84-624: Stoke Newington Central was a ward in the London Borough of Hackney . It corresponded roughly to Stoke Newington in London , UK and formed part of the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency of Diane Abbott MP . The ward returned three councillors to the borough council, with elections every four years. At the election on 6 May 2010 Rita Krishna, Susan Fajana-Thomas and Louisa Thompson all Labour Party candidates, were returned. Turnout
168-514: A distinctively bow-shaped, three-arched, bridge to be built over the River Lea ( The like of which had not been seen before ), at Bow, the first bridge over the lower Lea. The lower Lea was at that time a wide, tidal and unchannelled river, so the construction of the bridge allowed a far greater degree of social and economic integration between Essex on one side and Middlesex (including the City of London) on
252-585: A change to the boundaries of these two constituencies were published by the Boundary Commission in July 2023. The borough was formed by the merger of the metropolitan boroughs of Hackney , Shoreditch and Stoke Newington , with the boundaries of these very closely based on the Ancient Parishes of the same name; these areas have been consistently defined for many centuries. Historically, the River Lea formed
336-411: A few years so encreas'd in buildings, and so fully inhabited, that there is no comparison to be made between their present and past state: Every separate hamlet is encreas'd, and some of them more than treble as big as formerly; Indeed as this whole town is included in the bills of mortality, tho' no where joining to London, it is in some respects to be call'd a part of it. This town is so remarkable for
420-541: A major source of drinking water for London. An artificial waterway known as the New River , opened in 1613, abstracts clean water away from the upper stretch of the river near Hertford for drinking. The Lea's origin in the Chilterns contributes to the extreme hardness (high mineral content) of London tap water. The name of the River Lea was first recorded in the 9th century, although is believed to be much older. Spellings from
504-537: A notable local person and the island (or inaccessible place surrounded by marshes) lying close to the River Lea . This was once a much wilder place than today. The dictionary suggests that the Hack element may also derive from: Given the island context, the "hatch" option is unlikely to be correct, so the favoured "Haka's Island" or the "Island on the bend" seem more likely. The place name will have originally referred to just
588-566: A result of the differing Saxon groups taking control of pre-defined territories. After both areas were brought under the control of Alfred the Great , the river became the boundary between the historic counties of Middlesex (Hackney) and Essex (modern Newham , Waltham Forest and Redbridge ). In the Tudor period , the lands of religious orders were seized by the Crown and put up for sale. Thus Hackney became
672-513: A retreat for the nobility around Hackney Central and Homerton . Henry VIII 's Palace was by Lea Bridge roundabout , where BSix Sixth Form College stands today. Sutton House , on Homerton High Street, is the oldest surviving dwelling in Hackney, originally built in 1535 as Bryck Place for Sir Ralph Sadleir , a diplomat. The village of Hackney flourished from the Tudor to late Georgian periods as
756-507: A rural retreat. The first documented " hackney coach "—the forerunner of the more generic " hackney carriage "—operated in London in 1621. Current opinion is that the name "hackney", to refer to a London taxi, is derived from the village name. (Hackney, associated with high-stepping horses and horse-drawn carriages, is the root of the French word haquenée , a term used for a small breed of horse, and
840-799: A shipyard which straddled either side of the Lea at its confluence with the Thames. The 2012 Olympics was focused in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the banks of the Lea, and its main Stadium, on an island between two branches of the river, is now home to West Ham United. The Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire is another sporting legacy of the games. Various versions of the nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down make reference to Bow Bridge. The oldest known version could be that recalled by
924-439: A weak correlation with woodland cover, especially in the early post-Conquest Period. By the time of the earliest reliable maps, in the 18th century, the area covered by the modern borough was an agricultural area characterised by enclosed farmland with small hamlets and very little woodland. There were a number of commons, most of which survived to become the basis of modern parks. Many of the major roads were present by this time,
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#17328546539911008-736: A weakly or partially understood extent and it is not unusual for perceptions of place to overlap or change over time. The area of the former parish and borough of Stoke Newington includes the Woodberry Down area, while the former parish and borough of Shoreditch includes Hoxton and Haggerston . The former parish and borough of Hackney is much larger and includes Hackney Central , Hackney Downs , West Hackney , Dalston , De Beauvoir Town , Shacklewell , Stamford Hill , London Fields , Upper and Lower Clapton , Hackney Wick and Homerton . The London Borough of Hackney covers an area of 19.06 km (7.36 sq mi), rising westward from
1092-408: Is Mare Street , which lies 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Charing Cross . The borough is named after Hackney , its principal district. Southern and eastern parts of the borough are popularly regarded as being part of east London that spans some of the traditional East End of London with the northwest belonging to north London. Its population is estimated to be 281,120. The London Plan issued by
1176-633: Is also used in geology, archaeology, etc. to refer to the Lea Valley . The term River Lea is Cockney rhyming slang for tea. The line of the Lea, and its major tributary, the Stort, has long been used as a political boundary. In the Iron Age the Lea and Stort valleys formed a hotly contested frontier zone between the Catuvellauni to the west and the eastern Trinovantes . The two rivers are assumed to have been
1260-670: Is derived). The River Lea flows through the old brewing and malting centre of Ware , and consequently transport by water was for many years a significant industry based there. Barley was transported into Ware, and malt out via the river, in particular to London. Bargemen born in Ware were given the "freedom of the River Thames" — avoiding the requirement of paying lock dues — as a result of their transport of fresh water and food to London during The Great Plague of 1665–66. A local legend says that dead bodies were brought out of London at that time via
1344-514: Is much greater, and the communities on either side better integrated as a result. The source of the Lea is usually said to be at Well Head inside Waulud's Bank , a neolithic henge at Leagrave Common in Luton , Bedfordshire , although just downstream the river is joined by Houghton Brook , a stream that starts 2 miles (3 km) further west in Houghton Regis . After passing through Luton,
1428-525: The Anglo-Saxon period include Lig(e)an in 880 and Lygan in 895, and in the early medieval period it is usually Luye or Leye . It seems to be derived from a Celtic (brythonic) root lug -meaning 'bright or light' which is also the derivation of a name for a deity, so the meaning may be 'bright river' or 'river dedicated to the god Lugus '. A simpler derivation may well be the Brythonic word cognate with
1512-504: The Battle of Bow Bridge , the Royalists headed for Colchester and were besieged there . During WWI, parts of London on either side of the Lea were badly hit by German Army and Navy airship raids. It is believed the crews mistook the extensive reservoir chain for the Thames and released their bombs on what they took to be central London. The ecological, landscape and recreational importance of
1596-602: The Congreve Rocket Factory on the site of Stratford Langthorne Abbey . Improvements were made to the river from 1424, with tolls being levied to compensate the landowners, and in 1571, there were riots after the extension of the River was promoted in a private bill presented to the House of Commons . By 1577, the first lock was established at Waltham Abbey and the river began to be actively managed for navigation. The New River
1680-741: The East of England and Greater London . It originates in Bedfordshire , in the Chiltern Hills , and flows southeast through Hertfordshire , along the Essex border and into Greater London , to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek . It is one of the largest rivers in London and the easternmost major tributary of the Thames. The river's significance as a major east–west barrier and boundary has tended to obscure its importance as north–south trade route. Below Hertford
1764-558: The Greater London Authority assigns whole boroughs to sub-regions for statutory monitoring, engagement and resource allocation purposes. The most recent (2011) iteration of this plan assigns Hackney to the 'East' sub-region, while the 2008 and 2004 versions assigned the borough to "North" and "East" sub-regions respectively. The modern borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney with
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#17328546539911848-630: The Hackney Marshes to straighten a meander of the natural river. In Roman times and for a long time after, the River Lea was an estuary, tidal as far as Hackney Wick . At Hackney Wick the Hackney Brook met the Lea ; the confluence was very wide when flooded. Hackney Brook was fully culverted in 1860 by the Metropolitan Board of Works . The New River was opened in 1613, diverting water from
1932-569: The Middle Lea . During the Middle Ages , Temple Mills , Abbey Mills , Old Ford and Bow were the sites of water mills (mainly in ecclesiastic ownership) that supplied flour to the bakers of Stratforde-atte-Bow, and hence bread to the City. It was the channels created for these mills that caused the Bow Back Rivers to be cut through the former Roman stone causeway at Stratford (from which the name
2016-467: The Prescott Channel to maintain water levels on the Lea, within the park at a depth of 2 metres (7 ft). This allowed access to the site by 350–tonne barges with the aim that at least half of the material required for construction could be delivered or removed by water. In January 2024, the River Lea burst its banks as Hackney Wick residents tell of 'knee-high' flood water. Millfields Park on
2100-537: The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park . In that park, and just to the south of it, the river's course splits, running almost entirely in man-made channels, the Bow Back Rivers . These channels were once much more numerous and originally created to power water mills including, at the southern end, the restored tidal mill called Three Mills . The area around the Bow Back Rivers subsequently became a thriving industrial zone. Around Bow Creek , major industry prevailed, including
2184-598: The River Lee Diversion . These reservoirs come to an end on the boundaries of the London Boroughs of Haringey and Hackney and form part of a broad undeveloped green space, a mile (800 m) wide in places, which extends deep into London. On Hackney's northern edge, the Lea shifts to a south-south-easterly direction, the reservoirs end, but the broad green corridor continues as the river passes through Walthamstow Marshes , Leyton Marshes , Hackney Marshes and
2268-483: The River Thames . The Lee Navigation was established by Acts of Parliament and only that spelling is used in this context. The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority also uses this spelling for leisure facilities. However, the spelling Lea is used for road names, locations and other infrastructure in the capital, such as Leamouth , Lea Bridge , the Lea Valley Walk and the Lea Valley lines (railway). This spelling
2352-566: The Sardinian achetta horse.) Construction of the railway in the 1850s ended Hackney's rural reputation by connecting it to other parts of the city and stimulating development. London's first Tudor theatres were built at Shoreditch . The Gunpowder Plot was first exposed nearby in Hoxton . In 1727 Daniel Defoe said of the villages of Hackney All these, except the Wyck-house, are within
2436-512: The South Hornsey exclaves of Hornsey , with a population about 20,000, with Stoke Newington. While this still created a borough of only about 50,000 inhabitants, and thus "the smallest borough in London, the anomaly would be a gradually diminishing one, because the population in this district was rapidly increasing. When dividing London up into boroughs they could not avoid creating some anomalies as to size." The modern London Borough of Hackney
2520-521: The Thames Ironworks , Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks and West Ham Power Station . In the 1960s and 1970s, changing economic conditions led to a steep decline and deindustrialisation along this section of the Lea. The river was historically tidal as far north as Hackney Wick , but now the tide is held back by the Bow Locks between Bromley-by-Bow and West Ham. Although watercraft can follow the Lea down to
2604-488: The ecosystem , but also leads to de-oxygenation of the water. Dumping, litter and microplastics are a major problem on the Lea with much of this waste arriving in the river in sewage. In April 2021, Hackney Council wrote to the Environment Agency calling for action to address sewage discharge and pollution in the river. In November 2021, local volunteers stated they were removing 100kg of plastic pollution from
Stoke Newington Central (ward) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-447: The 13th century the name appears as Hackenaye or Hacquenye , but no certain derivation is advanced. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Place Names (fourth edition) discusses the origin of the name. The first surviving records of the place name are as Hakney (1231) and Hakeneye (1242 and 1294). The "ey" suffix almost certainly refers to an island; the dictionary favours the interpretation that Hackney means "Haka's island", with Haka being
2772-673: The 17th, 18th and 19th centuries included Robert Aske , William Cecil , Samuel Courtauld , Samuel Hoare , Joseph Priestley and Thomas Sutton . Many grand houses stood in Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill ; the latter neighbourhood became a center of Hackney's many Orthodox Jewish residents from the 1930s. Alfred Hitchcock made many of his first films in Hoxton at the Gainsborough Studios in Poole Street. The interwar era saw
2856-450: The Lea at Hackney, is the reputed site of a victory of Aescwine of Essex over Octa of Kent in 527, which allowed Aescwine to become the first King of Essex . However, the historicity of these events and the very existence of Aescwine are disputed. Somewhere between 878 and 890, the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum was drawn up that amongst other things used the course of the Lea to define
2940-764: The Lea catchment to create a source of drinking water for London. The New River still passes through the borough, close to Finsbury Park and flows towards Islington . Another man-made feature, the Regents Canal also crosses the borough to the south of De Beauvoir Town in the west, joining the Hertford Union Canal below Victoria Park. Much of Hackney retains an inner-city character, but in such places as Dalston large housing estates have been joined by newly developed gated communities . In South Hackney , near Victoria Park , terraced Georgian , Victorian and Edwardian housing still survives. Light industries in
3024-552: The Lea to reach 30 m (98 ft) above sea level at Clapton Common and Stamford Hill . The area around Victoria Park , in the south of the borough lies about 15 metres (49 feet) above sea level. After the Norman Conquest the area became part of the Forest of Middlesex , which covered much of the county , but this gives rise to misunderstanding, as in this context "Forest" is a legal term referring to royal hunting rights and had
3108-461: The Lower Lea every month. Water extraction, for drinking water, farming and industry, has led to a reduction in river flow impacting wildlife and concentrating the pollutants present in the remaining river water. Projects such as that led by Thames21 installing reedbeds help to remove pollutants whilst oxygenating the water, as well as creating habitat for the likes of water voles and improving
3192-534: The Thames, it is generally more practical to follow the Limehouse Cut (which meets the Lea at Bow Locks) down to Limehouse Basin , and use the Limehouse Basin Lock to join the Thames. The communities on the west side of the lower Lea include Hackney , Bow and Bromley-by-Bow . On the east side, they include southern parts of Walthamstow , then Leyton , Stratford and West Ham . The last few miles of
3276-475: The accessibility of the area and contributing to the ribbon development that made the character of the west side of the valley much more developed than the east. Just after Hertford, the river passes the medieval river port of Ware and the Hertfordshire bank soon becomes entirely developed. On the west bank the river passes Hoddesdon , Broxbourne and Cheshunt in Hertfordshire; then Enfield , Edmonton , Tottenham and Tottenham Marshes in north London. On
3360-516: The aesthetics of the man-made concrete sections of the canalised river. In their early days, Tottenham Hotspur played their games at Tottenham Marshes on the Middle Lea while Leyton Orient have had a number of home grounds in the Lower Lea Valley , with both having their current grounds within a mile of the river. West Ham United was established as the works team of the Thames Ironworks ,
3444-519: The area around the River Lea employ over 3,000 people. The Lea and Hackney Marshes are underlain by alluvium soils; and the higher ground between Homerton and Stamford Hill is formed on a widening bed of London Clay . Brickearth deposits are within tongues of clay extending beneath Clapton Common, Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington High Street. The centre and south-western districts lie on river terrace deposits of Taplow Gravel. Victoria Park and Well Street Common lie on flood plain gravel. This data
Stoke Newington Central (ward) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-442: The area that year, ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games . The river is threatened by pollution, with sewage frequently discharged into the river as well as less common events causing major damage, such as an oil leak in 2018, or the toxic runoff from a warehouse fire in 2019. The sewage pollution, as well as that of fertiliser washed in from agricultural fields causes eutrophication , an excess of nutrients, which not only unbalances
3612-570: The border between the Danes and the English. In 894, a force of Danes sailed up the river to Hertford, and in about 895 they built a fortified camp, in the higher reaches of the Lea, about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of London. Alfred the Great saw an opportunity to defeat the Danes and dug a new channel to lower the level of the river, leaving the Danes stranded. In 1216, during the First Barons' War ,
3696-488: The boundaries of London's parliamentary constituencies, the Boundary Commission treats the Thames and Lea as London's major internal barriers. It will not allow a new or altered constituency that spans either river, viewing such a construct as artificial and not reflective of local communities or identities. They have compromised on this further south, on the lower Lea, where the quality and quantity of cross-river links
3780-618: The boundary between the core territory of the Kingdom of the East Saxons and its Middle Saxon Province . The whole of the Lea was subsequently used as the boundary between English-ruled territory to the west and the Danelaw , established in the late 9th century, to the east. From around the ninth or tenth century, and the establishment of counties in this part of England, the Lea-Stort line has formed
3864-657: The boundary between the predecessor counties of Middlesex and Essex . Within these parish areas are a large number of sub-districts, some of which have sub-districts of their own. These sub-districts are generally based on former hamlets that expanded and merged as the area urbanised. These sub-districts have never been administrative units so have never had any formal boundaries, however a degree of informal definition has developed. The sub-districts typically take Metropolitan Borough \ Ancient Parish boundaries where available, and can also have informal customary boundaries such as road and railways. Despite this, many areas have only
3948-630: The building of social housing by the LCC and the borough council in the area including the Kingsmead Estate, Morningside Estate, Banister House and Nisbet House. The borough also includes housing projects developed by high-profile postwar architects including The Beckers (1958) by Sir Frederick Gibberd , Granard House (1959) by Colin St John Wilson and Pitcairn House (1962) by Eric Lyons . Following extensive post-war development and immigration since
4032-706: The civic and ceremonial duties previously undertaken by the (non-political) mayor prior to 2002. Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the North East constituency. The constituency returned Sem Moema AM as the directly elected Assembly Member in 2021. The borough comprises two parliamentary constituencies: Hackney North and Stoke Newington (represented by Diane Abbott MP) and Hackney South and Shoreditch (represented by Meg Hillier MP); both are Privy Counsellors and Labour Party Members of Parliament . Final recommendations for
4116-558: The civil parishes continued to be based on the same ancient parish areas. From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works , which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London . From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards . Shoreditch
4200-560: The eastern side the river passes Waltham Abbey on the largely rural Essex bank, and then Chingford and Walthamstow in east London. South of Hertford, the river is lined by lakes; to the north these are primarily flooded former gravel pits but in London they are reservoirs: the 13 reservoirs of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain , fed by the branches of the river known as the River Lee Flood Relief Channel and
4284-522: The future Louis VIII of France besieged Hertford Castle for a month, leading to its surrender. He only held the castle for a relatively short time as he lost the war soon after. In 1648 during the second English Civil War a Royalist force crossed the Thames from Greenwich and hoped to cross Bow Bridge, over the Lea and into Essex. After inconclusive clashes with the Tower Hamlets Militia and other Parliamentarian forces, an engagement known as
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#17328546539914368-400: The historic boundary between Essex to the east and Hertfordshire and Middlesex to the west. Within London the river is always used as a boundary between London Boroughs - which in turn inherit more ancient county and parish boundaries which also used the Lea as a boundary. Between 1889 and 1965, the lower Lea was the eastern boundary of the County of London with Essex . When reviewing
4452-549: The island or possibly both the island and the manor of the same name based around it. Subsequently, the name Hackney was applied to the whole ancient parish of Hackney. In the Iron Age and probably until after the Roman period (as the Romans used tribal territories as administrative sub-divisions), the River Lea was considered to separate the territories of the Catuvellauni to the west of
4536-402: The late 20th century, population pressure has increased and the area's many Georgian and Victorian terraces are being gentrified, warehouses are being converted to housing, and new flats are being built. In the 1980s and beyond, Hackney was described as the poorest borough in Britain - although it has been questioned whether this may have in fact been Glasgow , at the time. The council used
4620-491: The lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs . In this area the three parishes each became a borough: Hackney , Shoreditch and Stoke Newington . There were some rationalisations to boundaries, notably that Shoreditch absorbed part of the tiny Liberty of Norton Folgate (with the rest going to neighbouring Stepney ). Stoke Newington was smaller than the desired size for the new boroughs, and there were proposals to re-merge Stoke Newington and Hackney, or to detach
4704-434: The marshes known as Wanstead Slip (now in Leyton). The route then continued through Essex to Colchester . At this time, the Lea was a wider river, and the tidal estuary stretched as far as Hackney Wick . Evidence has been found of a late Roman settlement at Old Ford, dating from the 4th and 5th centuries. In 1110, Matilda , wife of Henry I , reputedly took a tumble at the ford, on her way to Barking Abbey and ordered
4788-447: The modern Welsh "Li" pronounced "Lea" which means a flow or a current. Much of the middle Lea were historically known as 'Mereditch', the first element deriving from the Old English ‘gemaera’, meaning boundary. This was due to that section of the river’s role as the dividing line between territories, for instance separating Middlesex and Essex. By the 20th century 'Mereditch' had evolved to 'Mare Dyke' and referred to just one channel of
4872-418: The modern borough broadly corresponds to the three ancient parishes of Hackney , Shoreditch and Stoke Newington , which had all historically been part of the Ossulstone hundred of the county of Middlesex . For some administrative functions, Ossulstone was divided into four divisions. Stoke Newington was part of the Finsbury division . Hackney and Shoreditch were both part of the Tower division , which
4956-452: The much smaller Metropolitan Boroughs of Stoke Newington and Shoreditch . Hackney is bounded by Islington to the west, Haringey to the north, Waltham Forest to the north-east, Newham to the east, Tower Hamlets to the south-east and the City of London to the south-west. Hackney was one of the host boroughs of the London Olympics in 2012 , with several of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park venues falling within its boundaries. In
5040-422: The northern part of Hackney and join it with Stoke Newington. These proposals were rejected due to the experience of "intolerable and interminable feuds" between the districts when they were previously "forced together". The First Lord of the Treasury , Arthur Balfour recognised that there was "great ill-feeling and mutual ill-will... between the inhabitants of the two districts". It was therefore decided to merge
5124-486: The occasional seal . Some boat trippers reported observing on 5 August 2005 a Canada goose being pulled underwater very quickly. The London Wildlife Trust suggested that this was most likely caused by a pike . In 2011, Mike Wells claimed that he saw a "goose go vertically down" in the river. Again a pike or mink was suggested as most likely. Vice Magazine suggested that Wells' story may have been invented to publicise authorities' attempts to evict houseboats from
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#17328546539915208-419: The other than had been possible before. Lea Bridge , the second bridge over the lower Lea was built after 1757, to replace the pre-existing ferry. It connected Clapton to the west, and Leyton and Walthamstow to the east. The Iron Bridge carrying the Barking Road over the river to Canning Town was built in 1810. There are significantly more crossings over the more central Lower Lea , than there are over
5292-405: The phrase 'Britain's Poorest Borough' in official materials. It was described in this way as late as 2001 and in Parliament in 2010. This picture has now changed: the 2019 Indices of Multiple Deprivation found that Hackney was the 22nd most deprived borough in England, down from 11th in 2015 and 2nd in 2010, whilst Hackney has also featured prominently in discussions of gentrification . It
5376-416: The retreat of wealthy citizens, that there is at this time near a hundred coaches kept in it; tho' I will not join with a certain satyrical author, who said of Hackney, that there were more coaches than Christians in it. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney was built in 1792, replacing the nearby former 16th-century parish church dedicated to St Augustine (pulled down in 1798). Notable residents from
5460-437: The river and its surrounding areas change significantly. Around Hertford, the Lea is joined by a number of major tributaries: the Mimram , Beane , Rib , Ash , and then the Stort . This extra volume of water has created a broad flood plain with sometimes steep hills on either side. The river passes through this valley in several channels, which are a result of both human intervention and natural causes. The increased flow made
5544-404: The river and its surrounding land has been recognised through inclusion in a number of parks and by several planning policy designations. Much of the river lies within the Lee Valley Park . Some of the land surrounding the river has been designated as Metropolitan Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land in order to prevent further urbanisation. The river contains fish and other wildlife such as
5628-415: The river are known as Bow Creek and the river meets the Thames between Blackwall (on the west side) and Canning Town (on the east). In the Roman era , Old Ford , as the name suggests, was the most downstream crossing point of the River Lea. This was part of a pre-Roman route that followed the modern Oxford Street , Old Street , through Bethnal Green to Old Ford and then across a causeway through
5712-494: The river between Chingford and Enfield . The channel was replaced by parts of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain in the mid 20th century. The River Lea is the major component in a number of place-names, including Leagrave , the suburb of Luton where the source of the river is located, and of Luton and Leyton : both mean "farmstead on the River Lea" . The spelling Lea predominates west (upstream) of Hertford , but both spellings ( Lea and Lee ) are used from Hertford to
5796-459: The river for burying in Ware, but there is no evidence for this. The extensive level of waterborne trade led the historian John Stow , writing in 1603, to describe the Lea as “this pleasant and useful river”. The riverside has hosted a number of major armaments manufacturers, such as the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills , the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock (which is now a housing development known as Enfield Island Village ) and
5880-479: The river from the Trinovantes to the east. The Romans built the Roman road , Ermine Street , which runs through the modern borough under the names Shoreditch High Street and Kingsland Road , among others. In the Anglo-Saxon period, the River Lea separated the core territories of the East Saxons (on the east side) from the Middle Saxons (on the western, Hackney side) they often controlled. This continuity of this natural boundary from pre-Roman period may be
5964-420: The river has since medieval times had alterations made to make it more navigable for boats between the Thames and eastern Hertfordshire and Essex , known as the Lee Navigation . This stimulated much industry along its banks. The navigable River Stort , the main tributary, joins it at Hoddesdon . While the lower Lea remains somewhat polluted, its upper stretch and tributaries, classified as chalk streams , are
6048-503: The river navigable from Hertford, a situation improved by the creation of the Lee Navigation , a deep canal which begins at Hertford Castle Weir . The Stort, the most important tributary of the Lea, joins a short distance from Hertford at Feildes Weir , and is itself navigable as far upstream as Bishops Stortford . The Hertford East railway line passes along the west side of the Lea's flood plain, from Hertford to Tottenham, improving
6132-607: The road now known as the A10 was Roman, and others, like many in England, may be older. With the obvious exception of the urbanisation of the area, the greatest changes have been to the waterways and wetlands of the area. The River Lea , the area's primary geographic feature, has lost its grazing marshes and seen the River Lee Navigation created in 1770. This is an artificial channel of the river, passing through Hackney Cut and across
6216-457: The succeeding centuries. In 1766, work also began on the Limehouse Cut to connect the river, at Bromley-by-Bow , with the Thames at Limehouse Basin . The Waterworks River , a part of the tidal Bow Back Rivers , has been widened by 8 metres (26 ft) and canalised to assist with construction of the Olympic Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics . In 2009, Three Mills Lock was installed on
6300-462: The turn of the century. This increase in population peaked before World War I, falling slowly in the aftermath until World War II began an exodus from London towards the new towns under the Abercrombie Plan for London (1944). The population is now rising again, and the 2001 census gives Hackney a population of 202,824. River Lea The River Lea ( / ˈ l iː / LEE ) is in
6384-509: The young river passes through the Luton Hoo estate and, six miles from its source, enters Hertfordshire . The river then flows east-south-east through Harpenden , Wheathampstead – once capital of the Catuvellauni tribe – through the narrow green gap between the new towns of Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City , and on to the county town of Hertford . At Hertford the shallow river turns briefly north before turning to head due south, and here
6468-517: Was 65%; and 5,674 votes were cast. In 2001, Stoke Newington Central ward had a total population of 10,143. This compares with the average ward population within the borough of 10,674. At the 2011 Census the population was 12,445. London Borough of Hackney The London Borough of Hackney ( / ˈ h æ k n i / HAK -nee ) is a London borough in Inner London , England. The historical and administrative heart of Hackney
6552-498: Was constructed in 1613 to take clean water to London, from the Lea and its catchment areas in Hertfordshire and bypass the polluting industries that had developed in the Lea's downstream reaches. The artificial channel further reduced the flow to the natural river and by 1767 locks were installed below Hertford Castle Weir on the canalised part of the Lea, now the Lee Navigation with further locks and canalisation taking place during
6636-474: Was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 . It covered the combined area of the three metropolitan boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington. The local authority is Hackney Council, which meets at Hackney Town Hall and has its main offices in the adjoining Hackney Service Centre. Since 2002 the council has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Hackney . A speaker fulfils
6720-645: Was governed by its vestry , whilst Hackney and Stoke Newington were initially grouped into the Hackney District with a single board covering the two parishes. This proved unpopular, especially in more affluent Stoke Newington. After four unsuccessful attempts, the Hackney District was dissolved in 1894 under the Metropolis Management (Plumstead and Hackney) Act 1893, and its two parishes were then each governed separately by their own vestries. In 1900
6804-470: Was noteworthy in that the men of the area owed military service to the Tower of London . The ancient parishes provided a framework for both civil (administrative) and ecclesiastical (church) functions, but during the 19th century there was a divergence into distinct civil and ecclesiastical parish systems. The ecclesiastical parishes were gradually sub-divided to better serve the needs of a growing population, while
6888-494: Was ranked as inner London's "greenest borough" and London Transport's "best bike borough 2006", with 62 parks and open spaces , covering 815 acres (3.3 km ). Seven Hackney parks have now achieved Green Flag status. One, Abney Park , became scheduled in 2009 as one of Britain's historic parks and garden at risk from neglect and decay. Hackney Marshes play host to the largest collection of football pitches in Europe. Part of it
6972-521: Was taken between 1971 and 2000 at the nearest national weather station in Greenwich ; around 7 miles (11.3 km) south of Hackney Town Hall: In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 14,609. This rose steadily throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 95,000 in the middle of that century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased — reaching nearly 374,000 by
7056-625: Was used as a site for events of the 2012 Summer Olympics . There are 1,300 listed buildings in Hackney , including the Hackney Empire , Tudor Sutton House , and the Grade I medieval St Augustine's Tower , the borough's oldest building. The borough contains 25 conservation areas including Clapton Square and urban open-spaces including Clapton Common and Clissold Park . Conservation areas also protect large areas of Georgian and Victorian housing , and areas of industrial heritage . The area of
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