In the 1800s, the introduction of the railway and cheap paddle steamer services from London to nearby coastal towns made seaside holidays possible for working class people in East London. Introduction The idea of a trip to the seaside as a popular leisure activity started life in the 1800s, originally as a luxury only for … Read more
The German invasion of Belgium in 1914 resulted in the largest arrival of refugees in British history, as people fled the conflict and reports of violence against civilians. Around 3,000 refugees passed through the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney during the First World War (1914-18), with around 100 Belgians settling here for a longer period of … Read more
Discover the hidden stories of ayahs and amahs, South and South East Asian women, who cared for British children and lived in Hackney.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the terrible living and working conditions experienced by East London’s poor led many to find relief in alcohol. Supporters of the temperance movement aimed to limit drinking amongst the working-classes of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington. Hackney and the ‘demon drink’ The oldest places of public entertainment in … Read more