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Hackney Leasing

Did You Know?

In 1198 AD Hackney got its name from a Marsh and was referred to as the raised marsh owned by a Dane and still exists today known as Hackney Marsh.

Roman roads have been found running through the area and early settlers were Anglo Saxons. In Roman times London was known as Londinium.

Hackney was originally made up of several tiny hamlets that acted as market areas or gardens, once a very rural community till the industrial revolution came along.

There are many famous residents and ex-residents of the Hackney area, mainly because it has been a popular place to live. We also heard a rumour that many famous actors have been related to the area this is because of the many theatres and richness of arts and culture. Famous people include Shakespeare (who travelled extensively), Harry Enfield and of course the Kray Twins.

Fun was hard to come by in Hackney during the eighteenth century. Locals went so far as to develop a primitive form of horse racing, where they would dump the gee-gees into bogs and place bets on which would paddle across first.

In 1981 in Hackney, four boys out on a walk came across a trail of bear-like footprints. They plodded on, intrigued, until they came across a giant hairy figure, which reared on its hind legs, growled and scared them off. Police officers arrived on the scene the next day, accompanied by army marksmen and a helicopter, but they could only find more convincing footprints.

We all know ‘Hackney carriages’ take their name from the borough but have you ever heard of black cabs having to carry a bale of hay by law? This comes from the days when taxis were horse-drawn. The 1831 London Hackney Carriage Act made it an offence for drivers to feed their horse unless it was from a bag of corn or with hay from their hands, effectively meaning that many drivers had to carry hay with them at all time.

It was in 1862 The Great Eastern Railway was formed, before long a plan to create a station in the heart of the city to connect regions around East London had been drawn up. In 1870 Railway was developed into Hackney, resulting in London Fields, Cambridge Heath, Bethnal Green and Hackney Downs stations opening in 1872.

Many buildings around Hackney have been listed, meaning that they are protected against redevelopment. A huge array of these buildings are situated on Mare street including the Empire building. Originally, the Empire was built as a Music Hall in 1901. It was designed by Frank Matcham, who also designed the Hippodrome and Victoria Palace.