Hackney Downs
Hackney Downs from the centre of the Downs looking northeast (October 2005)
Hackney Downs is located in Greater London
Hackney Downs
Hackney Downs
Location within Greater London
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
London Assembly

Hackney Downs is a park and an area of historically common land in the Lower Clapton area of the London Borough of Hackney. The name is sometimes also used to apply to the neighbourhood around the park.

Hackney Downs Park

The Downs open space was originally common land, preserved from the 1860s as parkland as a result of pressure by the Commons Preservation Society. At 16 hectares (40 acres),[1] the park is one of the larger open spaces wholly within the London Borough of Hackney. It has a play area, basketball courts, football pitches and a bowling green.

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. The park was given a Green Flag award in July 2008.[2]

Neighbourhood

A map showing the Downs ward of Hackney Metropolitan Borough as it appeared in 1916.

The ‘Hackney Downs’ neighbourhood can be described as the western part of Lower Clapton; the area to the west of Cricketfield Road and east of the railway line. The streets north and south of the park are dominated by social housing (such as the Nightingale Estate) – these areas were largely rebuilt during the 1930s and 1960s.

Education

Hackney Downs School was also located here. The site has been redeveloped as the Mossbourne Community Academy.

Governance

Hackney Downs is currently a ward name, the represented area of three councillors, of Hackney Council up for election every 4 years.

Hackney Downs 2018 (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Desmond* 2,076 20.7
Labour Anna-Joy Rickard* 1,852 18.5
Labour Sem Moema 1,687 16.8
Green Alastair Binnie-Lubbock 1,597 15.9
Green Sheila Menon 1,134 11.3
Green Sally Zlotowitz 1,074 10.7
Conservative Mohammed Lunat 229 2.2
Conservative Yasmin Lunat 214 2.1
Conservative Agnieszka Rolkiewicz 122 1.2
Majority
Turnout 39.7
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Hackney Council elections, 2014: Hackney Downs
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Alexander Brown 843 25.1%
Green Stuart Coggins 834 24.8%
Labour Michael Desmond 2,115 62.9%
Conservative Amy Gray 214 6.4%
Conservative Duncan Gray 214 6.4%
Green Andrew Guise 719 21.4%
Liberal Democrats Teena Lashmore 342 10.2%
Conservative Izabel Leosz 149 4.4%
Liberal Democrats Garry Malcolm 249 7.4%
Labour Rick Muir 2,020 60.0%
Labour Anna-Joy Rickard 2,100 62.4%
Liberal Democrats Mohammed Sadiq 293 8.7%
Majority 1,177 34.9%

Transport and locale

Districts within the London Borough of Hackney.

The two London Overground stations are Hackney Central on the North London line and Hackney Downs on the Lea Valley Lines to Liverpool Street.

References

  1. ↑ Hackney Downs Common 30 June 2009 (Planning Inspectorate Casework) accessed 19 Sept 2009
  2. ↑ Hackney Today 188 21 July 2008
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