London/Hackney

Location of the Hackney area in London

Hackney is a district of London.

Understand

Hackney staged some of the events during the 2012 London Summer Olympics such as hockey in the Lea Valley Arena as well as hosting the world's media with many of the big events happening in the nearby Olympic Stadium and VeloPark. This was a hot spot for tourists and locals during the action.

Hackney has diverse population and the area has undergone massive regeneration in recent decades. Hackney is now very fashionable with a thriving arts scene in the south of the district for example.

In the far north of the district near Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill is the centre of the Hassidic and Adeni Jewish communities in London and the largest in Europe. A visit here certainly provides a very different cultural experience to anywhere else in Britain.

Hackney is also known for its wide open green spaces such as Hackney Marshes,(home of 88 football pitches) being the most notable and known as the spiritual home of grass roots soccer in the UK.

Get in

By bus

Hackney is well served by buses from all over the capital, with the routes converging on Hackney Central, Dalston and Stoke Newington. Bus routes serving Hackney include the 30, 38, 48, 55, 56, 67, 76, 106, 149, 242, 243, 253, 254, 277, 488 and D6

By train

The London Overground network has stations at:

• Hackney Central (Zone 2)
• Dalston Junction (Zone 2)
• Dalston Kingsland (Zone 2)
• Haggerston (Zone 2)
• Hoxton (Zone 1 & Zone 2)
• Homerton (Zone 2)
• Hackney Wick (Zone 2)

National Express East Anglia run rail services from Liverpool Street to a number of stations in Hackney, with the principal station on the line being Hackney Downs.

By tube

There are no stations in the district but northern parts can be easily reached from Manor House and Finsbury Park stations (both Piccadily line).

Get around

The best way to get around the borough is to walk or get buses. The many parks and green spaces dotted around make Hackney much nicer to walk around than its inner London location would suggest.

See

Landmarks

• 🌍 Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, E8 1EA (rail: Hackney Central), ☎ [phone]. Built in the 1930s including the surrounding square and gardens. 
• 🌍 Sutton House, 2 & 4 Homerton High St, E9 6JQ (rail: Hackney Central), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Th-Su 12:30PM-4:30PM. Tudor House in Homerton, owned by the National Trust. £0.80-2.90.  
• 🌍 St John-at-Hackney Community Space Centre, Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0PD (rail: Hackney Central), ☎ [phone]. This tower of St John-at-Hackney Church is the oldest building in Hackney and a famous landmark of the borough. 

Parks

• Victoria Park commonly called the People's Park, its huge and hosts summer festivals.
• 🌍 Clissold Park, Greenway Cl, N4 2EY (tube: Manor House), e-mail: [e-mail]. Park with a rich history. It is a former country house and estate and was first opened to the public in 1889.  
• 🌍 Hackney City Farm, 1 Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QA, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Su 10AM-4:30PM. Farm dating back to the early 1800s. It is now open to the public and is home to domestic animals. Also houses a café.  
• Hackney Downs, near Clapton Ponds, has free tennis courts and is nice for cycle, though a bit plain and squarish.
• 🌍 Haggerston Park, Audrey St, off Goldsmith's Row, E2 8QH, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail].  
• 🌍 London Fields, Richmond Rd, Hackney, E8, ☎ [phone], [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. There are records of a public park at this site going back to the 16th century. Every Saturday, there is a farmers' market selling here, complemented by many others selling hand-made jewellery, gifts, childrenswear and vintage clothing.  
• 🌍 Woodberry Wetlands (Stoke Newington Reservoirs), 1 Newnton Cl, N4 2RH (tube: Manor House), ☎ [phone]. Two former Thames Water reservoirs which are now managed as a nature reserve in urban Hackney by the London Wildlife Trust. Has a small visitor centre.  

Museums

• The Clowns Archive, Holy Trinity Church, Beechwood Rd, E8 3DY, ☎ [phone]. Museum of clowning, unique collection of faces on eggs. Open only first Friday of every month from noon-5PM. Free. 
• 🌍 Geffrye Museum, 136 Kingsland Rd, E2 8EA (tube: Old St), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Furniture museum which charts the evolution of London urban interior design and furnishing since 1600. Main museum closed for two years from January 2018 for refurbishment. One of the houses open for tours. Free.  
• 🌍 Hackney Museum, Technology & Learning Centre, 1 Reading Ln, E8 1GQ, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Tu W F 9:30AM-5:30PM; Th 9:30AM-8PM; Sa 10AM-5PM. Providing a history of Hackney and periodic exhibitions.  

Galleries

• 291 Gallery, 291 Hackney Rd, E2 8NA, ☎ [phone]. Contemporary art within visual art, digital art, live performances, video and music events. 
• Rhodes + Mann Gallery, 37 Hackney Rd, E2 7NX, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• The Residence, The Verger's Cottage, Eastway, E9 5JA (train: Hackney Wick), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. By appointment. Avant garde gallery with up-and-coming and newly established artists. 
• Space Gallery, 129-131 Mare St, E8 3RH, ☎ [phone]. 
• Elevator Gallery and the Chocolate Factory both near Hackney Downs on Stoke Newington Rd.

The River Lea at Hackney Marshes

Do

• Hackney Empire, 291 Mare St, E8 1EJ (London Overground to Hackney Central; Rail to Hackney Downs; tube: Bethnal Green then 10 min by bus no 106 or 154), ☎ [phone]. Historic theatre and music hall, offering an eclectic mix of entertainment. 
• East London Art Walks (Comment Art Walks), ☎ [phone], [phone]. A friendly, qualified art guide will take you around a selection of the most interesting exhibitions on at the moment and also talk about the history of contemporary art in East London. call for times and meeting points. 
• London Fields Lido, London Fields Westside E8 3EU (London Fields Rail Stn), ☎ [phone]. Lovely old-fashioned outdoor swimming Lido run by Hackney Council. £2.45-4.10. 
• 🌍 Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High St, E8 (London Overground to Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Jct), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A splendid old cinema dating back to the 1900s. Specialises in foreign language films, offbeat arthouse productions and children's programming.  
• Walk Hackney Marshes. Lovely walk along the River Lea and canal which stretches across much of East London and further. A surprisingly rural experience in an otherwise densely built district of London. 

Buy

• London Fields Brewery, 365–366 Warburton St, E8 3RR (Come out of London Fields station on the Mare Street side, turn right, and continue on for 200m; it's at the end of the road.), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M–Sa 9AM–6PM. Every Saturday, London Fields Brewery run brewery tours. Come down and have a guided tour of the brewery and learn how they are making their superbly tasty beers. Also included in the price are tastings of the beers in the BrewHouse, the brewery's very own pop-up bar. £10–£25.  
• 🌍 Ümit & Son Store, 35 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0NS (rail: Hackney Central or Hackney Downs), ☎ [phone]. M–Sa 10AM–7PM. DVD, VHS, Videodiscs, 8mm film reels and more are all sold here. Projectors and equipment for some of the less standard formats are available for hire and the shop also offers a video-to-digital transfer service. 
• 🌍 Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare St, E8 4RP, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Tu 3-11PM, W-Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-10:30PM. A macabre museum and gallery as well as a shop, modelled on a 17th-century cabinet of curiosities. The place to go if you've ever wanted to buy a taxidermy, skeletons, skulls (human or otherwise) or similarly eccentric oddities. Upstairs is a bar (free entry) and the museum itself is down a gilded spiral staircase beside the counter. The owner has an excellent collection of Leonora Carrington paintings. Children are only allowed before 17:00. Museum entry is £4, £2.50 on Thursday evenings  

Shopping centres & markets

• Broadway Market. Visit on a Saturday. Has a variety of gastropubs and trendy clothes! 
• Ridley Road Market. Mix of traditional East-end fruit and veg alongside Afro-Caribbean delicacies, imported films, clothes and household items. Little of interest for the tourist to buy, but a great experience. Watch your pockets in the crowded pavements behind the stalls. There are also market stalls on the side streets surrounding Dalston Kingsland station. 
• The Kingsland Shopping Centre (Opposite Dalston Kingsland Stn). The main shopping mall in the borough. 
• Stamford Hill. The centre of the Hassidic Jewish community and has many kosher bakeries, delis and supermarkets. 
• Stoke Newington Church St. Many small bookshops and antique stores. 

Eat

Stoke Newington (Church Street), Broadway market and, more recently, Hackney Central, have a variety of gastropubs. There are many great Turkish and Asian restaurants on Kingsland Road. To the south of Mare Street there are a great number of very reasonable Vietnamese restaurants. Some also have the bonus of being able to bring your own alcohol, which brings down cost considerably.

Budget

• Green Papaya, 191 Mare St, E8 3QT, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Su 5PM-11PM. Offering great Vietnamese food for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Mains from £5. 
• Mess Cafe, Amhurst Rd. Great quality caf breakfasts. £4. 
• Song Que Cafe, 134 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DY, ☎ [phone]. Rated by Zagat as the best Vietnamese on Kingsland Rd. 
• Viet Hoa, 70-72 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DP, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Su noon-3:30PM 5:30PM-11:30PM. You must try the salted prawns! Mains from £5.30. 

Mid-range

• Au Lac, 104 Kingsland Rd, N5 2XE, ☎ [phone]. Sa-W 5:30PM-11PM; Th F noon-2:30PM 5:30PM-11PM. The pancakes are recommended as a starter (this was a batter parcel containing chicken and beansprouts, rolled into lettuce leaves), also the steamed sea bass, which has a delicious sauce. More of a restaurant for a group of friends, rather than a romantic meal. 
• Buen Ayre, 50 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-F 6PM-10:30PM; Sa Su noon-5PM 6PM-10:30PM. Argentine Grill restaurant. Mains £8-22.50. 
• The Empress of India, 130 Lauriston Rd, E9 7LH, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 9AM-11PM. Indian cuisine. Mains from £12.50. 
• Su Sazzagoni, 136 Lauriston Rd, E9 7LH, ☎ [phone]. Sardinian cuisine. Mains from £9.90. 

Drink

• Biddle Bros, 88 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0QR, ☎ [phone]. Lively pub with a good local following. Often have a live band or DJ in the evenings, 
• The Birdcage, 58 Stamford Hill, N16 6XS, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Friendly Stoke Newington pub that often has live bands playing. 
• The Cat and Mutton, 76 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ, ☎ [phone]. Beers £3-3.80. 
• The Cock Tavern, 315 Mare St, E8 1EJ, ☎ [phone]. M–Th 6AM–11PM; F 6AM–2AM; Sa 5:30PM–2AM. Beer £2.90-3.50. 
• The Wishing Well, 418 Mare St, E8 1HP, ☎ [phone]. Popular local pub especially during major sports events which are shown on the large screens. 
• The Russet Cafe, Amhurst Ter, E8 2BT. Cool, hippy-vibe bar, its a bit of a run-down alley but the amazing atmosphere and brilliant eclectic live acts make it unmissable. Serves nice mulled wine. Make sure you have cash with you, as an ATM can be a bit of a trek.
• Crate, Unit 7, Queens Yard, Hackney Wick, London, E9 5EN. Beer and pizza focused bar on the canal, close to the Olympic Park. (updated Dec 2016)

Sleep

• Amhurst Hotel, 45 - 47 Amhurst Pk, N16 5DL (tube: Manor House), ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Budget hotel in north London with self-catering facilities £35. 
• City Inn Express, 144 A Mare St, Tudor Rd (tube: Bethnal Green), ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. A quality bed & breakfast good for budget travellers. £46. 
• The RE Hotel London Shoreditch, 419-437 Hackney Rd, E2 8PP (tube: Bethnal Green), ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. 

Stay safe

Despite its reputation as a dangerous place, it is relatively safe provided you're careful. Most violent crime occurs amongst the gangs in the rougher parts of the borough. Stick to commercial areas where there will be lots of people. Keep away from housing estates as some can be very dangerous. Hackney Wick and some of the surrounding areas should be avoided. Hackney becomes much more dangerous at night, and it would be highly foolish to go out walking alone. There is heavy youth presence in the borough, so if you are there at night, don't go alone.

Go next

Routes through Hackney

END ← Islington ← East London Line ←	N  S	→ East London Line → East End → South London
Camden ← Islington ← North London Line ←	W  E	→ North London Line → East London → END

Routes through Hackney

Hertford ← North London ←	N  S	→ The City
Chelmsford ← Romford ←	NE  S	→ Docklands → Blackwall Tunnel and