Family workshop in preparation for Hackney@50 landmark exhibition

An ancient fossil excavated in Stoke Newington which will be on display in the Hackney@50 exhibition. (Image: Archant)

The golden anniversary will celebrate the formation of what is known today as the London Borough of Hackney, when the London boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington merged in 1965.

Fifty local individuals, organisations, groups and schools have each selected an object either from Hackney Museum’s collection or loaned their own to share what Hackney means to them for the exhibition which will be on display in Hackney Museum in April.

Anyone else who lives, works or learns in the borough is invited to join in the conversation to to portray what Hackney means to local people, weaving a tapestry of the rich and diverse voices here today.

Cllr Jonathan McShane, cabinet member for health, social care and culture said: “This charming exhibition is a fascinating glimpse into Hackney’s past through a myriad of objects that all have significance to the people who chose them.

“We want everyone to get involved with the exhibition by telling us what item they’d choose to reflect what Hackney means to them.”

The diaries of a Victorian teenager, chosen by Hackney libraries’ reading activists tells the story of 16-year old Lizzie Hudson who lived in Dalston between 1871 and 1879, giving a fascinating insight into what being young women in Hackney in the 1870s was like.

A brass tiffin brought to Hackney from India in 1946 gives a glimpse into the lives of the family who brought it with them and what they went on to achieve.

Personal memories of African-Caribbean families using a paraffin heater in the 1960s and 1970s before double-glazing and central heating are also shared.

Families are invited to join artist Harriet Murray in a free workshop to make artwork which will be displayed in the Hackney@50 exhibition on Wednesday February 18 at 10.30am with another two-hour session at 2pm.