A Mod (short for ‘modernist’) was a subculture that began in late 1950s London and spread throughout the country, influencing fashion, music and youth culture. Stamford Hill in the 1960s had all the key ingredients of the Mod movement – a community of working-class and upwardly mobile Eastenders, young people with access to American rhythm … Read more
Over the last 30 years, people with roots in East African countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya have made Hackney their home. This blog shares some of the stories of the groups, businesses and community spaces that celebrate eastern African heritage in Hackney, shaping the borough’s mixed cultural identity and forming places for communities … Read more
At the outbreak of the First World War (1914-1918), opposing the conflict was a difficult and even dangerous choice. Around 27,000 local men living in east London’s Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington responded to the recruitment campaigns and enlisted to serve in the war. In the same area, there were at least 350 conscientious objectors. … Read more
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
Discover stories of Chinese and Indian sailors (often called lascars) serving the East India Company between 1797 and 1802 who found themselves living in east London’s Shoreditch
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.
Since the 1950s, Hackney’s adventure playgrounds have been important spaces for generations of local children, where they can play freely and where anything seems possible. This blog explores the rich history of adventure play across Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington. What are adventure playgrounds? Adventure playgrounds are unique spaces that support children to be independent. … Read more
Find out more about Hackney Health Emergency, a successful people-led campaign in the 1980s to save St Leonard’s Hospital, Hoxton from closure.
This blog explores the story of Perpetual Beauty Carnival Club, the Stoke Newington Mas Band that introduced Caribbean carnival traditions to the borough in the 1970s, inspiring generations of Mas makers. Mas Comes to Hackney In the 18th and 19th centuries, enslaved people in the Caribbean developed Mas – short for ‘masquerade’ – as a … Read more