At Home in Hackney: A community photographed 1970-2020s

In the 1970s, Hackney was home to people from all over the world. After the Second World War (1939-1945), the population of Hackney declined, leaving rows of empty houses. These affordable homes attracted new people to the borough.

It was a decade of high energy bills and inflation. Wages froze and mass unemployment affected workers in industrial sectors. Many people in Hackney were left without work or a reliable income. Tensions arose when the National Front, a far-right movement, gained electoral support in London. In 1978 it set up headquarters in Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch. Violent and racist incidents increased in in the borough, affecting the people who lived and worked here.

Many local residents led initiatives to fight back against the financial difficulties and the rise of the far-right. Centerprise Bookshop in Dalston opened as a community hub for radical thought. Collective action raised awareness about issues like childcare and abortion rights. By 1978, many of Hackney’s residents wanted to make a stand. On 30 April, 80,000 people marched from Trafalgar Square to the Rock Against Racism concert held in Victoria Park.

In the 1980s, Hackney had the reputation of being Britain’s ‘poorest borough’. Unemployment was high as many of Hackney’s biggest employers struggled. Simpsons, a menswear company with a factory on Stoke Newington Road, closed in 1981. 2000 people lost their jobs. In the 1930s there were over 2000 factories in the borough. By the 1980s many of these factories and warehouses were empty and neglected. Artists, squatters and Traveller communities moved into them. 

Wealthier people moved into low cost terrace houses with period features in areas like Stoke Newington and De Beauvoir. Social housing built in previous decades suffered from a lack of funding. There were also limited opportunities to build new housing. Private development was focused on Broadgate, where Shoreditch meets the City of London. This development was the largest commercial project in Britain at the time and transformed the area around it.

The borough continued to welcome new people, attracted by the area’s cultural and ethnic diversity. In the 1990s, Hackney was considered to be a safe haven for people wanting to express their own identities and freedoms.

However, people were facing social problems because of a lack of financial investment in the borough. Schools were closed or considered failing by national standards. Social housing was poorly maintained and several tower blocks built in the 1960-70s were demolished, witnessed by large crowds. The borough gained a negative reputation from outsiders. ‘Postcode wars’, conflicts between gangs over territory, drew a picture of violence and drugs. Clapton became known as ‘Murder Mile’ after a number of incidents.

Despite this, the borough’s population increased for the first time in decades. New people and businesses moved in, attracted by the affordability and geographic location of the area. A strong sense of community grew among the people who worked and lived here. 

Hackney experienced significant change at the turn of the century. Hackney Council was bankrupt in 2000. This led to a radical transformation of the local council and its priorities, which affected the lives of most people in the borough. Schools improved so more families chose to stay in the borough rather than move out. Grassroots-community movements led to the reopening of Broadway Market in 2004 and London Fields Lido in 2006, an Olympic sized outdoor pool.

The 2008 global banking crisis affected local businesses, some surviving and others closing. Planning for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games brought more redevelopment possibilities to the area. As one of the five host boroughs, Hackney tried to harness the benefits of this global sporting event for its communities. To help meet local housing targets, the number of strategic regeneration and new commercial projects increased. New housing and infrastructure made the borough more desirable and led to rising rental and house prices, impacting many of Hackney’s long-standing communities.

Front Room: David & Rowena. Part of a series taken of a the photographer’s neighbours on Cecelia Road, Dalston, 2003-2004. © Heather McDonough. Hackney Museum 2024.403.

Hackney experienced the social impact of development and regeneration. The decade started with two very different pictures of Hackney seen around the world. During the 2011 London Riots, global news published an image of a balaclava-wearing man by a car on fire on Clarence Road, Hackney Central. The following year, international crowds turned on their television screens to see Hackney as one of the five London boroughs hosting the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Hackney Wick was renewed with fresh homes and spaces for start-up businesses. The desirable borough became more accessible with new transport links. Investment in the London Overground reopened an old train line, creating new stations and more connections with other parts of the city. The new Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford was only a few stations away, which placed pressure on local high street traders. Shoreditch and Dalston’s reputations as party destinations grew. People now travelled to Hackney from across London and beyond, to take part in the thriving nightlife and LGBTQIA+ scene.

The decade started with the Covid-19 global pandemic. Some people quarantined in large houses with gardens, and others struggled in small flats. Many made use of the borough’s parks and green areas, while the commercialised south of the borough lay deserted. The pandemic showed the inequalities across the world.

Communities today face similar problems to those in the 1970s. The cost of living crisis is impacting people’s quality of life. Residents are still protesting against racism. Rising housing and childcare costs have led to people moving out of the borough, and out of London. Others mark their presence through celebrations in spaces like Gillett Square in Dalston. Each generation and each decade has left its mark. A new generation is emerging and getting ready to leave their mark on Hackney.

Francesca On A Sunday. Taken in Lower Clapton Road, 2021. © Connie Swift. Hackney Museum.