London Borough of Hackney

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For other uses of Hackney, see Hackney (disambiguation)

Template:Infobox London Borough Image:Hackney town hall 1.jpg Image:Arms-hackney-lb.jpg The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough in North East London and part of Inner London.

Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor.

1 Borough of contrasts
2 History
3 Demographics of Hackney
4 Transport
- 4.1 North London Line
- 4.2 'one' West Anglia
5 Districts in Hackney
6 Sport
7 Cultural Attractions and Institutions in Hackney
8 Individuals associated with Hackney
9 References
10 External links

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Borough of contrasts

The borough is known for being one of the poorest and crime-affected London boroughs. Despite this perception it is a place of considerable contrasts. The south western tip of the borough is adjacent to the City and close to the Broadgate development. In this area some office development has taken place within the borough boundary.

Also in the south west is Hoxton and Shoreditch which are central to the London arts scene and home to numerous clubs, bars, shops and restaurants, much of which is centered on Hoxton Square.

The development of Shoreditch and Hoxton caused land value to increase in the area such that developers looked to other parts of the borough for development. Much of Hackney is inner-city in character and in places like Dalston large housing estates now sit side-by-side with gated communities.

The main commercial and retail centre of Hackney is known as Hackney Central to distinguish it from the rest of the borough. South Hackney abuts Victoria Park (which is in neighbouring Tower Hamlets) and terraced Victorian and Edwardian housing stock has survived in the area.

To the north of the borough is Clapton, Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington which are more suburban in character. To the east is the large open space of the Hackney Marshes and the districts of Hackney Wick and Homerton. There is some declining light industry around the River Lea (the eastern boundary) and land is planned to be re-used for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

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History

The borough was formed in 1965 from the area of the former metropolitan boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington.

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Demographics of Hackney

The 2001 census gives Hackney a population of 202,824.Template:Ref

The population is ethnically diverse. Of the resident population, 89,490 (44%) people describe themselves as White British. 30,978 (15%) are in other White ethnic groups, 50,009 (25%) are Black or Black British, 17,414 (9%) are Asian or Asian British, 8,501 (4%) describe themselves as 'Mixed', and 6,432 (3%) as Chinese or Other.

132,931 (66%) of the resident population were born in the UK. A further 10,095 (5%) were born in other parts of Europe, and the remaining 59,798 (29%) born elsewhere in the world.

The 2001 census also shows Christianity is the biggest religion in Hackney, with 94,431 (47%) Christian; 27,908 (14%) Muslim; 10,732 (5%) Jewish; and 6,831 (3%) belong to other religions. A further 38,607 (19%) stated no religion, and 24,315 (12%) did not state a religion.

32% of householders are owner–occupiers.

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Transport

Hackney is the only inner London borough north of the Thames that has no London Underground stations other than those on its borders with other boroughs. Manor House is in the extreme north-west of the borough and on the boundary with Haringey and Old Street is in the extreme south-west and on the border with Islington.

Transport for London plan to extend the East London Line northwards through the borough reusing some of the abandoned line between Dalston Junction and Broad Street with stations at Shoreditch High Street, Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston Junction. When complete, the line will be handed over to Network Rail who will run services from Hackney to South London.

The Silverlink North London Line and the 'one' West Anglia pass through the borough with the following stations within its boundary:

Image:Hackney sunset.jpg.

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North London Line

stations (west to east)

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'one' West Anglia

stations (north to south)

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Districts in Hackney

Image:Hackney districts.gif The borough includes the following areas:

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Sport

Hackney Griffens Rugby Football Club play at Springhill Park, near the Lea Bridge Canal. The ground is one of the oldest rugby pitches in the country, hosting sides since 1879. The club play in quarters of yellow, green, blue and light blue. The name "Griffens" is taken from a local school. The team currently play in Herts/Middlesex north 3, and play regular friendly games against local sides. Planning is underway for a new club house at Springhill Park, which will incorporate a range of excellent facilities.

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