Hackney | E8

Recently Hackney featured on the Sunday Times Best Places to Live in Britain guide, which considering just ten years ago it was ranked one of the worst, is quite a reversal of fortune for the borough. Today, Hackney is the pulsating heart of London’s creative community where there’s always something going on. In short, it’s fast-paced, lively and constantly reinventing itself, but at its core is a strong sense of community. Hackney’s lightening speed turnaround from a deprived, crime-ridden area to the capital’s most culturally thriving can be attributed, in part, to the extension of the London Overground East London line, resulting in Dalston Junction station and the sleek developments that have popped up around it. A couple of years later Hackney benefitted from massive investment in the 2012 London Olympics, further regenerating the area. Thankfully development here has been imaginative and in keeping with the community’s inclusive and diverse spirit. As such, thoughtfully designed stores, bars and coffee shops sit comfortably alongside cutting edge architecture and beloved institutions such as Ridley Road Market.

For all its urban buzz, Hackney is one of the greenest parts of London, with 62 parks and open spaces, covering 815 acres and that includes Victoria Park, Hackney Marshes, Springfield Park, Wick Woodland and London Fields, to name but a few.

Hackney’s varied choice of housing stock is another big draw, with Georgian villas, Victorian terraces, modern developments and warehouse and school conversions all on offer. Residents here are equally diverse, with creatives, young professionals, families and long-time east Londoners all rubbing along happily together.

As well as the aforementioned Dalston Junction station, Hackney is also serviced Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central, Homerton and Hackney Wick, all on the London Overground with access to the tube at Highbury & Islington via the Victoria line in around 20 minutes. Hackney Downs, meanwhile, is on the East Anglia Line and this route will get you into Liverpool Street in just eight minutes.

Like the area itself, schools in Hackney have also undergone a major overhaul both at primary and secondary levels. As such many are now rated by Ofsted as good to outstanding. With 91 primary schools and 43 secondary schools in the borough, you’ll not be short of choice.

Things to do in Hackney

There are literally hundreds of excellent independent bars, cafés restaurants and gastro pubs serving all manner of food and drink throughout the borough. For the sake of brevity, we won’t go into too much detail here, but those we think are worth checking out include Mangal II, the acclaimed Turkish restaurant on Stoke Newington Road, Lardo on Richmond Road, an industrial, chic pizzeria with a difference, Oslo on Amhurst Road, a Scandi chic bar, restaurant and club all in one, the Dove on Broadway Market, for great beer and no-nonsense food and Climpson & Sons, also on Broadway Market, and where you’ll get the best flat white in town.

The iconic Hackney Empire sitting majestically on Mare Street is known as the grand old dame of theatres, having once had Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel and Marie Lloyd tread its boards during its time as a music hall. Today, it’s a much-loved local institution that every Christmas puts on one of London’s best pantos, as well as musical events and comedy acts throughout the rest of the year.

On Saturdays, Broadway Market, just off London Fields, is the place to be, with more than 130 stalls selling a fabulous array of fresh produce, vintage clothes, flowers, coffee, books and groceries. Mixed in are numerous street food vendors, offering an eclectic mix of cuisines from all over the world. If the weather’s fine, we suggest picking up a picnic to have on London Fields, where you’ll also find the fantastic Pub on the Park, as well as one of London’s few remaining heated lidos.