Upper Clapton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Upper Clapton is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bounded by the Hackney districts of Stamford Hill to the west, Lower Clapton and Lea Bridge to the south and the Haringey district of South Tottenham to the north. To the east is the River Lee, on the other side of which is the expanse of the Walthamstow Marshes, part of which is in the Lee Valley Park.
As is frequently the case with London districts, these boundaries are quite fuzzy. Western parts of the area are often listed as being part of Stamford Hill, understandable perhaps because the Hassidic Jewish community of Stamford Hill extends across the border, and the imposing New Synagogue is part of the area. And scenic areas such as Springfield Park are also sometimes incorrectly assigned to neighbouring Lea Bridge.
Part of the blame for this may also lie in the fact that Upper Clapton as a whole has traditionally had high crime rates, but it has to be said that much of this has been concentrated around the Upper and Lower Clapton Roads, frequently nicknamed 'Murder Mile', which actually extends into neighbouring Lower Clapton. The centre of violent crime has traditionally been the Lower Clapton roundabout, which came complete with pedestrian subways of ill repute that have now been closed.
But to the north and east, Upper Clapton is surprisingly peaceful and leafy. This is, in many respects, one of the most photogenic districts of Hackney.
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[edit] On the waterfront
One of the most pleasant amenities in Upper Clapton is Springfield Park, which backs on to the Lea River to the east. This was created in 1905 out of the extensive grounds of three mansions, of which only Springfield House survives, now known as the White House Mansion and housing the Spark Café. The park has five tennis courts, a cricket pitch and a nature reserve. Next to Springfield Park is the Springfield Marina, a packed mooring for narrowboats and other waterway craft.
Aside from the mansion, another—and very popular—survivor is the Anchor and Hope pub at the southeast corner of the park. The area along the Lea was heavily bombed in the second world war, and the pub is one of the few survivors of the terraced housing that once dominated the area. It is now quite overshadowed by pre- and post-war blocks of flats.
Besides Springfield Park, Upper Clapton is delineated to the west by the long leafy strip of Clapton Common, distinguished by the reedy Clapton Pond (not to be confused with Clapton Ponds, two much smaller ex-reservoirs in Lower Clapton). The pond is a favourite with bird watchers—besides the usual variety of ducks, geese and swans, such shy birds as grebes and other waders may often be seen feeding in the reedbeds.
[edit] The Abode of Love
Upper Clapton is home to one of London's more unusual churches, the Church of the Good Shepherd, now used as a place of worship by the Ancient Catholic Church. However, the church was originally built by the Agapemonite cult in 1892 as the Church of the Ark of the Covenant.
The Agapemonites, who held decidedly unconventional views on marriage and the role of women, relocated to Upper Clapton from their spiritual community in Spaxton, Somerset, and had clearly prospered by this time. Although it is fairly conventional in floor plan, the outside of the church is a riot of statuary and symbolism. The main doorways sport large carvings of angels and the four evangelists symbolised by a man, an eagle, a bull and a lion. The same four figures, cast in bronze, look out over the four quarters of the Earth from the base of the steeple. The two flanking weathervanes show a certain symbolic debt to William Blake's Jerusalem depicting, as they do, a fiery chariot and a sheaf of arrows (presumably of desire), while the main steeple is clearly surmounted by a spear. The stained glass windows betray the unconventional nature of the sect as they illustrate the 'true station of womankind'.
The cult had always been surrounded by scandal during its sojourn in Somerset and, after the move to Clapton, this degenerated into sheer farce. The original leader, Henry James Prince, who claimed to be immortal, died in 1899 and was succeeded by the charming but philandering John Hugh Smyth-Pigott, who wasted no time before declaring himself as The Messiah. Challenged by a jeering mob to prove his godhood by walking across Clapton Pond, Smyth-Pigott declined and retired to Somerset, where he was said to enjoy the favours of as many as seven 'spiritual brides' a week. Smyth-Pigott who, of course, also claimed immortality, died in 1927, after which the cult went into decline. The Clapton church had already been abandoned by the cult, and was acquired by the Ancient Catholic Church in 1956.
[edit] The New Synagogue
Close by the Good Shepherd, but rather more dignified, is the stately New Synagogue. This Grade 2 listed building is a little deceptive, appearing much older than it actually is. In spite of its handsome Georgian-style exterior, this is actually post-Edwardian, built in 1915. It is, however, a faithful replica of an earlier building, the Great St Helen's Synagogue in the City of London, which was designed by John Davies in 1838. The current building contains a number of original fixtures from its predecessor. Endangered for a while, the synagogue is now (2005) under restoration, as can be seen from the picture.
Note: the New Synagogue is often listed as being in Stamford Hill rather than Upper Clapton, as can be seen from the link below, probably because most Jewish people attending—and supervising the rebuild—are from the Hassidic community based largely in Stamford Hill. However, it is on the eastern side of Clapton Common, so it is clearly in Upper Clapton.
[edit] Brooke House
- Main article: BSix Sixth Form College.
Brooke House on the Lea Valley roundabout in Clapton has been a site for various educational institutions over the years. In 2002 it was re-opened as BSix Sixth Form College, a sixth form college providing academic A-level teaching, and educational and professional tutoring and advice, catering specifically for the needs of young people who wish to continue with their education after leaving school at sixteen. Its locations gives students in Hackney a sixth form college near to where they live.
Focusing on the educational needs of the student, the college provides a range of A-level subjects and vocational courses for students to mix and match. The College works with local secondary schools providing teaching and support for students aged 14+.
[edit] History of education at the Brooke House site
Brooke House Secondary School, Kenninghall Rd. opened 1960 in buildings designed by Armstrong & MacManus on site of Brooke House. It was an Amalgamation with Upton House school to form Homerton House in 1982. The site was later adapted for Hackney College and remained in their hands until 2002.
[edit] Sources
'Hackney: Education', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 10: Hackney (1995), pp. 148-65.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Nearest tube stations
Most tube stations are a bus ride away from the area, these are the nearer
[edit] Nearest railway stations
[edit] External links
- History of Clapton (British History Online)
- Clapton at freeservers.com
- The Lee Valley Park
- The Spark Café
- BSix College Brooke House Website
- The Clapton Messiah The Agapemonites - Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group
- The Agapemonites - Clapton Freeservers
- The New Synagogue (from oldsynagogues.org - shows the impressive interior)
| London Borough of Hackney |
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Districts: Dalston | De Beauvoir Town | Hackney Downs | Hackney Central | Hackney Marshes | Hackney Wick | Haggerston | Homerton | Hoxton | Kingsland | Lea Bridge | London Fields | Lower Clapton | Shacklewell | Shoreditch | South Hackney | Stamford Hill | Stoke Newington | Upper Clapton Attractions Arcola Theatre | Geffrye Museum | Hackney Empire | Hoxton Hall | Museum of Clowning | Sutton House |
