A man and women standing outside a house, with four women wearing sarees standing behind them

‘The Ayahs and Amahs’ Home’ in Hackney

Asian Hackney, Ayahs and Amahs, Early 20th century Hackney, Victorian Hackney, Women

Discover the hidden stories of ayahs and amahs, South and South East Asian women, who cared for British children and lived in Hackney.

B&W image of two children playing in an adventure playground on a slide.

Adventure Playgrounds in Hackney

20th Century Hackney, Campaigning and Activism, Childhood

Since the 1950s, Hackney’s adventure playgrounds have been important spaces for generations of local children, where they can play freely … Read more

3 Edwardian portrait banners with temperance slogans: "Abstain for the children's' sake" "Pledged to resist our county's greatest foe" "Water is best"

The Temperance Movement in Hackney

Early 20th century Hackney, Victorian Hackney

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the terrible living and working conditions experienced by East London’s poor led many … Read more

An artist's reconstruction of a prehistoric mammoth hunting scene. Six human figures wearing furs and grasses are surrounding a mammoth holding spears.

Stone Age Hackney: 300,000 BC

Prehistory, Stone Age Hackney

Rare evidence of mammoth hunting has been found in Stoke Newington. Reconstruction via Wikimedia Commons. This series explores how artefacts, … Read more

Photograph showing the close up detail of the face of a 3D reconstruction of a Neanderthal.

Stone Age Hackney: The Neanderthals

Prehistory, Stone Age Hackney

Reconstruction of an adult male Neanderthal based on remains found at Spy, Belgium. Photo by IR Stone.  This series explores … Read more

A black and white photograph of a deep excavation. In the trench pose 3 unknown workers, and apart from them Worthington George Smith pointing to a layer of stratigraphy in the soil with his cane.

Stone Age Hackney: Rediscovery

Prehistory, Stone Age Hackney

This series explores how Hackney’s Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic) archaeology was discovered and preserved due to the rapid urban development … Read more