UKers, or anyone else who would know: question on London

[Andrew D. Gable]

I was preparing a little document on the general social classes and reputations of the London neighborhoods in the 1890s, and I came across a problem: I don't know what Hackney was like in the Victorian era. I know that was on the outskirts of London. Was that a really run-down low-class area like the rest of the East End?

 

[Jonny Nexus]

I was preparing a little document on the general social classes and reputations of the London neighborhoods in the 1890s, and I came across a problem: I don't know what Hackney was like in the Victorian era. I know that was on the outskirts of London. Was that a really run-down low-class area like the rest of the East End?

Well when I went through Hackney a few times a couple of years back, it was pretty much a dump.

Can't say what it was like in the 1890s I'm afraid.

I'm sure there's probably nice bits, but I think it hasn't become as gentrified as other similar areas because it isn't very well connected to the tube (underground railway / metro) system. (They've been talking about building a Hackney-Chelsea line since the 1950s, but nothing has come of it).

 

[diaglo]

caw, my achin' plaits of meat.

sorry, can't help you guvna. my only experiences have been with modern London or from media .... My Fair Lady

 

[MonsterMash]

When you say Hackney are you meaning all the area in the modern borough or a more specific area?

Though I spent three years working there in the mid 90's things would be a bit different from a century before.

Anyway the areas close to the city would be most built up, e.g. Shoreditch and Haggerstown, these would be pretty poor and violent. Further out there would have been a fair amount of building going on as areas round Victoria Park and De Beauvoir Square have a lot of late victorian buildings round them. I would assume the Victoria Park area to be a bit less poor as its traditionally been a bit less rough than most of Hackney.

Couple of links
http://www.brickfields.org.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Hackney

Lists of other links
http://www.hoxton.org.uk/history.html

Hackney local council archives publications
http://www.hackney.gov.uk/archives/archives-publications.htm