hackneywick.blogspot.com

New Olympic Shops Open

2011-09-13T15:50:00.002+01:00

There was great excitement today when the brand spanking new Olympic Chicken shack opened in Hackney Wick!!

For months now - every Hackney Wicker has been storing their pennies just for this very day. The extra security laid on was definitely needed to control the crowd as the doors finally opened - and what incredible treats awaited the patient!

Brand new chrome decorations and superbly finished interiors welcomed the throng. Say what you want about the products on sale - but no expense has been spared by the Olympic Chicken people. They really know how to spoil us.

Oh - and some other shops also opened around the corner in Stratford today as well.

Hackney Wick equals East Wick

2011-08-02T19:04:00.008+01:00

The Olympics today announced that Arena Fields is to change its name to East Wick after the Olympics.

This is another part of the grand plan to make locals feel very disconnected to the playing fields, orchards, nutteries & allotments that used to be here for us all to enjoy. 'Hey - ask the whole of the UK what we should call Arena Fields - without telling them anything about its past - and call it democracy'

Anyhow - the BBC's Adrian Warner paid a visit to Leabank Squares Purple Garden this evening to do his piece. Nice guy - even if his TV voice is a little dull - and he loves Leabank Square.

Thanks to all the kids who made his visit entertaining.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14364485

Olympic Legacy - What's in it for Hackney Wick?

2011-07-27T13:30:00.000+01:00

A few days ago - Caroline Davies from The Guardian came to Hackney Wick to do a story about our concerns for the future of the Wick a year before the games. She spoke to many people - but concentrated on James in the fabulous Hackney Pearl, the ever entertaining Al in White Post Lane - and me here in Leabank Square.

Of course - no journalist can ever capture the sheer cliff-like monstrosity of the Olympic site that faces us - but I tried to put across what most of us feel about the architecture.

More than anything - I spoke about what we all want after the games. Hackney Wick has always had the short straw as far as the construction work is concerned. We were the first to have buildings constructed - pulled down - re-constructed, pulled down again - and now rebuilding yet more temporary buildings directly opposite us - again for them to be demolished.

Then - we have about 5 more years of be-designing & building whoever takes over the media centre as well.

There is not one part of the Olympic site that will have had noise, dust & mayhem - only to be left with the most underwhelming architecture for us to stare at for many decades to come!!

I told Caroline all this - and I think she did a very good article on balance. She got over what most of us feel about all the decade of disruption the Olympics have brought to Hackney Wick.

For link to the article - see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jul/25/2012-olympics-hackney

Movies on the River Lea

2011-06-23T17:07:00.005+01:00

Tomorrow see the opening of the brilliant new (temporary) movie house in Hackney Wick!! And best of all - it's just downstream from Hackney Wick!!!!!

There are going to be amazing activities from - great family movies - to bug-hotel building workshops. From family discos to drawing classes. And much much more!

Please come down to meet these lovely people - some of whom you already know from previous projects - who are making Hackney Wick that little bit extra special for all of us!

To book seats & find out more - please visit http://www.follyforaflyover.co.uk/ and then just have heaps of fun.

Last chance to comment on 'Hackney Wick Hub'

2011-06-18T10:33:00.004+01:00

Many thanks to Ruth for this posting - please read it and act on it - it affects every single one of us:

The consultation on a major development around Hackney Wick station is to close this weekend and residents have just a couple more days to have their opinions heard.

Plans for more than 150 flats, several shops and retail units around a pedestrian area off Wallis Road, and a "hi-tech" hub of affordable workspaces has been proposed by landowners London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC).

At the end of May, the designers and architects behind the project came to the Wick for a couple of days to display and discuss the plans, and now the consultation is drawing to a close.

Any opinions and ideas need to be with them before the end of this weekend (Sunday June 19) because they intend to submit their planning application to Hackney Council on the June 24th, next Friday. Once they have planning application they will find a developer to buy the land.

Outline drawings and descriptions of the proposal are available on the corporation's website, here: (http://ltgdc.org.uk/ltgdc-news/development-news/hackney-wick-hub-proposals/) There is not lots of detail but it gives you an idea of where it will be and says there will retail units, including bars, restaurants, perhaps a bank, shops, and takeaways, 6000sqm of affordable workspaces, and more than 130 studio, one-bed, two-bed and three-bed flats.

Based on chats with the designers it also seems the idea is to have:

Affordable workspaces
The chief executive of the corporation which owns the land has said, in this interview with journalist Paul Norman, that they want to create a "hi-tech" hub for the business and people being priced out of Silicon Roundabout [Old Street] and Shoreditch.

"Something a little bit different"
The chief executive also said they wanted a developer who would do something a "little bit different" with the homes and leisure parts of the development and spoke praisingly of home-grown Wick projects like a recent opera in a warehouse. During the consultation visits, the architects/designers etc were very keen to emphasise their intention to do something a little bit different and make sure it was in keeping with Hackney Wick.
How can the development encourage something a little bit different? What does Hackney Wick want or need in terms of leisure?

No social housing
At the consultation it appeared that there would be no affordable rented accommodation (eg. social housing). This is because of concerns that there is no nearby space for kids/families to play - perhaps they see Vic Park, Hackney Marshes & the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as too far away?
There "may be" shared ownership housing for sale, but it was not definite.
Should there be affordable housing? Or is there enough in Hackney Wick already?

New shopping street
Some of the units for shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs are large - big enough for a chain shops like Tesco. If Hackney Wick didn’t want big chains, one option is to make the units relatively small in order to deter chains and make it affordable for independent traders or provide space for local creatives to sell their goods. However, the landowners point out that bigger units make the project more commercially viable for the developer.
At the moment the planning application does not specify any unit size in order to allow flexibility for the developer. Is that right?

What do you think...?

Email Thames Gateway Corporation (http://ltgdc.org.uk/contact-us/) to give your views on the Hackney Wick Hub before the consultation closes on Sunday June 19th.

And keep on eye on this blog to see what their final plans are and find out when Hackney Council will make a decision on the planning application.

Be Part of Hackney Wicks Future!!

2011-05-18T18:11:00.002+01:00

Some of you might know that I have been a member of the Hackney Wick Partnership for a few years. We have been involved in trying to forge a desirable future for the Wick that respects local residents - as well as encourages the local creatives & existing businesses.

We started doing this way before London was even considered for the 2012 Olympics.

We have fed all our work into the Hackney Wick Masterplan, the Olympic Masterplan - and now the new Mayors (Boris that is) Development Plan.

This weekend & next week is another opportunity for you to come & put your thoughts to the brilliant people at London Thames Gateway about what we would all like for the Hackney Wick Hub.

This is the area both to the North (Tower Hamlets side) & South (Hackney side of the Hackney Wick Overground Station.

There are major changes for the areas right next to the sloping ramps on either side of the station. And they would love to hear what you would like to see there.

More cafes? A revitalised Lord Napier? Tree lined squares? Meeting fountain? Better welcoming open spaces? New routes/roads? Hotels?

What would you like to see when you come home after a hard days work? What would make you meet your visitors coming off the Overground with a sense of pride about Hackney Wick?

Please come down to 62 Wallis Road this Saturday 21st May - between 10am & 2pm. And also next Wednesday 25th May from 4pm until 8pm.

This is a great chance for you to be part of our lovely Hackney Wicks future - please try & make it down for a chat!!

Tulip Tree for Hackney Wick!!

2011-04-17T19:12:00.003+01:00

Have you met your newest neighbour yet?

On your way to the station or bus stop tomorrow - please take a diversion to Prince Edward Road - and go hug a tree.

A stunning giant Tulip Tree to be exact! She has been planted right next to the Hackney Pearl - and is absolutely beautiful. She will be giving us all many more years of shelter, shade & fresh air.

She was put there by the muf (http://www.muf.co.uk/mprofile.htm) team who are prettying up parts of the Wick with green ideas. We will be posting a few more of their projects in the next few days - but in the mean-time - please go & say hi to your new neighbour.

Ooh & while you're there - why not pop into the Pearl (http://thehackneypearl.com/) for one of their delicious choccie brownies & a cuppa.

In All Its Guises

2011-03-09T12:11:00.002Z

This just in from everyone's fave art gallery curator - Will Chamberlain.....

Private View – Tomorrow - Thursday 10th March 18:00-21:00

Our environment is ever changing, never still and as such is a constant source of inspiration. Be it natural or man-made it provokes a myriad of responses. Here artists immerse themselves in their own visions and, through a range of media, create their own engaging statements interpreting the architecture that surrounds them.

EXHIBITORS

Jeanette Barnes has over the past three years produced a number of large drawings of the London 2012 Olympics under construction. These along with other city drawings were showcased at Toto, London 2010 in association with Blueprint architecture magazine. She has exhibited in many shows including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and Jerwood Drawing Prizes and received a number of commissions and awards. Her drawings explore through evolutionary layers of instinctive activity the development and growth of urban environments. The balance of these works constantly shifts in search of something as yet unknown. She is represented in public, corporate and private collections.

David Downes, originally from Suffolk, moved to London to study at the Royal College of Art. He undertook a major commission for BBC Heritage from 1999-2001 and was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize in 2004. Fascinated by the contrasts of the urban environment, he records the cityscape in mesmerising detail, often from imagined aerial perspectives. He recently completed residencies at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and Goldman Sachs, London, and has been working on site at the Olympic Park recording the construction process since 2008; selected works were recently displayed at London's City Hall. Sought after by corporate and private clients, David’s work is in the collections of the BBC, Land Registry, Kew Gardens and Merrill Lynch.

Peter Freeth grew up in Birmingham – a lasting influence - and studied painting and etching at the Slade. He won the Rome scholarship in 1960, and was elected to the Royal Academy in 1990. He has worked almost exclusively as a printmaker for many years. Freeth’s etchings have a rich tonality and draw on an unusually wide range of subjects, both from observed, everyday life and from, memory, imagination, music and literature. He is represented in many collections including the V&A, the British Museum, the Arts Council, the Fitzwilliam and Ashmolean, the National Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Simon James is a multi-disciplinary artist who has lived and worked in Asia for more than a decade and is noted for his large-scale video installations and photography. He has received a number of awards and commissions for his work and has exhibited internationally with solo shows in Berlin, London, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. Light as an agent of perceptual change and the interplay between the man-made environment and the forces of nature has been a constant source of inspiration during his career. Through architectural imagery, he explores mankind’s desire for order, control and aggressive self-expression in a manufactured landscape.

Julian Perry (born 1960) has gained considerable media attention for his landscape based paintings. His work is characterised by an engagement with the landscape that explores issues of land use and the often strange results of human labour. A major show at the London Guildhall in 2004 was the result of a three year project working in Epping Forest, more recently Perry recorded thirty allotment sheds now demolished to make way for the London 2012 Olympics. His most recent show (at Austin Desmond Fine Art) explored the extraordinary impact of Coastal Erosion. Perry has works in several major collections and is represented by Austin Desmond Fine Art.

Nessie Stonebridge’s works convey a sense of energy, restriction and release. Highly charged frenetic mark making oozing with emotional content that races and spills across the surface of the canvas only to be pierced by structural forms that ground and anchor the seemingly untamed work. Profiled by PhillipsART expert, picked by the Saatchi Gallery as emerging artist of the week and chosen by Modern Editions as one of the UK’s leading abstract artists, Stonebridge’s work is held in many private collections both nationally and internationally.
RSVP to smokehousegallery@formans.co.uk

Formans Restaurant will be open during the private view and at all times during the show.

Exhibition dates:
Thursday 10th March - Sunday 3rd April
Private View Thursday 10th March 18.00-21.00
Thu and Fri 5-9pm

Sat and Sun 12- 5pm

Venue: Formans Smokehouse Gallery, Stour Rd, Fish Island, E3 2NT

Private View Sample Menu

Forman’s Famous London Cure Smoked Salmon

Gourmet Salmon & Lobster Fishcake – Rocket Salad

Chicken, Air Dried Ham & Sage Ballotine - Buttered Spinach

Spinach & Goat’s Cheese Quiche - Tomato Salad (v)

Pot-roasted Scottish Daube of Beef – Horseradish Mash

Mushroom & Butternut Squash Risotto (v)

Any Dish - £9.50 Paddy & Scott’s Coffee & Cake Selection for 2 £9.50

(Cappuccino, Espresso, Latte or Americano with Chocolate brownies, Lemon & Pistachio Cake & Banana Bread)

For more information and for any exhibiting or sponsorship enquiries, please contact Gallery Manager William Chamberlain on 07947 175 283 or email him on smokehousegallery@formans.co.uk.

http://smokehousegallery.wordpress.com

They Say All Politics Is Local

2011-03-04T15:59:00.002Z

Parish the thought!

They say all politics is local, but how local? Well now, for Hackney residents (including the Wick), the way local decisions are made, on everything from house-building to park benches and licensing to Olympic planning, could be changing very soon.

London Assembly member, Andrew Boff, certainly thinks so. He came to Leabank Square Community Association’s latest meeting to tell us how he’s using a change in the law to set up a community council (a sort of urban parish council) for London Fields (http://londonfieldscouncil.org.uk/) and how the same idea might apply to the Wick.

We all think of Parish councils as being something for the countryside, or small villages, like the one up North where I’m from, but few people know that residents in urban areas can set up their own (http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Publications/Booklets_and_Resources.aspx). Cities having very blurred boundaries (Where exactly is Shoreditch??), there are few places within built-up areas that can said to be a self-contained community, but if anywhere is, surely it has to be our very own Hackney Wick?

So what would we do with an Urban Parish Council, or a Community Council if we decided to set one up? Well, for a start, the community council would have the right to be consulted on planning decisions in the local area, something that’s going to be a big issue for the Wick with all the Olympic developments and Lottery regeneration coming up. Urban parish/community councils can also share in the proceeds of new developments, make arrangements to put up more litter bins, get together to run allotments, organise local festivals or improve the local land and townscapes.

Wouldn’t this just cost a lot more money and mean more politicians though? That depends. The sort of community council people want for their area is up to them. Some parish councils don’t collect money and are entirely voluntary, funding improvements using their share of planning and development fees, public subscription or donations. Others might charge a precept, usually not more than £20 a year, and some will use a combination of these options. Relations with ward councillors and the borough are all issues that have been raised by opponents in other areas and it’s clear that the model isn’t for everywhere and that there are issues to be addressed. It seems that whether the Wick gets a Community Council or not and the success of that council will be dependent on one factor: US, the residents.

As with any local enterprise, it is what people make it. The make-up and ambition of a community council is a reflection of the local population. Would this work for our area? The people of Hackney Wick (the area bound by the Eastway, Railyway line and canal) will very soon be getting a chance to have their say. If more than 10% of the local population sign a petition to set up a Community Council, we could very soon be finding out.

Further information: A google search of “Urban parish Councils” will bring up lots of articles in the local and national press. This website shows the breadth of services that might be provided:
http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Document/Download.aspx?uid=dc050f08-3a21-4528-aa85-283cd57fc705

This article was written by our most enthusiastic gardener & Conservative Party Councillor hopeful - Mathhew Woods. Some of us have been lucky to work alongside him in the gardens - and will remember just how hard he grafts. And then other will remember him canvassing locally at the last election. Whatever your politics - you have to agree that Matt has Leabank Square & the rest of the Wick's interests at heart. Thanks Matt.

See also: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/matt-woods/

Wick Curiosity Shop 1st March - 6th March 2011

2011-02-26T20:16:00.002Z

I urge every one of us to get down to 10 Felstead Street to the Wick Curiosity Shop this coming week. From the 1st March to 6th March – we will be treated to the most incredible local extravaganza of fun, news, talks, walks & workshops – all just for us in Hackney Wick!!

Opening times from 11am – 7pm*
(*open later for evening events)

Just take a look at all this:

10 Felstead Street, Hackney Wick, Tuesday March 1 – Sunday March 6, 2011

The Wick Curiosity Shop is an informal archive and cultural space dedicated to Hackney Wick.
It will take over an empty shop in Olso House for the first week of March, hosting a series of events
about the ‘goings-on’ in the Wick of the past, present and future.

The Shop traces, documents, promotes, hosts and connects the many histories, initiatives and
ambitions of the area. It is also a space for debate and action for change in which desires,
ideas and makers can meet to plot collective or individual futures.

This coming week Wick Curiosity Shop focuses on current activities and programmes
including self-initiated, commissioned, informal and formal projects.

The programme splits into three groups of events:

1.The Way We Walk
2. The Way We Make
3. The Way We Talk

All events are free of charge
Places on the walks are limited, reserving a place is recommended.
You can do so by emailing info@wickcuriosityshop.net,
message us on Twitter @wickcuriosity or find us on facebook.

1. THE WAY WE WALK
A series of Walks from the Wick
By public works in collaboration with ……

Walking the Press
Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 11am
A walk from Abbey Gardens (www.abbeygardens.org) to the Wick Curiosity Shop in Oslo House, where we will take the mobile press from Abbey Gardens with us to make seed bombs. The seed bombs will be used for the Sunflower Avenue walk (see below).

Get an introduction to the beautiful Abbey Gardens and enjoy a slow walk into the Wick via the Greenway pushing, pulling and talking all things gardening.

The walk will be led by Andreas Lang and take approximately 1.5 hours Start is at Abbey Gardens at 11am.
Bakers Row E15 3NF. Check www.abbeygardens.org for directions.

Printers Paradise
Thursday, March 3, 2011, 3pm
‘Printers Paradise’ was the informal name of the dense cluster of printers and related industry spread around the Wick and along Carpenters Road.

With the changes sweeping through the area and the print industry, only a few outposts of Printers Paradise remain. Join us on a walk to trace some of the former glory, meet some of the printers and visit still active print workshops in Hackney Wick.

The walk will be led by Gemma Drake and Andreas Lang.

The walk starts at The Wick Curiosity Shop at 3pm, and will take approx. 1 hour.
10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT
The walk will contribute to an on-going project by Gemma documenting the changing industry in and around Hackney Wick.

Friday Fish Walk
Friday, March 4, 2011, 3pm
It is Friday afternoon and what better way to spend it than joining the Curiosity Shop
on a walk to show you where to pick up the best fish in the Wick!

Along the way we will fly post pictures and posters, which have been made on-site at Oslo House earlier in the week.

The walk will be led by Polly Brannan and take approx. 40 minutes.
We leave from the Wick Curiosity Shop, 10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

Sunflower Avenue Seed Bombing Walk
Saturday, March 5, 2011, 11am
Sunflower Avenue connects Mabley Green to Victoria Park cutting straight through
the heart of Hackney Wick.

It is a local Initiative by Lea Bank Square Purple Garden to establish a planted connection between the two local parks. Seed Bombs specially designed and made in the Wick Curiosity Shop will be used to replant hundreds of sunflowers while strolling along the Avenue.

The walk is led by Andreas Lang and take approx. 1 hour. Start is at the Wick Curiosity Shop,
10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT ending at Mabley Green

The Way We Walked
Saturday, March 5, 2011, 2pm
Following the footsteps of one of the most popular annual walks in the Wick – the Christmas Swim - we walk together to retrace the ‘Otters Swimming Club’ days, with giant posters and hot dogs on the way!

The walk is led by Polly Brannan and take approx. 1 hour. We will leave from the Wick Curiosity Shop,
10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

Off the Track
Brigand Boys, Monkey Parades and Clarnico Girls
Sunday, March 6, 2011, 4pm
Monkey Parades were popular from at least the 1840’s and were a British working class institution.

This courting congregation that saw men and women lavishly dressed to impress
was rife in Hackney in 19th Century. The walk retraces a visual journey of the Wick by George Sims, a journalist during the height of the popularity of Monkey Parades in the late 1800s.

Participants are invited to dress to impress and the ladies are invited to wear lavish hats (designed by the Ladies at the Wick). Drinks will be served on Mabley Green at the end.

The walk is led by Torange Khonsari and takes approx. 1 hour. It starts at the Wick Curiosity Shop,
10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

2. THE WAY WE MAKE
A series of hands on workshops in the Wick Curiosity Shop

The Anecdotal Manicure
Tuesday, March 2, 2011 from 2-5pm
Get your hair styled or your nails done, have a tea and chat about the Wick.
Lauren Campany will offer free hair styling and manicures in return for some lively anecdotes about the Wick - imaginary or real, regardless weather you live in the Wick or are on your first visit.

Pimp your Hat
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 6pm
Join the ‘Ladies of the Wick’ for a hat making session in the Wick Curiosity Shop
in preparation for the Monkey Parade - a courting congregation along the Wick,
which will see men and women lavishly dressed to impress.
Just bring yourselves – material is provided.

The workshop will be led by Torange Khonsari with the WI of Hackney Wick (tbc)

Fish Frying Posters
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 1,2,3, 2011 from 11am-2pm
Fish has been part of the Wick for a long time. Join us to make large scale
posters which will be copied and pasted during the Friday Fish Walk.

The woskhop will be lead by Polly Brannan.

Seed Bomb Pressing
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from 1pm-4pm
Join us and our magic 10 ton press to make unique Hackney Wick seed bombs
to re-seed the Sunflower Avenue.

The workshop will be led by Andreas Lang.

3. THE WAY WE TALK ,
REMEMBER AND IMAGINE

Wick Session Number 1
Collectively Wick
Thursday, March 3, 2011, 7pm till late
A Wick Development Trust and trust in development.
There is no Development Trust in Hackney Wick or the surrounding area. With so much speculative and top-down development descending on Hackney Wick we want to take a moment and brainstorm alternatives for a collective, community driven development of public spaces in Hackney Wick.

Speakers to be confirmed
Please check our website for updates, www.wickcuriosityshop.net

Wick Session Number 2
Grounds for culture
Friday, March 4, 2011, 7pm till late
Wick Session Number 2 will bring together artists and activists currently working on projects or setting up initiatives in Hackney Wick.
A friendly and informal exchange between practitioners with a passion for Hackney Wick.
Speakers to be confirmed
Please check our website for updates, www.wickcuriosityshop.net

Wick on Film
Saturday, March 5, 2011, 5pm till late
Pop down to the Wick Curiosity Shop on Saturday afternoon for a screening session
showing a varied selection of films from and about the Wick.

While the final programme is yet to be confirmed it is likely to include archive footage, explorations of what is now the Olympic site and stories from the area.

Curated and hosted by Rakan Budeiri and Andreas Lang
Please check our website for updates, www.wickcuriosityshop.net

Tea, Cake and Curiosities
Sunday, March 6, 2011, 1-4pm
Join us for some free Tea and Cake on early Sunday afternoon in the Wick Curiosity Shop, and bring you photos, anecdotes and rare curiosities to be included in the Wick Curiosity Shop archive.

The antiques road show meets friendly chatter and stories about life in the Wick.

The Wick Curiosity postal service to Graz, Austria.
public works is invited by Rotor Gallery to present the Wick Curiosity Shop in Graz, Austria.

After a packed week in Hackney Wick, the Shop will be journeying across the continent. The venue in Graz is situated in a similar social context to the shop’s home in the Wick and thus this visit aims to create a form of cultural exchange between the two areas, and a link between the explorations on either side.

As part of this exchange the Curiosity Shop is interested in receiving contributions
from visitors who would like to post something (physical or not) to Graz. If you have something to send, pop into the shop during the week or email us via our website.

Part of the show in Graz is a two day conference on URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD CULTURES with an impressive list of speakers from across Europe - Hackney Wick will be in good company!

The Wick CuirosityShop started in 2008 and has since been shaped by many different individuals and groups based in, or with close associations to, the Wick. The project does not have a permanent home, and exists across changing location and settings.

To browse the archive and find out more visit www.wickcuriosityshop.net

The Walks Programme is part of the ‘Wick Curiosity Shop - Route Book’ project by public works.
It is one of six temporary art projects commissioned by London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
for London Borough of Hackney (LBH) and London Borough of Tower hamlets (LBTH), curated by muf architecture/art.

This Wick Curiosity Shop was originally commissioned by [SPACE]
as part of the Hackney Wick Festival in 2008

Cliff Richard Gig in Hackney Wick?!

2011-01-19T11:44:00.001Z

Fiona has just sent this invitation to all of us to join these artists in Hackney Museum this Saturday. Some of went to the last one a few weeks ago - and this one promises to be even better! Please come along - you'll be gutted if you miss this!

THE CUT

Collecting stories of the River Lea Navigation Canal between Hackney Wick to Old Ford Lock
What can you tell us about the canal?
What do you remember?
Come and meet Chris Dorley Brown, Jessie Brennan and Daniel Lehan who are creating new artworks about the canal.

The event starts with a film screening which includes rare footage of Cliff Richard and The Shadows’ visit to Hackney Wick in the 1960s, plus scenes from Lesney Toy Factory, Hackney’s first computer pub, Kingsmead Estate and the Trowbridge blowdown. 11am to 11.45am.

Then join the artists to add your stories and contribute to the creation of a physical map of Hackney Wick, 12 – 2pm

Saturday 22nd January
11am to 2pm
Free
Refreshments provided
Hackney Museum , 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Cut is an oral history project led by artists and produced by SPACE
Three artists and a team of local volunteers are exploring the Hackney Cut, or Lea River Navigation Canal , and the industrial, physical and social history of Hackney Wick. By collecting stories (up to the present day) from the people who work and live alongside the canal the project will document the importance of The Cut to the community in an area undergoing huge change.

Contact: Fiona Fieber fifi@spacestudios.org.uk 0208 525 4347 www.spacestudios.org.uk

Fiona Fieber
Head of Learning and Participation
[ s p a c e ]129 – 131 Mare Street
London E8
020 8525 4347

Stories of the Lea River - 11 Dec 2010

2010-12-03T11:31:00.006Z

Fiona - over in Space Studios is inviting all of us over to St Mary of Eaton Church on Saturday 11 December - to see some old movies about the Lea River.

This is going to be the most amazing opportunity to see some incredible history of our neighbourhood - so I beg as many of you to turn up as possible.

But please also come if you have any interesting stories & anecdotes to tell about our river/canal. There are still loads of us who live here - and have seen many changes over the last few decades - who can enthrall the rest of us with incredible tales of Hackney Wick.

So - even if your Nan has moved out to Essex - please bring her along to Rev. Alan's church - to share some of her memories with the rest of us.

Details:

THE CUT: Stories of the River Lea Navigation Canal

11am - 2pm at St Mary of Eton Church, Eastway, Hackney Wick E9 5JA

A chance to see some rare old films and photographs of the area from the 1970s to the present day.

THE CUT is an artist led oral history project collecting stories from people who work and live alongside the waters of the Hackney Cut - from Lea Bridge to Old Ford Lock.
From September 2010 to March 2011 three artists and a team of local volunteers are exploring the industrial, physical and social history of this area of Hackney Wick.

By interviewing local residents they will document the importance of The Cut to the community in an area undergoing huge change, and create new work for an exhibition in 2011.

More info: Fiona Fieber fifi@spacestudios.org.uk

If you cannot make this event, please come along to Hackney Museum, Reading Lane, Hackney E8 1GQ on Saturday 22 January 11am- 2pm instead.

http://spacestudios.org.uk/whats-on/events/the-cut-stories-of-the-river-lea-navigation-canal

Hackney Wick 7/8 a Side Anyone?

2010-12-01T18:24:00.010Z

You know how it is at this time of the year. You're always promising yourself that you'll do some more excercise - but need a few new mates to help you do it. Well - how about joining the footie players for a light game every week.

Dom has just sent an appeal out for more members to join the 7/8-a-side footie teams on Mabley Green.

They meet up at the floodlit pitches every Thursday at 7pm - and normally finish at 8pm. Dom says they welcome anyone who's up for a friendly kickabout. The pitch fee is £5 each - all you need to do is contact Dom on dom@digitile.co.uk. There is already a good mix of regulars - as well as casual players.

Come on Hackney Wick - let's get together for an hour or so - and meet your neighbours!

View Larger Map

Get Your Bike Tagged - Youll Be Glad You Did!!

2010-12-01T12:25:00.004Z

Many thanks to Councillor Chris Kennedy one of our Wick Ward councillors - for sending this through. Almost everyone I meet nowadays has had a horror bike theft story (I know I always bore you with mine (http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-wheels-have-been-nicked-help.html) - and whoa betide you leave your lights on while nipping in for the paper!

Please do take advantage of this kind & generous offer from our Safer Neighbourhoods Team - the last session was very well attended - the more of us who get these chips - the less chance the toerags get away with our bikes!

Thanks Chris!

-----Original Message-----
From: Antony.P.Brotherton@met.pnn.police.uk

[mailto: Antony.P.Brotherton@met.pnn.police.uk]
Sent: 24 November 2010 13:28
Subject: BIKE TAGGING

Dear All

Following the previous successful Bicycle Tagging sessions in the Wick Ward, we have been able to secure a further limited supply of microchips for a one off event:

Location: WELL STREET COMMON at CASSLAND ROAD/ GASCOYNE ROAD JUNCTION
Date: MONDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2010
Time: 2PM - 6PM
Requirements: MUST BRING BICYCLE WITH YOU
MUST HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS
MUST BE ABLE TO REMOVE SADDLE FROM BICYCLE (PLEASE NOTE, THIS MICROCHIP DOES NOT WORK ON BROMPTON STYLE BICYCLES)

Can I ask that you let as many of your residents, colleagues, friends and family in the area who own bicycles aware of this event to help make it yet another success. However, please be advised that from previous experience, these tagging events do prove very popular and we expect the microchips to go before the end of the session as they will be distributed on a first come first served basis.

Should you require any further information about this, please do not hesitate to ask.

Kind regards

Antony Brotherton PCSO 7205GD
Hackney Wick SNT
Office Telephone: 020 7161 9214
Ward Mobile: 020 8721 2938
Ward Email: Wick.SNT@met.police.uk

BBC Culture Show Looking for Anish Kapoor Wickers

2010-11-30T11:43:00.003Z

Prue from the Beeb is looking for residents living around the Wick who will be seeing the massive ArcelorMittal Orbit (that's the olympic Helter Skelter to you & me) from their windows.
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/2010-04-01-22-29-31-anish-kapoor-to-design-iconic-visitor-attraction-for-olympic-park.html

It's probably one of those regular visit - How's it going this time - kind of programs. But with the most creative types living right here in Hackney Wick - surely we could come up with some incredible spokespeople for the Wick?!

Please all you creative types - get in touch with Prue - and give the culture show something special from Hackney Wick!!

Here's her email:

Dear Nadira and Sóna,

I'm writing to you from The Culture Show, the flagship magazine arts programme on BBC2. I'm currently working on a programme about the ArcelorMittal Orbit which is due to air in late 2011. The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a public sculpture by the artist Anish Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond. It is currently being built in the Olympic Park, near to the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre.

Once finished, the sculpture will be 115m tall. For our programme, we are really keen to meet people who will be able to see the sculpture from their homes. It would be wonderful to check in with them as the view from their window changes over the coming months. Do you know of anyone in the Hackney Wick area who is in this situation and might be interested in talking to us?

I will be on a recce in Stratford for the rest of the day, but do feel free to call me on the mobile number below if you have a thought of who we could speak to before tomorrow. If not any email with any help at all would be great.

Many thanks and best wishes,

Prue

Prue Richardson The Culture Show

BBC Vision Productions Room MC5 A3 The Media Centre 201 Wood Lane London W12 7TQ

T: +44 (0)20 8008 3861 M: +44 (0)7814 756344 E: prue.richardson@bbc.co.uk

Oh yes - did anyone else read the brilliant interview with Anish Kapoor over the weekend? His first free show in India is coming up - and........ http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/nov/27/anish-kapoor-india-exhibition

Tour Hackney Wicks Art Galleries & Studios Sat 27 Nov

2010-11-23T08:36:00.003Z

Would you love a chance to tour some of the most amazing Art Gallery's in Hackney Wick?! Well here's your chance!!

The Arts Council - together with Art Licks have put together an incredible tour of the Wicks most innovative & creative studios. I know the £10 is a bit steep - so make the most of it by really chatting to the artists you meet up with. Ask them more about the whole Hackney Wick area - and what an incredible place they find it.

For a short flavour of what you'll see:
http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2009/08/hackney-wicked-fantastic.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2009/08/hackney-wicked-completes-leabank-square.html

Saturday 27 November, 2.30-4.30pm: HACKNEY WICK

Meet at Hackney Wick Station, 2.30pm

You will visit:

Mother Studios
Schwartz Gallery
Artists' Studios
STOUR SPACE
L.I.U, Legacy 1

To book a place - visit:
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/index.php?id=25&ne_post_id=52719

Please come on down to Hackney Wick - this place is already kicking - imagine what it's going to be like when London's Silicone Valley starts up after the Olympics?!

Altered State by Mantis in the Lord Napier

2010-11-17T09:50:00.003Z

If you have time on Thursday - please come down to the Lord Napier pub in White Post Lane - just at the bottom on the north-bound platform of Hackney Wick Station.

Mantis is having a fantastic solo exhibition called 'Altered State'.

We all know that we need to support our local artists all the way - and these solo shows are the best way of giving them a much needed pat of the back for making the Wick such a stunning place to live.

Plus - this is a great way to see the inside of the Lord Napier as well. For those that are not hardcore ravers - or have ever wondered what goes on inside it - here are the contact details:

Thursday 18th November: RSVP preview 4-6PM, public view from 6-9PM
Friday 19th November: Viewing on appointment only.
Saturday 20th November: Open all day to the public from 11AM- 8:30PM, with a closing party on Saturday night with live music from 8-10:30PM with two of the artists favorite local bands.

The Lord Napier Pub
25 White Post Lane
Hackney Wick, E9

RSVP: alteredstate@themantisproject.co.uk
For more info email: mantis@themantisproject.co.uk

Please see:
http://arrestedmotion.com/2010/11/preview-mantis-altered-state-solo-exhibition/#more-83453

Stephen Gill on Hackney Wick

2010-11-14T10:10:00.002Z

How many of us remember the incredible Sunday Market in the old greyhound stadium in Hackney Wick? Absolutely anything went on there. It was a kind of lawless, non policed, unregulated market - with just about everything on sale.

Well - Stephen picked up an old camera from the market - and then started taking pics of the actual market with it. Many of us have seen his exhibition & bought the book (available from http://www.stephengill.co.uk/) and are still proud to call him one of our own.

Anyway - click on this link http://vimeo.com/16768040 to see him actually talking about the making of this collection of pics. It's fascinating!

What Pub Is This?

2010-11-09T19:17:00.004Z

You know how we always go on about all the terrible inventions that have come out of Hackney Wick......

Almost all of the most environmentally destructive products were invented right here in the Wick: Petrol, Dyes, Paint, Plastic, Laundromats - It wouldn't surprise me if a few insecticides weren't adapted from the list above as well.

Aaaaaanyway! Here's one we can be - if not proud about - the at least not feel too guilty about. The ever-investigative dorlec01 (http://www.youtube.com/user/dorlec01) has just posted a new found clip from Tomorrows World from 1965 - about an unknown pub right here in Hackney Wick.

It features a newly invented 'computer' that you dial your order to. And I mean dial - in the old fashioned - tick your finger in the correct number hole and turn the dial all the way around to the stopper.

If anyone remembers the actual pubs name - please send in a comment - and maybe we'll find some of the pubbers in the clip.

Greenway Volunteering Day - Friday 29 October

2010-10-27T11:30:00.003+01:00

The Hackney Wick end of the Greenway has been completely changed in the last few years. Gone is the muddy, burned-out motor-bike, overgrown, lawless, ASBO populated path of old. Some may say that they loved it that way - but families, cyclists & some of Hackney Wicks longer term residents are happier as it is slowly becoming.

The whole area has been severely hard landscaped - and although a few landmarks like the Second European War Pillbox (http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-this-pill-box.html) and some of the apple trees we planted years ago - are still there - but it's time to start replanting.

We tried some guerrilla planting a few weeks ago - but the whole area is infested with Olympic guards now - every time we pulled out a shovel - a pair of jackboots was soon on the scene.

Of course we will always continue to plant local & indigenous plants all over the Wick including the Greenway - but here's an opportunity to do some spying:

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are doing a voluntary planting day this Friday 29th along the Greenway. This is an ideal way to see what is being planted by them - so that we don't duplicate some of our efforts. Plus - you get a free lunch in the bargain from our good friends at the View Tube Cafe (http://www.theviewtube.co.uk/) into the bargain.

It's open for all - though the very short notice is somewhat suspicious - so please come along.

Meeting up at the View Tube Cafe at 10am for a quick chat & introduction. Planting then takes place between 10.30am & 1.00pm - with everything supplied by the ODA. Then your free lunch at 1.00pm - with the day closing at 2.00pm.

So please come on down and enjoy a bit of time with fellow Wickers - and you'll get to be part of the future landscape of Hackney Wick!

Artisan Designers Market in the Brittania

2010-10-21T20:38:00.003+01:00

I'm sure many of us will remember Erin & Mat from the Hackney Wick Festival. They had that amazing handmade fabric jewellery stall that we were all drooling over!!

Well - now's your chance to check them out again - or you can even hire a stall alongside them as well! Stalls cost a mere £10 - and because there will be many other amazing stall holders there - the punters will come flooding in - getting their Xmas shopping in nice & early.

This incredible market will be on every last Saturday of each month - starting October 30th - from 11am to 5pm.

So come on Hackney Wick - whether you want to set up stall - or simply browse yourself sill in a great pub - hop on the number 388 & get yourself down there!!

Hackney Pearl wins Time Out Award!!!!

2010-10-01T09:56:00.003+01:00

A very belated congratulations to James from the Hackney Pearl (http://thehackneypearl.com/) on winning the Best New Cafe award in Time Out a couple of weeks ago!!!

(Check out - http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/519/time-out-eating-and-drinking-awards-2010#cafe)

We all know just what a great guy James is - but what many of us don't know - is just how committed he is to Hackney Wick!

Very quietly - behind the scenes - he is a very community spirited member of Hackney Wick. He's offered community gardeners free cuppas to warm up after freezing days planting up the Wick. He's involved in redesigning the street scene around the Pearl to make it much more attractive for the rest of us. He is a member of the Hackney Wick Partnership - which looks at how best to masterplan Hackney Wick for generations to come - I could go on & on - but..........

........the best thing about him is his cafe!

Please pop down to the Hackney Pearl and sample his amazing food - you'll be so very happy you did!!

2010-09-16T21:07:00.002+01:00

Free narrow boat trips and fun event
Sunday 19th September 2010, 12 – 5pm

Windsor Wharf, Wick Village, E9 5NY
via Meadow Close, off Eastway, Lea Bridge end
or via Silk Mills Square, off Berkshire Road

Limited places, book in advance: Fiona 0208 525 4347 fifi@spacestudios.org.uk

Activities
12 – 5.0: Exhibition of model narrow boats. Artists Jack Brown and Isobel Manning worked with local schools to build model narrow boats whilst investigating Hackney Wick's history. Each boat has been hand coloured and pupils have added their own unique cargos with stories to tell.
1.15: Pop up singing from the Secular Choir
1.45: Jo Roach, Hackney poetry performance
2.15: Peter ‘Wiggy’ Wilson talk and walk to the Eton Mission Rowing Club, Wallis Road (approximately one hour in total)
2.30: Jo Roach performs a second set of poetry
3.0: The Secular Choir pops up
4.0: The Secular Choir pops up again

We’re taking part in Hackney Wick Festival!
www.hackneywickfestival.org..uk
THE CUT

THE CUT is an artist led oral history project collecting stories from people who work and live alongside the waters of the Hackney Cut - along the River Lea from Lea Bridge to Old Ford Lock.

From September 2010 to March 2011 there will be three artists and a team of local volunteers exploring the industrial, physical and social history of this area of Hackney Wick.

Through interviewing local residents they will document the importance of The Cut to the community in an area undergoing huge change and create new work for exhibition in 2011.

SPACE provides artists studios across east London including Bridget Riley and Britannia Studios on Fish Island and Eastway Studios in Hackney Wick.

http://www.spacestudios.org.uk/

Go On a Date & Make the BNP Lose!!

2010-04-22T18:45:00.004+01:00

Please join, enjoy and promote this facebook page: http://www.facebook .com/# !/pages/Celebrate- Cross-Cultural- Dating-Day/ 110621505643696

Celebrate St. George's day (Fri 23 April) by continuing a great English tradition ofdating across borders. It doesn't matter if they're from a different 'race', culture, religion, suburb, or football club. Don't be shy... make that call!

Invite the lucky guy / girl down your local Indian / Chinese / Eritrean / El Salvadorian Restaurant / Fast Food Outlet. Have a great night, introduce them to your national drink and find out something new about someone attractive from somewhere exotic.

Cross-Cultural Dating Day coincides with the launch of the manifesto of the British National Party. The BNP, a small but courageous self-help group have come together to make a public admission that they have an irrational fear of people with a different skin-colour to theirs. Help them overcome their phobia by enjoying a pleasantevening out with someone from a different culture. Send them the message that love could come from where they least expect it.

Remember, great things can come from dating across borders... just look at Barack Obama.

If you're already in a relationship why not have a cross-cultural double date? (but keep it clean... no car-key lucky -dip!)

THIS PAGE: was set up by a small group of optimistic young people. Our aim is to elicit a wry smile and spread a bit of joy on this special Friday. PLEASE PROMOTE: on your blog, Twitter feed and Facebook profile.

Hackney Wick - North South East West

2010-04-19T15:41:00.006+01:00

North

South

East

West

Great Hackney Wick Flea Market 27.03!!

2010-03-27T21:14:00.003Z

Yet again the Hackney Wick Flea Market was a great success! It seems to be going from strength to strength!

The most notable change at today's market was the amount of food stalls. In fact - coupled with the Stour Street market - there are more than enough amazing bakers, brewers & BBQers to take on Broadway Market further down the canal!!

Wouldn't that be a fantastic weekly event?! Imagine Hackney Wick Village Green (opposite St Mary's Church) hosting all the incredible food stalls that are currently in these 2 great markets?! People would travel for miles around to come & enjoy delicious food near the largest Artists Quarter in the world!!

Many thanks have to go to Man Hon for always putting on such a brilliant day for all of us!

See also: http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-great-success.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-sat-2710.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2009/12/hackney-wick-flea-market-xmas-special.html
http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2010/03/hackney-wick-flea-market-sat-2703.html
http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-brilliant.html

Meg Hillier in Hackney Wick!!

2010-03-25T20:10:00.003Z

Our elusive MP will be in our neck of the woods this Saturday 27th March! For too long now - many of us thought she was just a photo on an ID card - but no - she is real - and will be at the Hackney Wick Community Centre - in the flesh!!

Could the small fact that there is an election looming have anything to do with this?!

As many of you know - the fact that Ms Hillier is a junior minister (for ID Cards) means that she cannot personally raise our concerns in the House Of Parliament. According to the excellent interview with our fave blogger - Blood & Property - she does represent us - sort of behind the scenes though.

There's a relief - and there were we thinking she was only concerned about moving up a few political ladders - with us - her constituents - scrambling around the feet of the ladders.

Anyhow - the day is predominantly about the Hackney Wick Time Bank - but as it's a few weeks to go before the election - I'm sure she wouldn't mind answering a few questions from her constituents huh?!

Please check out Blood & Property's amazing interview here: http://bloodandproperty.blogspot.com/2010/03/meg-hillier-answers-blood-and-property_22.html

Hackney Wick Flea Market - Sat 27.03

2010-03-24T10:32:00.004Z

One of the most community spirited people you're ever likely to meet here in Hackney Wick - Luk Man Hon (Yes! him of http://www.vinylpimp.co.uk/ fame!) is putting on yet another Hackney Wick Flea Market in the doomed Main Yard Gallery.

Please see: http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-brilliant.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-great-success.html

......... for a flavour of past successes - but please also come down to be a part of the rapidly changing landscape of the Wick before the Olympic Juggernaut obliterates everything in its path!

Luk Man Hon encapsulates everything Hackney Wick needs in its residents just now. He runs his own very successful business, knows everyone in the Wick, always has time for a chat (even late last night in the checkout queue) - and still finds time to get as many people from Hackney Wick together for these brilliant events.

Events are what Hackney Wick needs many more of just now. We all love getting together for a relaxed chillout session - just enjoying our Hackney Wick with friends!

Hackney Wick Time Bank Launch - Sat 27th March

2010-03-21T22:37:00.003Z

Want to plant some seedlings for your neighbour? Maybe get your plumbing fixed in return?

Good guitarist? Give lessons to someone else. Can't reach your top windows - borrow an extra long ladder?

Please come along to the Hackney Time Bank Launch at the Wick Community Centre this Saturday 27th March between 11am & 4.30pm.

There will be smoothie making, henna tattoos, food, fun football - plus bring along any broken bicycles and get them fixed for free by the Bike Dr!!

For more information contact Gemma McGrath on 0208 829 4683 - or gemma.mcgrath@familymosaic.co.uk

Come on Hackney Wick - let's get sharing & making The Wick a lot nicer to live in!

Hackney Wick Masterplan Community Meeting

2010-03-21T20:24:00.004Z

A huge thanks to Helen Goodsell of Hackney Council for arranging this great meeting for Hackney Wick. We all got to meet many of the people who can make our lives a lot easier. From the parking department to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC).

Rev Alan Piggot from St Mary's in the Eastway - started the meeting off by putting into context the journey we have all been on the past few years. Then Charlie Forman from the Olympic Team in Hackney Council introduced us to the main speakers - Neil Walker from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) - who are actually running the Olympic Games & Sarah - one of the Pathfinder volunteers - who help LOGOC run the games.

We then heard from Emma Wheelhouse - from the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) - who is responsible for seeing that the Wick gets a good result after the Games.

Naturally - most of what they said was all spin. Unfortunately they still haven't got past this spin (which can take ages!) phase yet. We heard that the real decisions are only going to be made in a few months time. But the most important thing is that they have now introduced themselves to us.

The rest is up to us. We need to make them aware of anything we want them to do. They are our servants. We are all paying their wages - and we are the ones living next to this huge park. We need to tell them what we want.

With this in mind - I brought up the catering facility with Neil again - and he promised that some sort of answer soon about all the plans, timings, mitigation etc included in the original email. Watch this space.

I the also asked Emma (again - again) - what was going to become of the footprint of the catering facility in legacy mode. All the plans still have a green open space directly opposite Leabank Square - but she still insists that the planning is in process - and that nothing has been decided yet.

Again - I stressed upon her our absolute desire that we have it returned to Arena Fields (all be it - much reduced) - so that when the Gainsborough School Footbridge is re-built - it lands on a green open space. She is still spouting the same regurgitated answers we have heard many times before - but says that the planning is to be decided early next year (2011) and we should know more then.

Please remember to include Charlie Forman, Boris Johnson, Tessa Jowel & Meg Hillier in all your correspondence over this subject. We need them to impress on the OPLC that although we lost the lovely Arena Fields - but we can have some of it back in its original place!!

All in all - we had an enjoyable day networking - although the Olympic part was the same old same old - just a few new faces.

It was good to talk to Robert Kavuma from Environemntal Health about the noise before 8am on the Arena Fields Road.
The roads department was still undecided about the Controlled Parking Zone for the Wick just now.
It was brilliant chatting to Felicity from British Waterways - always positive.
Alan also spoke a bit more about the re-submitted plans for St Marys as well.

Helen - once again - thank you so very much for getting this all arranged. You & the whole Hackney Council team made a big difference to the way we are all feel about this corner of your borough.

Towpath Tidy 2010 is Great Fun!!

2010-03-13T21:52:00.004Z

Thank you to all the staff of British Waterways who turned out to make the Lea River Towpath more lovely for all of us Hackney Wick residents!

Along with some local volunteers - the rails were repainted, litter picked up, junk lifted out of the Lea - and immense fun had by all.

Please see: http://www.waterscape.com/features-and-articles/features/towpath-tidy-2010 for more news on future Towpath Tidy days.

For more pics from today - please see: http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/03/towpath-tidy-2010-such-great-fun.html

Thanks British Waterways!!

Say Good-Bye to Matchbox Toy Factory - Lesney's

2010-02-28T20:39:00.007Z

The historic Matchbox factory - Lesney Industries Ltd - is going to be completely demolished this week.

I know 2 separate residents here in Leabank Square who used to work there - and a whole lot more in the wider Wick. If you want to say your goodbyes to this iconic building - a few of us will be taking a few flasks of tea to the towpath opposite - tomorrow at 3pm.

Even if you never worked there - you would almost definitely have pushed around a Matchbox car as a girl or boy. If you still have one or two - why not bring it along to show the rest of us.

The Matchbox name started in 1953 as a brand name of this British toy company - Lesney Products (named after its co-founders Leslie and Rodney Smith), which had been founded in 1947 as an industrial die casting company.

I know we are all going to welcome our new neighbours who will occupy the new creative/residential development - but it is still a sad time for some of us.

See a few more pics at:

http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/last-chance-to-see-lesneys-matchbox.html

Hackney Wick Flea Market a Brilliant Success!!

2010-02-27T22:27:00.004Z

A massive thank you to Man Hon Luk for organising today's Hackney Wick Festival in the Main Yard Gallery!

Not only was it a great success - but it was a lovely way to say goodbye to the awesome building. Of course we all know just how rapidly Hackney Wick is changing - but it is always sad to lose a venue where we have all had loads of fun.

If you missed today's Market, here's a flavour - plus a few more pics at http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/

Stour Space Designers Market a Great Success!

2010-02-27T21:06:00.005Z

Today was the first Stour Space Designers Market - and everyone agrees that it was amazing!!

Thanks to all the talented artists who took part - the whole of Hackney Wick was greatly impressed with all your designs.

Watch this space for more news of any future markets.

Check out http://hackneywickartgallery.blogspot.com/ for more pics.

Hackney Wick Flea Market - Sat 27.10

2010-02-25T19:54:00.002Z

The next Hackney Wick Flea Market is on again this Saturday in 2 locations this time!!!

Locations - Main Yard Gallery, 90 Wallis Road, Hackney Wick, london E9 5LN and the Stour Space Designers Market

This message from the unstoppable Man Hon Luk:

Hey you,

Unlike Brick Lane Market, one will need determination and desire to be at these
two markets in Hackney Wick this Saturday.

Beside the overground is not running (Until late May), Wallis Road market is
located on the second floor of a building that is scheduled to be demolished
very soon, while at Stour Space you will find yourself unable to escape the
continuous consumption of mulled wine.

There are over 20 stalls from home made foods to hula hoops, already signed up
for Flea market, though there are still space if you wish to join us. At Stour
Space Designers Market you will see the best up and coming talent from London
based Designers/Makers!!

So if you feel you are up to it, please invite ALL your friends through Facebook
for

Hackney Wick Flea Market - http://www.facebook.com/l/62b7f;bit.ly/axvcOw

Stour Space Designers Market - http://www.facebook.com/l/62b7f;bit.ly/c7lqVt

Best of luck finding the strength to see us this Saturday,

Hon AKA Vinyl Pimp

Towpath Tidy 2010

2010-02-17T12:30:00.003Z

We've just had a brilliant invitation to help clean up the canal with British Waterways.

I know some of us have been invovled in these annual clean-ups before - but we need many more volunteers to help out this year. It is always a lovely fun-filled day - and we get to meet many more of our neighbours from up & down the canal!

Felicity McClintock from British Waterways says: Hackney’s event will cover the stretch from Leabridge Road (Princess of Wales Pub) through to the towpath opposite you on Saturday 13th March.

*********** Towpath Tidy London 1st to 14th March 2010 *****************

We are calling on volunteers to come and help us spring clean our waterways.

Volunteers are needed to put on their boots and take part in British Waterways’ Towpath Tidy 2010 – coordinated activity days which will take place along targeted stretches of the capital’s waterways between Monday 1st and Sunday 14th March 2010.

Everyone is welcome, with activities ranging from litter picking, planting, painting and graffiti cleaning, floating litter removal to cutting back towpath vegetation.

To find out how you can get involved and to register for one (or more) of the events, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Fishwick on

mob 07917 424590, email: karen.fishwick@britishwaterways.co.uk

or visit www.waterscape.com/towpathtidy

to visit all Towpath Tidy listings and locations in the country. You may also want to follow Towpath Tidy on Twitter and Facebook.

Eight London locations

Brent Reservoir (Monday 1st March)
Bishop’s Stortford, Stort Navigation (Monday 1st March)
Ealing (3 sites), Grand Union Canal, Paddington Arm (various dates)
Hackney, River Lee Navigation (Saturday 13th March)
Kingsland Basin, Regent’s Canal (Saturday 13th March
Slough Arm, Grand Union Canal (Wednesday 3rd March)
St Pancras, Regent’s Canal (Saturday 6th March)
Stockley Park, Grand Union Mainline Canal (Thursday 18th March)

Please note numbers may be limited at some locations depending on works and facilities so it is important you let her know if you would like to join us.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Felicity McClintock
Water Quality & Environment – Project Coordinator
Lower Lee Valley Waterways

British Waterways London
1 Sheldon Square, Paddington Central, London W2 6TT
Mob: 07 500 226 139

www.waterscape.com

Come on Hackney Wick - let's get the other side of the canal all cleaned up as well!!

Hackney Wick Station Closes for 4 Months!!!

2009-10-16T12:54:00.003+01:00

While doing the spring bulb planting earlier this week - the main topic of conversation was the closure of Hackney Wick Station -and several other along the line!

I did a lot more homework - and although the exact date is still being kept a secret - it will be happening just after the turn of the year.

So - Leabank Square - lets do a short review.......

Public Transport more or less shapes this part of Hackney Wick. Besides us being the 'This Bus Terminates Here' end of numerous bus routes - we are also one stop (Stratford) from the end of the North London Line. We are too far away from the new East London Line (nearest station will be Dalston) for it to be too viable to start travels. And then there are the ever changing bus stops that keep being dug up for very long periods of time.

Most Hackney Wick residents do not have a car - and are completely at the mercy of public transport - and some of us have been very active in keeping the tenuous links still passing by Hackney Wick. Now it seems that the most reliable travel link will be taken out for at least 4 months!!

Of course it is necessary to lengthen the platforms in preparation for all the Olympic traffic - but what we were all discussing was - if it was absolutely necessary to completely close the station?

Can't they somehow keep the station open at peak-times - and work during the middle part of the day? Couldn't they keep one side's platform open while they work on the opposite one? Could they not erect temporary platforms & steps further along the tracks? Oh we had many wacky ideas - best of all was Tony offering his paid services to piggy-back passengers down the embankment!

I'm sure they are going to lay on replacement buses - but we already have them on Sundays - and all know what an absolute joke they are!

So - the only suggestions we can all offer are:

Join us cycling residents for regular shopping trips

Start planning alternative arrangements now

Get Tescos to deliver your groceries - and charge the £5 delivery cost to TFL

Notify all your friends and families - so that they can use alternative travel arrangements

Get to know a local taxi firm a bit better

Gather a few more take out leaflets for days you just can't make it to the supermarkets

.......... there! Just a few we managed to come up with in between planting next springs daffodils. Please send any more suggestions to us all if you come up with brighter ideas!

Olympic Park cuts off Hackney Wick

2009-10-16T12:28:00.002+01:00

I'm not in the habit of bigging up any of Murdock & Co's newspapers - but this excellent article is well worth reading. Rest assured - by reading it online he doesn't make too much more money!

But it deals with the loss of Carpenters Road. This was the road we all used to get to Stratford from Hackney Wick. Sure it was a cycle hazard - I remember a wheel come rolling out of one of the dodgy breakers yards - and just missing my son on his tag-a-long!

But it was so crucial to get to the library, the brilliant Discovery Centre, the cheaper markets, the ever-changing Stratford Shopping Centre - and of course the station.

But the along came the Olympics and cut us off. Ever since - there has been an eroding friendship effect between the two old East End neighbours. The Greenway is still an alternative to cycle along - but it regularly gets closed for some or other construction reason.

That just leaves the North London Overground. But soon into 2010 - this too closes for 4 months while the platforms are lengthened on a few stations!!

It is as if the options for visiting friends and old neighbours are being slowly taken away from all of us by the ODA. Anyway - please read this article - and see what you think - please feel free to comment on either this blog - or the linked Times one.

See: http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article6876150.ece

Save the Hackney Empire

2009-10-01T14:08:00.004+01:00

Okay - so I know it's not exactly Hackney Wick - but so many of us Wickers go to the Hackney Empire - that it feels a part of the Wick somehow.

Right - so the news is that it will shut for 9 months after the year-end panto season. This will save them some money - and they should be able to open again - this time next year in a better financial position.

Please write to any influential people you know - to make sure this does actually happen. Start with our 3 councillors: Christine Boyd http://www.hackney-labour.org.uk/5c076b27-97af-78b4-0516-cb341f6369bb, Chris Kennedy http://www.hackney-labour.org.uk/620a0b40-6bc0-b644-35b5-3fb384425db2?PageId=67e1b71c-c673-c5f4-753b-3921b61df196 and Jessica Webb http://www.hackney-labour.org.uk/620a0b40-6bc0-b644-35b5-3fb384425db2?PageId=f66efe97-cc07-bd74-a923-c760106c09fd.

Then work you way up to the Prime Minister if you have to - but please get them to do or say anything to make sure that the Hackney Empire gets to re-open. Sometimes these temporary closures have a way of becoming permanent - and the more of us that keep the pressure on the decision makers - the better chance there is of making people stick to their word.

Any ideas for what we might want from a future Hackney Empire posted up here as comments - will be passed on to the board at the Hackney Empire.

Historical Tour of Hackney Wick

2009-09-24T13:30:00.004+01:00

As if the Hackney Wick Festival and the Hackney One Carnival aren't enough to satisfy you this weekend..........

Find out about the history of people and places in Hackney Wick with on a guide tour this Saturday (September 26).

In a joint event between Hackney Archives and the Hackney Society, a tour guide will take residents around places of interest starting at Gainsborough Primary School in Berkshire Road from 2pm.

Some of us went on this tour in the spring and it is absolutely fascinating to see where plastic was invented, see the drawings of the original Hackney Wick Mansion (I know!) - and see just what Atlas Wharf used to look like.

But there are many more very interesting facts to be experienced - so please come along the Gainsborough School at 2pm. Actually - if you get there a bit earlier - you could pick up a hot dog at their barbie - as part of the Hackney Wick Festival!!

Hackney One Carnival 2009

2009-09-24T13:07:00.004+01:00

Hackney Wick Festival - Saturday 26th Sept!

Hackney One Carnival - Sunday 27th Sept!!

What an amazing weekend in stall for all of us in just a couple of days time!?

The very next day after our own festival - is the incredible Carnival down the road - starting at the Town Hall in Mare Street - and processing along to Hackney Downs park!! The fun starts at 11.30 am - but pretty much lasts all day long - so please get there.

If its anything like as good as last year - you are going to have the last great blast of Summer this weekend!!

See you at both the fantastic days out!!

Many More Lovely Neighbours coming!!!

2009-09-24T11:46:00.003+01:00

We all absolutely love living along the Lea River Navigational Canal - it's what makes The Wick so special.

You simply cannot fail to notice the humongous Olympic Park growing on the other side every day. But what of any new developments our side? The Fish Island end has the fantastic Omega Works complex on the corner of Regents & Lea Canals - leading on to the Artists District down to the Old Peanut Factory.

And the Leabank Square end is soon to have two brand new developments!

About 10 minutes walk along the tow-path - the Paradise Park development will open any day now. This is where the old Victorian dock built at the height of Empire - had a glass works, Indian rubber factory and carbolic acid plant. More recently it housed QTV. It was quite squalid until the new development - but should bring a lot more cyclists & ramblers along the Lea.

And more closely - the Old Matchbox factory - Lesney's to you & me - is soon to be pulled down and replaced with many great artists live/work units managed by London & Quadrant. This is sure to pull in some more amazing talent to the Wick - and should be completed in time for the Olympics as well.

Speaking of which - there is huge pressure being put on to the Olympic Legacy Company to convert the International Press Centre & the International Broadcast Centre into similar artistic artistic units.

The long & short of it all - dear readers - is that Hackney Wick is set fair to be the most incredibly vibrant artistic community in the entire UK!

There is not going to be any more hooked-up, networked and artist friendly place on the planet! So if we think we have it lucky to live here now - just wait a few short years - and we'll be living amongst even more great neighbours!

Hackney Wick Guerilla Gardeners Strike Again!!

2009-09-05T14:49:00.002+01:00

With only a few short weeks to go to the Hackney Wick Festival 2009 - our VERY friendly Guerrilla Gardeners have delivered a stunning raised bed for us!

Thank you to everyone involved!!! You have really made this little corner of the Wick beautiful!!

Please - Hackney Wick - go for a lovely stroll over the weekend - and spend a few minutes on the new wide corner of Berkshire Road & Wallis Road. There's a fragrant bay tree surrounded by loads of busy lizzies & pansies!

Hackney Wick Guerrilla Gardeners - we all love you!!!

Hackney Wicked Fantastic!!

2009-08-03T12:30:00.008+01:00

For more pics - see: http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2009/08/hackney-wicked-completes-leabank-square.html

Reece's 83 000 match canoe!!!

2009-04-26T19:03:00.003+01:00

Just about everyone who knows Reece will know that he recently had a bit of time on his hands. Did he just sit & watch day-time telly?!

NO!!!

He only went & built a canoe out of 83 000 matches!!

And it is completely watertight! This afternoon he paddled all the way from Omega Works - to Walthamstow Marshes & back!!! He didn't have to get out once!

Reece - absolutely good on you mate! Not only did you use your time very productively - but you made an absolute beaut of a boat!

Please look out for Reece on the Lea & Regents Canals this summer - and when you see him - please give him all the compliments he deserves! He does so much for our community - and now he's not wasted a second of his time by creating an practical work of art!

Hackney Wick Sunflower Avenue!!!!

2009-04-15T15:23:00.005+01:00

Please make this summer the best one Hackney Wick has ever had - by planting Sunflowers all the way through it!!!

There is going to be a stunning avenue of sunflowers starting at the Hackney Wick Community Centre - in The Eastway - running along Osborne Road, coming down Berkshire Road, turning into Wallis Road - and over the footbridge into Viccie Park!!

A veritable River of Yellow flowing right through Hackney Wick!!

You can make it look even more amazing by planting as many sunflower seeds as you can all along this route - and even in side streets to the route!!

Pop down to Lidl, B&Q or even any pound shop - pick up a few packets of seeds - and get planting!! By the height of summer - these flowers will unite the whole of Hackney Wick in smiling, happy, yellow sunflowers!!

Come on Hackney Wick - let's show ourselves off this year!!

Womens Institute in Hackney Wick!!

2009-03-29T20:39:00.004+01:00

Starting a WI in the WickHackney Wick Community Centre (Old Baths)Monday 30th March 2009Hosted by Niki Stevens (President of Eastend WI)niki.stevens@btinternet.com

Calling all women in the Hackney Wick

… okay so the picture of the preserves is a little twee – but we have the opportunity to form a really interesting group here in Hackney Wick.The WI may conjure up images of baking cakes and charity calendars – but we can create a group that fits all our needs.

Just imagine meeting new people and making lasting friendships with women who live right on your doorstep.

Taking time out of from children, jobs and day to day stresses can all be just the therapy we need to make us feel human again!

So why not come along on Monday evening (6.30pm – 8.30pm) for a cup of tea and a chat and we’ll see what great ideas we can come up with.

Hackney Wick Festival 2009

2009-03-19T10:55:00.004Z

Just a reminder that if you are interested in getting involved with this years Hackney Wick Festival on Saturday 26.09.09 - Tracie & Niki are very keen to hear from you.

Please check out all the confirmed activities on: http://www.hackneywickfestival.org.uk/Welcome.html or send an email to info@hackneywickfestival.org.uk for up-to-date info.

We all remember just what a great time was had by all last year - and this year it will be even bigger & better!!

See you there!

Hackney Marsh Big Litter-Pick

2009-03-17T15:51:00.002Z

The Big Litter-Pick

HMUG and Hackney Parks Rangers will be holding a litter-picking session on Hackney Marsh and East Marsh.

Date: Wednesday 15th April 2009
Time: 9:30am to 12:30pm
Meet: Homerton Road entrance to the car park

Come and join us to remove this eyesore from our green spaces. Everyone welcome. Tools and gloves provided.

Buses W15 and 308 stop on Homerton Road. Buses 236 and 276 stop near Kingsmead Estate - a short walk along Homerton Road.

Hackney Marshes User Group.
Hackney Marshes User Groupare volunteers who:
Organise walks round the Marshes, and explore and enhancetheir wildlife through planting and caring for trees and hedges.
Work to improve the Marshes for all sectors of the community,and campaign to protect them from inappropriate development.
Organise free activities and skill-sharing days, and runHackney Community Tree Nursery & Forest Garden.

Hackney Marsh Sports Hub

2009-03-17T15:46:00.004Z

This email came from our ever-impressive Hackney Wick friend - Steve Dowding:

Hackney Marsh Sports Hub planning application - have your say!

The consultation period for the development proposals for Hackney Marsh closes on Monday 16th March 2009. Please have your say, to protect the Marsh from further loss of green space and encroachment on Common Land.

HMUG will be submitting a number of objections, which are posted on the website.� Please use this link �to find out more, and submit your objections by Monday at the latest.

Hackney Marshes User Group.
Hackney Marshes User Groupare volunteers who:
Organise walks round the Marshes, and explore and enhancetheir wildlife through planting and caring for trees and hedges.
Work to improve the Marshes for all sectors of the community, and campaign to protect them from inappropriate development.
Organise free activities and skill-sharing days, and runHackney Community Tree Nursery & Forest Garden.

Is this a Pill Box?

2009-03-16T17:10:00.003Z

This amazingly concrete structure is at the cross of the Greenway & the Lea River Navigational Canal - and looks very similar to some 2nd World War pill boxes.

Does anyone know the history of it, what it actually is, why it's there, what are the three concrete structures in front of it?

At the moment - it is almost as if it's the frontline of the Olympic Park - against the rest of Hackney Wick. This coupled with the electric fence they are busy surrounding the whole park with - really re-enforces the whole no-mans-land atmosphere of the site.

Aaaaaaanyway - any guesses about the concrete bunker?

Restuarant Review: The Wick Cafe

2009-03-15T17:56:00.006Z

The Wick Cafe

28 Felstead Street

Hackney Wick

London

E9 5LG

020 8533 7575

Mon - Fri 5am to 5pm

Sat - 6am to 5pm

Sun - 7am to 5pm

Although we have either eaten in - or took away - from The Wick Cafe quite a few times before - we've never written about them up on this blog before.

For that - we must apologise!

The Wick Cafe was the pioneering cafe this close to the old Trowbridge, Leabank Square & Wick Village residents - and as such needs to be given all the support they can get.

Not that they need it that much - as they are almost always very busy!!

The Wick Cafe is such a cheap, delicious, fantastic, friendly, green, peaceful & delightfully communal place to eat! The staff are always very helpful and easy going. The service is fast and efficient. The bills always surprisingly low.

And they have the most spectacular green creeper growing the whole length of the cafe. It truly is an amazing plant - which always brings a smile to your face - as you stuff it full of utterly scrumptious food!

During the week - it is normally crammed with local workers. Whether it's Olympic constructioners, McGrath skippers, Hackney dust carters, Gainsborough teachers - lunch time is a great time to people watch. You get to see a fantastic picture made up of all the people who make Hackney Wick tick.

In the afternoons & evenings - it's mostly locals having a late lunch or early evening meal. Artists, musicians, parents, toddlers, media-types - all having a great meal in quieter hours.

At the weekends - it's mainly us lazy locals again - having a late breakfast after a lie-in. The pic above is us as a family having a Sunday brunch before a long cycle work-off!

Needless to say - the food was scrummy, portions very generous & bill highly affordable.

The Wick Cafe opened up here in Hackney Wick when no-one else was investing in us. This - plus the amazing plant growing across the ceiling - and reasons enough for us all to support this amazing place!!

Beating the Bounds of the Games - a Hackney Wick Walkabout

2009-03-07T10:14:00.003Z

‘Yes, this was Hackney Wick,

my dears,

this was Hackney Wick,

Do the rounds and beat the bounds

And make the memories stick’

Poem © Ralph Rochester, 2009. Illustrations © Zara Slattery, 2009.

Please come for a fantastic walk with storyteller Diana Olutunmogun for a chance to find out about the history of people and places in Hackney Wick;

including local boxer Harry Mallin, the Eton Manor Boys Club,Hackney Speedway and loads more!

Come and share facts and info that YOU know about your local area.

Saturday 21 March 2009, 2pm

A circular walk starting on our riverbank with loads of hot chocolate and cake provided. The walk is suitable for children 7 years and upwards, and their parents.

This event is free, but booking is necessary.To book contact Lisa on 020 8806 4003 oremail

lisa@hackneysociety.org

For a FREE copy of the Hackney Wick HeritageTrail email:lisa@hackneysociety.orgor call020 8806 4003

This project has been generously funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Renaissance London; and supported by the Hackney Heritage and Built Environmrnt Partnership.

This is a joint event between the Hackney Society (

http://www.hackneysociety.org/) and Hackney Archives (www.hackney.gov.uk/ca-archives).

Olympic Stadium Coming Along Nicely

2009-02-16T17:35:00.004Z

Just thought I'd put up a few pics of how the Olympic Stadium is looking just now.

These were taken form the Greenway - the only way to cycle or walk in between Hackney Wick & Stratford - since Carpenters Road was closed.

It seems a bit better now - there don't seem to be as many biker joy-riders buzzing our kids cycles nowadays. Maybe it's because of all the construction site workers toing & froing - or maybe its the ex-Ghurka soldiers manning the security points along the Greenway.

Aaaaaaanyway - parts of the stadium seem to be going up speedily - but it kind of looks like a vertical million piece jig-saw puzzle with only one side started at the moment.

Still worth a Sunday afternoon stroll Hackney Wick!

Restuarant Review: West Indian Food & Jerk Centre

2009-02-13T11:06:00.004Z

West Indian Food & Jerk Centre

97 Wick Road

Hackney Wick

E9 8AB

(Corner of Barnabus Road)

07951 461 034

Opening Times: Mon-Thurs: 12 noon to 10.30pm

Fri & Sat: 12 noon to 1.30am

Last night we got a take-out delivered from the new brilliant West Indian Food & Jerk Centre - and it was fantastic!

We found out about it through our lovely neighbour - Zoulla - and this is probably going to be the way many of us find out about it.

It's definitely a word-of-mouth experience. Once someone has eaten from it - the news will be passed on to only your special friends.

The 'Centre' is actually right next to the Prince Edward Pub (on the corner of Wick & Barnabas Roads) - so is more at the southern end of Hackney Wick - but the cycle delivery service will reach any part of The Wick (& probably beyond!).

This is West Indian food - Old Skool Style! A very simple short menu - concentrating on ox tail, goat, chicken, pork, fish, rice & peas & dumplings - all so tasty!

These guys know what they're good at cooking - and stick to that!

We had curry goat, jerk chicken & fried snapper (fish) - with some hard dough, dumplings & salad. It was food just like granma used to make! Good ol' home comfort food.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....................

The goat was so good we sucked the ones completely white! The chicken done just like we like it - slightly crispy, well marinaded and hot. The snapper was stunning!! Grilled with a secret onion & herb combination basting - absolutely scrumptious - our 5 year-old daughter wanted much more!!

Like we said - Old Skool - right down to the telephone order ("Whodis?") - and the friendly cycle delivery (in da snow!). One word of warning: please ask them to put the scotch bonnet chili sauce separately - and not directly onto the meat - especially if you've got young kids.

All of us gave it a 5 out of 5 - except for one burnt tongue giving it a 4 - so that probably makes it a 4 and a half out of 5. But for those of you that like your food on the warmish side - you'll probably give it a 5 out of 5!

Thanks guys - great food from great people - long may you cycle!!

Lea River Navigation Canal Dredging

2009-02-09T18:14:00.003Z

Thanks to the ever waistcoated Charlie Foreman for the heads-up on this important bit of news. Our stretch of the canal will be cleaned up between February & March 2009. This is brilliant news for the Coracle racers who keep capsizing - and have to wade through the sludge back to the Eton Rowing Club house - each year!!

Hello

British Waterways, working with the Environment Agency and the Olympic Delivery Authority, is undertaking a programme of dredging on the River Lee Navigation to help improve water quality, and access for barges in and around the Olympic Park.
Local residents, boaters, businesses and clubs have all been made aware of the programme via letter and meetings.

Please find attached a copy of the letter sent to local residents. If you require any further information please do let me know.

Kind regards
Gill

Gill Owen
Communications Manager
T 020 7985 7227
mb 07733 124580
1 Sheldon Square
Paddington Central
London W2 6TT

Dear Local Resident

Improving Water Quality on the River Lee Navigation

Water quality on the River Lee Navigation has been an issue of concern for many years, affecting local residents, wildlife, boaters and other waterway users.
Now a number of organisations are working together to improve the water quality of the river.

This will be a long-term programme of works to help deliver a clean, green and active waterway.

The first step in this clean-up programme is a c.£5million programme of dredging and bridge protection works. The Environment Agency is funding the removal of up to 16,000m3 of silt from the River Lee Navigation, from Tottenham Lock downstream to Old Ford Lock, whilst the Olympic Delivery Authority is funding the dredging works that will open up the waterways in and around the Olympic Park, first for freight barges, and in legacy for leisure use.

The works will take place between February and May 2009. The dredging barges will remove big obstructions first, such as car parts and trolleys that have been dumped in the waterway, before removing silt from the river bed.

The dredging of the polluted sediments will gradually help improve the water quality of the river, which in turn will encourage wildlife to return to the area, enable boats to travel more easily along the river and improve the appearance and even the odour of the waterway.

British Waterways will be managing the dredging programme, and is talking to hundreds of users and neighbours of the River Lee Navigation to ensure that people are made aware of the planned works and any minor disruption which may affect users.

If you need any further information about the dredging programme please call British Waterways London T: 020 7985 7200. If you would like to report any dumping of rubbish or illegal fly-tipping along the River Lee Navigation please call the Environment Agency T: 0800 80 70 60.

Yours faithfully
Simon Bamford, General Manager, British Waterways London

Mabley Green Consultation

2009-02-05T10:10:00.004Z

The Committee of Mabley Green User group have arranged a meeting with the Design Team who are planning the new facilities on Mabley Green. They want residents to have a say in what the new facilities will be, it will definately include a new children's play site. We really would like people to be involved in this process.

The meeting will take place on

Wednesday 11th February at 7.30pm
at the Hackney Wick Community Centre

The Old Baths

80 Eastway Hackney

London, E9 5JH

020 8986 1999.

Can you please let me know if you will be attending so we know how many people to cater for
Many thanks

Gill Jackson
Support Worker

Restaurant Review: Yue Yang House

2009-01-27T17:39:00.004Z

Yue Yang House

241 Wick Road, Homerton, London, E9 5AF

+44 (0) 20 8986 5811

Not exactly a restaurant per sé - it only does take outs - but it does have a bench for you to sit & wait for your order. The food is absolutely excellent though - and this reviewer cannot recommend it highly enough!

On the evening we had our meal - we were greeted with very friendly smiles and enquiries as to how we were - as if we were very regular patrons. There are menus on the counter for you to peruse - but we had already had a look at the framed menu in the window - so were pretty confident about what we wanted.

However - there were a couple of items we were unsure of what they were - and the staff were very helpful in explaining the ingredients, how they were cooked, and more or less what they tasted like.

Once we'd placed the order & paid (very reasonable) - we took a seat on the bench and had a choice of entertainment. There was a lovely aquarium with about 8 medium sized fish of different varieties right next to the bench. We could have also had a read of the complimentary day-or-two old newspapers - mainly tabloids - which - as tempting as they were - seemed a bit too old news for us.

Instead - we opted for the 3 choice of entertainment - the free screening of Eastenders. At the sound of the signature tune - a couple of the owners kids joined us on the couch to catch up with the current toings & froings from Albert Square.

All too soon our food order was ready - neatly packaged in separate foil boxes - with a complimentary bag of prawn crackers. The helpful staff then finally confirmed the contents of our carrier bag - and with another smile & and a cheery salutation - bid us good night - and asked us to come back again soon.

Back at home - the whole family loved all the food - with the Hong Kong Style Fried Chicken being the unanimous favourite! The Special Fried Rice was an excellent companion to the pineapple flavour.

The sauce of the Fried Beef with Mushrooms was divine and of just the right consistency. The Assorted Seafood in Black Bean Sauce was too die for!! They don't scrimp on the fish - or the black beans!

Our meal was accompanied by a family sized bottle of Pepsi-Cola - which - lets face it - is the perfect pallet cleanser for between bites.

Throughout the meal we crunched through the complimentary Prawn Crackers which were completely oil-free & actually tasted of prawns.

Our whole family agreed on a 4-star rating. The only reason we couldn't go for the extra star was because the newspapers were just too old. But it was awfully close!!

Yue Yang House also does home deliveries - so please call them up if you know what you want.

Hackney Wick Controlled Parking Zone?

2009-01-26T16:11:00.003Z

The pedestrian gates for the construction workers on the Olympic Site will open in White Post Lane in a few weeks.

This means that thousands of Olympic staff will be arriving at Hackney Wick Station daily (yes Sundays as well) and make their way to the entrance.

But it will also mean that some will come by car. Like it or not some people are petrolheads, and do not like travelling by public transport.

Hackney Council & Tower Hamlets Council are considering imposing a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) across the whole area - in order to dissuade people from bringing their cars into the Wick. Nothing is confirmed yet, and it may not even happen, but in the meantime, just to be prepared - what do you all think?

Do we need a CPZ?
Will there really be an increase of vehicles?
What will this mean for private estates & businesses who have parking spaces not controlled by a CPZ?
Will there be an increase in burger vans?
Where will all our visitors park?
What about the school run parents in Berkshire Road?
Will it cost us anything to get the permits?
What about all the church vehicles that park everywhere on Sundays?
Will the car junk yards be exempt for their cars waiting to be serviced?
Will clearer streets increase the speed of the Council Refuse trucks going to Chapman Road?
Will clearer streets increase the speed of the skip lorries from McGraths?
What do we do about children crossing the streets if more cars are 'permitted' to park along the streets?

Any more questions?

Chapman Brothers in Hackney Wick

2009-01-25T10:41:00.002Z

Pic: Sam Christmas

There is no surer sign of an areas up&comingness than artists moving in to the larger premises. But when a large (in the famous sense) artist moves into an area - this is fantastic for the neighbourhood!!

According to the Evening Standard (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/es-magazine-fashion/article-23600332-details/Jake's+progress/article.do) - this is exactly what Jake Chapman has done.

I am sure that the whole of Hackney Wick will welcome the arrival of Jake into our streets, cafes, lives & community events!

Please Jake - if you have any influence over your friends & contemporaries - please suggest to them that they also make the short hop from Shoreditch to the Wick - we need as many movers & shakers as possible to start putting Hackney Wick on the map for the RIGHT reasons!!

Welcome!

Hackney Council & ODA community meeting for Hackney Wick

2009-01-23T17:14:00.004Z

I am sure that everyone who attended last nights meeting at the Hackney Wick Community Centre would agree that it was excellent!

There were many stalls to visit of which the Wick Curiosity Shop (http://www.wickcuriosityshop.net/) was way & ahead the best one there!!! Please go & give them a visit - there are stunning photos, stories about the Wick, fantastic history about right here in our surrounding streets, and brilliant anecdotes galore!!

We also saw the new plans for the St Marys church redevelopment. To be honest - when I first heard about the 2 towers that were going to be built on each side of the church - I couldn't imagine it fitting in. But seeing the plans, artists impression & model puts my mind well at ease!! The new towers will be very sympathetic to the main tower & still not be imposing over the green.

As for the ODA - well - it was a vast improvement on all the previous meetings!! There was more discussion around the tables, and they promised to answer the resulting questions - either by email to me - or by printing them in the next edition of 'ENGAGE'.

The most troubling concerns were still around jobs, trees, noise & dust data - and the CPZ (see: http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2009/01/hackney-wick-controlled-parking-zone.html). As soon as I have more detailed answers on each subject - I will post a separate entry for each one.

But - this was definitely the best presentation we have had from them to-date. The star of the whole show was Alan Pigott (St Mary's Reverend) - who chaired the Q&A with amazing skill, fairness & humanity! Thank you Alan!!

What was this building?

2009-01-18T19:55:00.005Z

This building is at the bottom end of White Post Lane. It's a two storey (Victorian) brick building with a black & white mosaic sign at the top.

The last 4 letters of the sign are ------LLES.

Anyone got any idea?

PS: Anonymous (below) added the following amazing links for us to read more about this intriguing building:

http://www.laundryandcleaningnews.com/story.asp?sectionCode=58&storyCode=2038957

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/archaeologists-seize-unique-opportunity-to-discover-ancient-secrets-under-olympic-site-475761.html

Saint John of Hackney Wick

2009-01-09T14:07:00.004Z

If you have ever had the incredible experience of actually buying a ticket from the ticket office at Hackney Wick Station - the you'll have met one of the nicest people on the planet!!

I can only be talking about St John of Hackney Wick!!

There is nothing too difficult for him to do for you, there is no amount of hard work he won't do on your behalf, there is no easier alternative journey he won't plan for you - and all this with such a friendly, professional & charming way about him!!

John - if you ever happen to come across this site - please know that all of Hackney Wick absolutely love you to pieces!! You make the whole experience of leaving or arriving in Hackney Wick so beautiful for thousands of people daily!!

Thank you!

See more fans of Saint John of Hackney Wick at:
http://davehill.typepad.com/claptonian/2007/06/a_reader_writes.html

http://thatssopants.blogspot.com/2007/10/csi-hackney-wick.html

http://thatssopants.blogspot.com/2007/05/st-john-at-hackney-wick.html

Olympic Weekend Work on Arena Fields

2009-01-09T13:37:00.005Z

We all know that we are very excited about the Olympics coming to Hackney Wick!! We are the closest residential neighbours to the Olympic site - and it is going to be fantastic to be able to simply walk across the new footbridge - straight onto the Olympic Park!!

But.......

...... there are a few more years to go yet! And they are going to be a little difficult for some of the residents!!

On the whole - Hackney Wick residents are balancing up the noise, dust, traffic & disruption - with all the amazing benefits to come with the legacy!

We feel that the new Hackney Council permission for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to do Saturday & Sunday earth & soil movement on Arena Fields - directly opposite thousands of its residential neighbours - is a step too far!!

There is quite substantial noise & dust during the weekdays already - and for Hackney Council to now permit the ODA to work on the weekends - is to completely ignore the wishes of it's very own tax-payers!

Please Hackney Council - take some responsibility for your residents - and represent them fairly & justly!! Is it too much to ask for a couple of days a week rest from the relentless noise & dust?

Happy New Year Hackney Wick!!!

2009-01-01T15:23:00.001Z

All the best for 2009!!!

Cycling Club Hackney

2008-12-31T11:48:00.003Z

The Cycling Club Hackney is a new club dedicated to promoting cycling & cycle sport at all levels, especially to youth.

Although based in the Hackney area it is open to all cyclists whatever their level. Club runs meet at the Lea Valley Ice Centre at 10am on Sunday mornings. During the summer key club members may be absent due to racing/coaching commitments..."riders may have to improvise a route for themselves"

One of the main aims of CCH is that it should be geared to assist Hackney's young people to access the sport of cycling. CCH intends to provide a youth-friendly atmosphere; free and subsidised equipment and coaching; and encouragement to take advantage of the nearby countryside in Essex and Hertfordshire for enjoyment and exercise.

Please check their blog out at: http://cyclingclubhackney.blogspot.com/

You may not have had the pleasure of knowing Kier personally - but you have probably seen him in & around Hackney Wick.

Whether it's in his youth leader guise with the amazing Purple Hype bus (http://www.thehype.info/purple_bus.html) - or as he & this incredible Cycling Club go whizzing by!

Kier is one of Hackney Wick's unsung heroes, and as such needs as much support as he can get. Please feel free to approach him at either the cycling or Hype Bus events, and offer to volunteer, join, support, write letters, etc for him. He helps keep the kids of Hackney busy - with the kinds of things they actually want to be busy with!!

Vote for Victoria Park - Mayor's Park Grant

2008-12-29T22:42:00.003Z

We all love Victoria Park with all it's ponds, trees, sports facilities, cafes, playgrounds - but most of all - it's green!!

But it could do with a bit more work - and we can all make it happen!!

Boris Johnson has decided to give a few parks some extra money, but we need to do a bit of work for it.

Please visit http://london.gov.uk/parksvote/region/northeast/victoria.jsp and click on 'Vote For Victoria Park'. Then we could get some improvement of the gateways at the southern end, improved footpaths, new signage installed, natural play areas created & plenty more benches for people to relax and enjoy the view.

Please Hackney Wick - even if you don't spend too much time in Viccie Park - please vote as many times as you can - and then you will want to spend a lot more time admiring your handiwork this summer!!

Voting ends on 5pm, 30 January 2009

Vantage Square in Hackney Wick

2008-12-29T22:15:00.006Z

Hey Hackney Wick!! We have new neighbours!!!

I know that we are world famous for our welcomes, so please make our new friends very welcome to the Wick won't you?

But did you know that just below the flats in Vantage Square, there is a huge amount of retail space!? This is actually quite a serious subject for us here in Hackney Wick.

Just what kind of shops & services occupy these outlets is so very important to us all in hackney wick.

If it simply gets filled with bookies, fried chicken shacks & more off-licenses - then it will attract some serious anti-social behaviour at all times of the day & night.

But put in a lovely supermarket, a deli, a greengrocer, fish monger, bakery, butcher, cycle shop, bookshop, etc - then it will start feeling like the village that the Wick is!

I have spent a few hours outside in the freezing cold all along the sidewalk, and this is the wish-list of what some of you want so far......

Art gallery/art store, bookshop, world deli, cycle shop, pharmacy, bakery, library, comfy coffee bar, computer games shop, green grocer/plant nursery, general store, creche, lidl, hair dressers, local crafts shop.

The rest is up to all of us. There are some seriously talented people here in The Wick. Please suggest some more ideas for what shops you would like to browse around in.

But then....... please start talking to all your friends & family - and convince some of them to actually propose approaching the developers Family Mosaic on 020 7089 1315

Please check out: http://vantagesq.co.uk/cms/view/id/19/cms/view/id/3

Old London Bridge Alcoves in Victoria Park

2008-12-29T18:06:00.008Z

If you ever happen to be caught out by a sudden thunder storm in the South Part of Victoria Park - then head for Cadogan Gate!!

There you will find these two amazing stone alcoves for sheltering under.

But have a closer look at the inscription on the walls. By rights you should be sitting - staring out over the River Thames.

You see - these two stone alcoves were once on the Old London Bridge spanning the great London River!

The inscription reads:

THIS ALCOVE WHICH STOOD ON
OLD LONDON BRIDGE
WAS PRESENTED TO HER MAJESTY
BY
BENJAMIN DIXON ESQRE JP
FOR THE USE OF THE PUBLIC
AND WAS PLACED HERE BY ORDER OF
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE W. COWPER
FIRST COMMISSIONER
HER MAJESTY'S WORKS AND PUBLICS BUILDINGS
1860

http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?pid=1&id=426300

Please visit the incredible Hidden London website http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hidden-london.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/olb2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hidden-london.com/id15.html&usg=__j_T3sZXjhZUR-C8JkbXaAfE0EC4=&h=347&w=290&sz=50&hl=en&start=673&sig2=KsWJ5S7jmaw38kVnZvycwg&tbnid=8XHZzAZypu6JIM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=100&ei=HW9bSfWqO964twfZ97CpDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dold%2Blondon%2Bbridge%26start%3D666%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN (for hours of fun &) to see another of the Old London Bridge Alcoves hidden in the grounds of a cluster of low-rise flat blocks in Wandsworth. Few residents have any idea that their garden ornament comes from old London Bridge. The alcove is the only surviving feature from the gardens of a mansion that stood here until the 1930s.

There is this other one of the alcoves in the courtyard of Guy's Hospital - right next to the Thames (opposite the Houses of Parliament) - but I'm not too sure if there are any more? Any ideas anyone?

Let's move to Hackney Wick, East London (the Guardian)

2008-12-28T22:21:00.003Z

I know Hackney is the most diverse of any borough in the UK, and as such, must have the most diverse newspaper readership.

So for anyone who doesn't know about the Lets Move To........ series in theGuardian - they pick a different part of the UK each week - & give a very short, concise summary of the area - just in case you were thinking of moving there!

Well...... here's their Hackney Wick pitch (from the 27th September 2008).

What's going for it?

Since Andy Warhol bedded down in Manhattan's SoHo in the 60s, thereby grabbing himself a decent return on his property portfolio as well as a hip venue for his happenings, all estate agents worth their salt have kept a sharp eye on the avant garde.

From Chelsea to Camden Town, Clerkenwell to Shoreditch, arty-farties have a neat nose for squirrelling out the gentrified burbs of the future, but with even Dalston gone posh, where's a penniless artist to suffer now? The Wick.

Hackney east of Well Street Market is where you'll find genuine bona fide artists in genuine bona fide crumbling warehouses. See through the dour landscape of flyovers, lock-ups and lap-dancing clubs, and you'll discover a neighbourhood of Somalian cafes and tasty Turkish grills, vast, atmospheric green spaces such as Victoria Park and Hackney Marshes, and a fierce local community.

And prospects: the Olympics site abuts.

The case against

You'll need unbridled, Pollyanna-ish optimism or the imagination of an artist not to feel glum most mornings. It's had its heart ripped out once already by the roaring A12. Now the Olympics promise more ripping, plus endless politicking and HGVs. Crime, misery, poverty and dirt, etc.

Well connected?

The A12 at least gets you in and out. Other roads east and west are tortuous. Beware the rush hour. But when the North London line becomes the London Overground, up to 10 trains an hour are promised by 2010, connecting Hackney Wick station to the underground and Eurostar at Stratford.

Schools

Gainsborough primary and St Dominic's RC primary rated "satisfactory" overall. Kingsmead primary 'good' overall, as is Cardinal Pole RC secondary. The new mixed City of London KPMG Academy opens next year, with a specialism in finance.

Hang out at ...

Mapps Cafe on Chapman Road.

Where to buy

As close to Victoria Park as you can. The western side of the park has come up in the world, especially around Lauriston Road. The eastern side still feels scruffier, though the roads east of Well Street Common and Cadogan Terrace (which backs on to the A12) have nice, often sizable, Victorian terraces. Plenty of new-build infill, too, from the 90s, and fancier apartment blocks currently being built.

Market values

One-bed ex-councils, from £130,000; two-bed, from £150,000.
One-bed terrace conversion and new-build flats, £150,000-£200,000;
two-bed, £225,000.
Period terraces, from £300,000-£600,000.

Bargain of the week

Two-bed modern terraced house on Daintry Way, £255,000, with Harbour Residential (020-7474 9313).

From the streets of Hackney Wick

Bernard McGuigan "I have had a studio at Hackney Wick for 15 years (I am a sculptor). Since the likes of the Chapman brothers set up here, it now has become known as Hackney Chic."

Simona Dell'Agli "Hackney Marshes are a paradise for dog-walking, the space is huge and empty. The walk along the river Lea might be muddy, but the area's so far removed from London zone two, and in spring resembles a jungle."

Hilary Powell "I spent three years living in one of the factory studios on White Post Lane. We've seen the area changing rapidly. Although it's still pretty 'out there', we've really noticed it being 'cleaned up and cleared out'."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/sep/27/homes

Hidden Oasis's of Hackney Wick

2008-12-28T12:19:00.003Z

Do you know any smallish, hiddenish - but most importantly - neglected bits of land in Hackney Wick?

If so - then please click on the 'comments' tab below & let us all know.

Why?

Well then we could ALL start working on getting them spruced up. A few shrubs here, some daffodil bulbs there, a sunflower forest in that corner, a willow tree draping over that path, a virginia creeper climbing up that neglected wall!

Come on Hackney Wick - this is OUR home! Let's turn OUR home into a fantastic oasis that will make us all feel great walking, riding, cycling, jogging through!

Wick Ward Councillors

2008-12-25T20:41:00.004Z

I am sure most of you need no reminding just how lucky we in Wick Ward are by having 3 of the most outstanding councillors representing us.

Even if you did not personally vote for them - you have got to admit that they look after the Wick fantastically!! Please take advantage of their surgeries and email addresses for any queries you may have about living in Hackney Wick. If they can't help you themselves - they will definitely be able to point you in the best direction.

They are:

Councillor Christine Boyd - http://mginternet.hackney.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.asp?UID=109

Councillor Christopher Kennedy - http://mginternet.hackney.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.asp?UID=121

Councillor Jessica Webb - http://mginternet.hackney.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.asp?UID=157

Arena Fields - Where's my Legacy Dude?!

2008-12-22T22:21:00.005Z

Pic: London 2012

Remember when the whole of Hackney Wick got so very excited about the Legacy for Arena Fields?! We thought the International Press Centre & Media Centre were going to be built in Arena Fields.

This in turn would convert into a fantastic venue for some massive Media Company to base themselves. BBC, NBC even MTV were whispered about.

Then came along the Credit Crunch!!

So what next? Is there anything we Wickers can do? Does anyone have any connections in the Media world that you could have a chat to? Anyone on first name terms with Bill Gates?

Let's all discuss this serious problem on this site. Surely with all the creativity bouncing around The Wick - we should have some answers to this horrible predicament the international bankers have put us in?!

Eastway late 19th Century Terraced Houses

2008-12-22T17:47:00.003Z

Is this the oldest terrace of houses in Hackney Wick?

According to 'Hackney: Homerton and Hackney Wick', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 10: Hackney (1995), pp. 51-59 - "The only long terrace from late 19th-century Hackney Wick survived, partly neglected, north-east of the former baths as nos. 61-79 (consecutive) Eastway."

So - now - we all need to do some investigative research now: Does anyone know anyone who lives there? Are there any residents that have lived there for many years? Does anyone have any old photos of this terrace? Did any famous people live there? Anyone have any anecdotes about the houses? Does anyone have anything to write about anthing to do with these houses?

Please click on the comment link below - and share your stories.

Thanks

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22703

Lord Napier in Hackney Wick

2008-12-19T23:06:00.002Z

Yes - I know this is the first site that greets you when you come down the westbound slope of Hackney Wick Train station - but surely this pub must have seen better day?!

The name - LORD NAPIER - alone says it must have had higher aspirations than the bunch of squatters that hibernate there now!

Come on fellow Wickers - let's get scratching around for more history, anecdotes, people, landlords, meetings held, etc - in the rooms of this pub.

Please click on the 'comment' section below - to add any titbits of research you may dig up.

Thanks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_John_Napier,_9th_Lord_Napier

WOW!!!

Thanks to toby150 for this amazing shot of the Lord Napier!! It was taken by his dad - who took it from the upstairs window of 44 White Post Lane in the 1940's or 50's. His house was where the Bagel Factory is now - looking straight over to The Lord Napier Pub in its hey day.

Notice the yard of Carless Capel and Leonard that is still there to this day and where Petrol was invented/given its name as we all know it.

His Uncle Clem Ward and his brother BIG John Ward - were piano players in all the local boozers 1940's /50's including The Lea Tavern.

toby150 also found an article where it mentions a big flood at the turn of the century - which made the petrol tanks in CC & Leonard overspill into the streets and someone dropped a match or ciggy and the whole area went up in flames.

Now THIS is exactly the kind of brilliant information I was hoping we would get on this site!! toby150 - thank you a million times over!!

(For more of toby150's writings - please go to our sister-site http://leabanksquare.lefora.com/headlines/ - and have a read!!

55 Wallis Road

2008-12-19T22:43:00.001Z

As you come down the east side slope of Hackney Wick Station - you see the quaint & lovely 55 Wallis Road building right in front of you.

Granted it's not as lovely as some train stations first impressions - but as far as buildings in The Wick go - it's not too bad.

At the moment it's home to many artists and a few furniture & mirror manufacturers - but does anyone actually know what it used to be?

Please ask around and bug your relatives, friends and anyone in the area - to find out if they know.

Please click on the 'comment' button below to add anything you may know about it. We want to get as much info as possible about this (& many other interesting Hackney Wick landmarks) building before the area changes much more.

Just think - you could be an integral part of placing Hackney Wick firmly in the historical minds of future minds by helping out.

Thanks!

http://www.55wallisroad.info/Up_Your_Alley/Home.html

2012 Aquatics Centre

2008-12-19T22:41:00.006Z

Pics: London 2012

Can you believe what an amazing local swimming pool we are going to have in a few short years?!

Yes - Hackney Wick - about 5 minutes walk from the train station - and you can be cooling down in the middle of summer under Zaha Hadid's stingray roof!!

Okay - so in these crunch credit days - we've lucked out on the kids leisure pool alongside it - but still this is going to be an incredible local facility for all of us to enjoy.

Please check out http://venues.london-2012.co.uk/Aquatics-Centre/ for the Olympic spin on it - but all we need to know is that we are going to be the envy of the rest of London!!

Eton Mission Rowing Club in Hackney Wick

2008-12-19T20:21:00.003Z

The dedication stone above the front entrance reads:

A.D. 1934

JOHNSONE BOAT-HOUSE

E.R.M.C.

PRESENTED TO THE ETON MISSION ROWING CLUB

BY THEIR PRESIDENT HONBLE GILBERT JOHNSTONE

IN MEMORY OF HIS ETONIAN WET-BOB BROTHERS

FRANDIS LORD DERWENT HONBLE CECIL AND HONBLE SIR ALAN JOHNSTONE

ETON 1864 - 1868 1868 - 1874 1874 - 1877

http://www.ara-rowing.org/clubs/eton-mission-rc

Spegelstein & Sons Ltd in Hackney Wick

2008-12-19T20:08:00.003Z

This is the old entrance to the Spegelstein & Sons factory in Wallis Road in Hackney Wick, East London.

If you know of anyone who worked in the factory, has any old pics of it, knows any of it's history, has any of it's products - anything - please send them to us here on this Hackney Wick blog.

We are desperate to start recording all of our amazing areas history before the Olympic Juggernaut obliterates everything in its path - and anything you may have about Hackney Wick will be ever so greatly appreciated!!

There is some interresting history on this webpage of daro:

http://www.daro.com/TemplatePages.asp

PS: Robert Stone of Daro was kind enough to lend some of the archive pics from Spegelsteins/Daro to this blogsite. Robert - thank you so very much - the more we all show & tell about Spegelsteins - and all of Hackney Wick - the more we keep it's history alive!

The following pics are all credited to Spegelstein Daro Archives:

1950's street shot of our premises which have changed considerably over the years to what you see today. The only car in the street belongs to Mr Spegelstein

This is probably a 1940-50's shot of what was known as the "Press Shop" where metal components would be pressed from steel strip.

Another shot of the new plating plant that looks like it is yet to run in anger and was used for many years plating the Lesney Matchbox Car chassis which were selling like hot cakes back then

1940-50's of the "Assembly Shop" where bits and pieces would be assembled into various furniture fittings like hinges, locks, stays and catches to name just a few of 100's of different products that were made at this factory each month

1970's shot of the then new "Plastic Injection Moulding Dept"

Very early 1960's at the commissioning of a very new and back in the day high tech piece of plating plant used for finishing the fittings

1940-50's shot of the plating shop area before it was modernised in the 60's

Central Books in Hackney Wick

2008-12-19T20:02:00.003Z

This is the huge Central Books warehouse in Wallis Road - Hackney Wick. It's a wonderful brick building with loads of charm and character!

It is still in operation - so if you know anyone who works there - please ask if they have any old pics, anecdotes, history, etc for our local blogsite.

According to http://fp.centralbooks.plus.com/home_about_us.html - this warehouse has been here since 1939.

Clarnico Factory in Hackney Wick

2008-12-19T19:50:00.005Z

This is a view of the old Clarnico factory from the other side of the canal. The 8 cranes behind it are the main Olympic Stadium cranes getting it ready for 2012.

This is the only building left out of the whole Kings Yard. All the surrounding factories were demolished to make way for the bio-generator for the Olympic site.

Pic London 2012

Please check out this site as well, as it shows a pic of the Clarnico Staff choir, outside the factory.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/images/feature78.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/limelight/singingcentury.html&usg=__4zrTplWTGSvZFbDiMuvHC69L48E=&h=223&w=290&sz=18&hl=en&start=177&sig2=5b08gvjIdgYIpZh57V4x8g&tbnid=NAEG6Lu9eu3yuM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=115&ei=i35aSdXrBtXkmQfFlpCoDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhackney%2Bwick%26start%3D162%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Plastic invented in Hackney Wick

2008-12-19T19:39:00.005Z

Right - this is a plaque on the side of a building on the corner of Wallis Road & White Post Lane - here in Hackney Wick.

I'll try & get a better picture of it - but in the meantime - please start sending me as much information as you can about it. The best kind of info would be if anyone remembers any factory standing here - or any relatives having worked in this Parkesine factory - or if anyone has any old photos of anything related to it?

Alexander Parkes 1813 - 1890

Come on Wickers - let's get hunting for some of our heritage!!!!

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

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

Hackney Wick Community Association AGM

2008-12-15T11:59:00.002Z

Public Notice

The Hackney Wick Community Association gives notice that the Annual General Meeting of the Board is to be convened 19 January 2009 at 7.00 pm.

For business to be conducted at this meeting we require a minimum of 25 Full Members of the Association to attend.

At the meeting it is proposed to elect three (3) Full Members to the Board of Trustees for the Association. Nomination forms are available to collect from HWCA, requested by phone (020 8986 1999) or email (h.w.c.a@btconnect.com).

Nominees must be Full Members of the Association and proposed and seconded by existing Members.

Members of the public wishing to become Full, Associate, Affiliated or Junior Members of the Association are invited to request a membership form using the above contact details or to visit our building to complete the form.

All residents of the local community within the Parish of St Mary’s of Eton are eligible to become Full & Junior Members. Residents outside of this boundary are welcome as Associate Members. Local training, education, sports, and other organisations with an interest in our community are welcome as Affiliated Members.

We look forward to welcoming you at our EGA.
The Board of Trustees
Hackney Wick Community Association
The Old Baths, 80 East Way, Hackney Wick, London E9 5JH

http://hackneywickcentre.co.uk/

Safer Neighbourhood Team

2008-12-12T13:33:00.003Z

The Community Advisory Panel for Wick Ward met last night at the Hackney Wick Community Centre - and the fantastic news is that we have the most incredible bunch of police & police support officers dealing with the Wick Ward!!

I have been very fortunate to have met loads of police all around the world - and can honestly say that Sergeant Port & his crew are the best of the best!

Please remember to contact any of the Wick Safer Neighbourhoods Team if you want any advice - or if you have any concerns.

They are: PS 14D Port

PC 502 GD Challis

PC 602 GD Bolter

PCSO 7128 GD Cole

PCSO 7141 GD McIlvaney

PCSO 7144 GD Sweeney

Contacts: 0208 721 2938 Wick Ward mobile with Answer Phone

0207 161 9214 Well Street Safer Neighbourhood Team office with Answer Phone

PS: Some of this Safer Neighbourhood Team will also be at the Hackney Wick Community Meeting on the 22 Jan @ the Old Baths - do yourself a HUGE favour & come along to meet them!

Xmas in Hackney Wick

2008-12-12T12:45:00.004Z

Not everyone in Hackney Wick celebrates Xmas - but some of the residents that do - really cheer the Wick up!!

2008-05-08T11:10:00.000+01:00

This flyer has just been sent to us by Councillor Christine Boyd. (see: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/w-wards-list.htm)

Please see if you can take some time off to visit the Mosaic bus when it comes near you - remember - you are paying them rent - so you are entitled to ask them for any improvements you may want.