Hackney Downs

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Hackney Downs from the centre of the Downs looking northeast. (October 2005)

Hackney Downs is an open space and a broader area in Lower Clapton, Hackney. It borders on Stoke Newington to the west and Shacklewell to the south. Although it is, strictly speaking, located in Clapton, Hackney Downs is often referred to as an area of Hackney in its own right. So considered as a separate area, it can be said to be approximately bounded by Amhurst Road to the south, Kenninghall Road to the north, Cricketfield Road to the east and the railway to the west, thus occupying most of the western half of Lower Clapton and some of the shrinking district of Shacklewell. The streets north and south of the park are dominated by social housing — these areas were largely rebuilt during the 1930s and 1960s.

The Downs open space was originally common land, preserved from the 1860s as parkland as a result of pressure by the Commons Preservation Society. It is one of the larger open spaces wholly within Hackney borough and is surprisingly well-kept, though rather underused. It has a play area, basketball courts, football pitches and a bowling green. However, on weekdays outside school holidays, it is largely unused except for the odd dogwalker and those shortcutting between Stoke Newington and Hackney Central, and it only really comes alive on weekends. It may be that the reputation of the social housing to the north and south of the park acts as a deterrent, but nowadays these estates are much more pleasant places and there is a permanent park ranger present, so Hackney Downs is now as safe a place as any other Hackney park.

Occupying, as it does, a fairly central place in Hackney, the park used to be the yearly venue for the popular Hackney Show, but this event — which helped to give a sense of community and identity to an often-troubled borough — has been discontinued in recent times as a cost-cutting measure, as have the regular Fireworks Night shows.

Nightingale Estate