end of the 19th century
There were few houses on the marshes, but a notable exception was the White House Inn, by a bridge on the old road to Leyton. Originally built as part of a Lea fishery scheme, the pub is now long gone but a bridge remains, rebuilt to supply anti-aircraft batteries during World War II.
In the Marshes towards Hackney Wick were low public houses, the haunt of highwaymen and their Dulcineas. Dick Turpin[7] was a constant guest at the "White House," or "Tyler's Ferry," near Joe Sowter's cock-pit at Temple Mills; and few police-officers were bold enough to approach the spot.[2]
Small areas of the marsh have been taken for housing and sports fields and others added. 35.5 acres (144,000 m2) were taken in 1915 to build the 'National Projectile Factory'; after World War I, in 1922 this site was used to create the Mabley Green recreation ground. A further 22.5 acres (91,000 m2) were taken in 1937 for the building of the Kingsmead Estate.[8] Hackney Power Station was situated to the north west of the marshes, across the Lee Navigation, and operated between 1901 and 1976.
Between the 1970s and 1990s, a camping site was situated at the north end of the Marshes, adjacent to Cow Bridge, at one point branded as Tent City.[9][10]
The
Sport
In 1881, men from
Today the marshes provide many pleasant walks, in reach of the inner city, but the most famous use of Hackney Marshes is for
In 2006 there was a dispute between the London Borough of Hackney and Nike, Inc. over the company's use of the borough logo on their sportswear. The dispute was settled with payment of £300,000 going to support local youth sports groups.[12]
The annual Hackney Half marathon, taking place in May, starts and finishes at the marshes.[13]
London Olympics 2012
Part of the
Arena Fields, however, was lost to the Olympic Park and its site will become part of the legacy
The natural course of the River Lea forms the borough boundary with
Music, literature and film
- Alexander Baron wrote a celebrated novel The Lowlife, published in 1963. The book takes place primarily in the Hackney area and loosely depicts Baron's childhood.
- The celebrated cockney music hall performer Gus Elen sang a song entitled If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses In Between which included the following chorus:
Oh it really is a wery pretty garden
And Chingford to the eastward could be seen;
'Wiv a ladder and some glasses,
You could see to 'Ackney Marshes,
If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between.
- An experimental 15-minute film Hackney Marshes November 4th 1977 by John Smith was shot on the marshes.[16] It was adapted for television the following year.[17]
- In 1997, Nike presented a selection of ".
- The 2005 film Bullet Boy (Saul Dibb) used the marshes and local streets as a location.
- Radio 1's Hackney Weekendwas held here on the marshes on 23 and 24 June 2012. with acts such as Jay-Z, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, will.i.am, Florence + The Machine, Leona Lewis and Plan B all performing across the two days.
Education
Transport and locale
Railway stations
The area is not well served by public rail transport, although has many bus services. Access to the Olympic Park is served by Stratford.
Lea Bridge station is the closest rail station to the Marshes. It is one stop away from Stratford.
The nearest
Walking and cycling
Nearby, Hackney Wick is on the Capital Ring walking route, much of which is accessible to cyclists. The River Lea and local canals have a tow path which is accessible for both walking and cycling. The River Lea provides a continuous route to Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire via the Lea Valley Path for the particularly determined.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ "Common Land and the Commons Act 2006". Defra. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ^ a b 'The northern suburbs: Haggerston and Hackney', Old and New London: Volume 5 (1878), pp. 505-24 accessed: 15 December 2006
- ^ Granger's Biographical History, vol. ii. p. 407. 4to. edit. Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 559
- ^ About 1901, The Eton Manor Mission was formed, from premises at Hackney Wick. The purpose was to use pupils from Eton College to bring enlightenment to the poverty stricken East End and for those boys to come to some understanding of the situation of the poor. One strand of this peculiar meeting of opposites was through sport on the Marshes, including running, boxing and the formation of Eton Manor F.C.
- JJ Sexby, Municipal Pks. 361-3; L.C.C. Ceremonial Pamphlets, 21 July 1894
- ^ Hackney: Public services', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 10: Hackney (1995), pp. 108-15. Date accessed: 13 October 2006.
- ^ The infamous highwayman, Dick Turpin was said to frequent the White House Inn. A ward is named after him at Homerton University Hospital.
- ^ Hackney: Hackney: Homerton and Hackney Wick', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 10: Hackney (1995), pp. 51-59. Date accessed: 13 October 2006. The estate was the subject of a Sussex University BA dissertation in 1971 by David Hallam. The typescript and working papers are held at Hackney archives, files D/F/Hal/1-3
- ^ "Campers from the International camping site hackney marshes Cow Bridge Millfields Road #Clapton #Hackney - 1973 -Closed | Hackney, London town, Marsh". Pinterest. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ G, Sludge (20 April 2009), The former Tent City, Marsh Hill E9 Apr 2009, retrieved 20 March 2022
- ^ Hackney & Leyton Sunday League Football website accessed : 12 Nov 2006
- ^ Nike scores own goal on Hackney Marshes - Clare Dyer in Society Guardian 12 Sept 2006 (accessed : 23 Oct 2006)
- ^ "Hackney Half". Limelight Sports Club. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ Protest stirs in troubled east - Paul Kelso in The Guardian 15 February 2005 date accessed: 30 October 2006
- ^ Hackney Development Forum date accessed: 30 October 2006
- ^ "Watch Hackney Marshes - November 4th 1977". BFI Player. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ John Smith filmography Archived 19 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine accessed 18 July 2008