Discover the extraordinary history of Hackney’s civic
architecture
Join Open City for a walking tour exploring Hackney most ambitious and enigmatic public architecture
This insightful walking tour of Hackney — led by architecture-trained town planner Lachlan Anderson-Frank — showcases the ambitious municipal projects which sought to transform the quality of life for people living in one of London’s most deprived boroughs.
The modern London Borough of Hackney covers a mix of leafy North London’s suburbs and the formerly gritty streets of the historic East End. Many of the area’s grandest squares were condemned as slums in the mid-20th century and cleared away – sometimes less than one hundred years after they were first built.
Out of decades of post-industrial decline – which by the early noughties had left Hackney as one of the country’s poorest neighbourhoods – grew a passionate commitment to ambitious municipalism, community activism and anti-racism which can be seen in local architecture today.
Highlights of the tour include the cloistered Nisbet House – opened by King George VI in 1938 – the Le Corbusier-inspired 1959 Gascoyne Estate, the Art Deco Hackney Town Hall, the striking Ada Street Workshops and Ernő Goldfinger’s iconic Haggerston School for Girls.
Representing a series of prominent landmarks amid the rapidly changing townscape of east London, these unique locations will be brought to life to reveal the fascinating details behind their construction during a moment of unparalleled optimism and idealism for the future.
Providing a safe and fun way for enthusiastic urbanists to explore the city this walking tour is part of a new series responding to the core themes of the Open House festival and wider Open City programme.
Meet: Outside Homerton Overground Station London E9 5SE. Duration 2.5 hours and 5km approx. Tour ends at Haggerston School Weymouth Terrace, London E2 8LS near to Hoxton Overground Station. Cost £14.50 / £9.50 concessions (students/unemployed).
This tour does not incorporate the use of Zoom. Tickets are non refundable and go ahead rain or shine. Get in touch with Adrianna at tours@open-city.org.uk with any queries.
You can purchase a Pocket London printed version of this Hackney tour here
Meet the tour guide…
Lachlan Anderson-Frank is a architecture-trained town planner (RTPI Associate) working on strategic housing and planning analysis in local government. Anderson-Frank has contributed as an author for Domus, Icon, Open City, the MIT Journal of Urban Planning, and Archdaily. He has also appeared as a public speaker for Urban Design London, the Royal Town Planning Institute, 20th Century Society, Urban Design Group, and has featured on design panels for Hackney Council and the Architectural Association. He joined the Open City tours team in June 2021.