The ultimate guide: Hackney

When I was a little girl growing up in central London, there were a few places I was not allowed to go. The Kooks concert in Brixton, my friends school performance in Dalston, and anywhere in Hackney, ever. I don’t blame my parents; the stretch of road between Clapton high street was known as “Murder Mile”, and most schools boasted an average of 5 GCSE’s, but I couldn’t help but wander what was behind these banned bus routes.

Slowly, I noticed Hackney was well and truly in the gentrification process. A new coffee shop was opening, the vegan chicken shop had arrived.. and broadway market was booming. Suddenly it was the IT place to be on a Saturday morning, and if you weren’t walking your dogs around London Fields Park, then did they really exist?

Before you knew it, you couldn’t tear me away from it. Truth be told, I’m fairly gutted I don’t live there!

Broadway market:

Cat and the mutton

climpson and sons

The market

L’eau à La Bouche

Aesop

Palm Vaults

Mare St Market

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