Hackney’s architectural heritage is celebrated

From a 1930s night out at the dogs, courtesy of the Hackney Stadium, to a wash and a scrub provided at the Victorian Haggerston baths, Hackney has seen quite literal ups and downs in its architectural heritage.

This is why the Hackney Society is reissuing Hackney: Modern, Restored, Forgotten, Ignored, a collection of 40 local authors and building portraits, to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The book sold out at the beginning of this year and was the winner of the 2011 Walter Bor Media award for best publication.

Retired professor and writer, Ken Worpole, 69, a Hackney resident for over 40 years, contributed a piece on the demolished Mother’s Hospital, where he, his children and his grandchildren were born.

The hospital, built in 1913, is just one of many historical sites he believes have contributed to the area’s unique townscape.

“It will always have these nooks and crannies and back streets and it’s such an interesting streetscape, which is partly why people like living in Hackney so much,” he adds.

Since 2009, the borough has seen many architectural changes, including the new overground transport system.

Hackney Society trustee, Margaret Wilkes, 67, says: “I have lived in Hackney since the early 1980s, and this change has accelerated in the last few years.

“The book is not only a celebration of the rich architectural heritage of Hackney, but also a salutary reminder of how fragile that can be, and how important it is for organisations like the Hackney Society to be around.”