Hackney, London

Hackney Central is a sub-district of Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney in London, England and is four miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The Hackney Central area is focused on Mare Street and the retail areas to the north of it including Narrow Way and surrounding local area around Hackney Downs railway station. As such it extends north from Regent's Canal (with Bethnal Green), takes in most of Broadway Market and London Fields, and follows each side of Mare Street till it terminates in the vicinity of Hackney Central railway station. The area also includes the central retail area which extends from Hackney Downs station in the west to the Hackney Walk Outlet Village, on Morning Lane and goes in between Wick Road (Homerton) and Cassland Road (South Hackney) till meeting Hackney Wick, to the east. Hackney Central is the area that once would have been known as Hackney Village. This was a place that flourished from the Tudor period, when principal members of the Court had their houses in the surrounding area, and King Henry VIII of England had a palace (located near the modern Lea Bridge Road roundabout). Hackney Central remained a popular resort for Londoners until the end of the Georgian era, when this suburb of London began to be completely built up. Railways, trams and factories brought an end to Hackney's rural atmosphere during the Victorian era, and its fortunes declined. The industries of nearby Homerton and the Lee Valley have largely disappeared, leaving the NHS and local council as the largest employers. Successive waves of immigrants, both from abroad and within the United Kingdom, make modern Hackney a culturally vibrant part of inner London, with both the benefits and challenges that this brings.Extensive post-World War II redevelopment replaced much of the housing stock, but the Georgian housing and Victorian terraces that remain have become popular again.

London Fields is a park in Hackney, London, although the name also refers to the immediate area in Hackney surrounding it and London Fields station. It is common land adjoining the Hackney Central area of the London Borough of Hackney. The park covers an area of 12.65 hectares (31.3 acres), and includes sporting and recreation facilities. The park's history is recorded as early as the 13th century, and it has been known as London Fields since the mid-16th century.

The Miniscule of Sound is a performance given in a small wooden structure described as "The World's Smallest Niteclub". It was devised in Hackney, London, in 1998 as a parody of established superclubs, with the name referring to the Ministry of Sound. This led to representatives from the Ministry of Sound considering legal action, though in following communications an amicable agreement was reached. DJ magazines reported on this incident (e.g. Carl Loben's article for DJ Mag). It has been defined as a theatre performance piece by the British Council.The 'niteclub' itself takes the form of a prefabricated wooden construction that is transported to venues, set up and operated as a small nightclub. The performers take the role of the staff, acting as the disc jockeys, bouncers, bar staff and cloakroom staff. In keeping with the parody of a real night club, the bouncers operate an idiosyncratic and opaque door policy, refusing entry to some visitors(for example refusing to let DJ Fat Boy Slim play until he'd sent in a demo tape). The construction occupies an area of 4 feet (1.2 metres) by 8 feet (2.4 m) with a dance floor of 2 square metres.It had its first performance in August 1998 originally in the changing booth of a disused outdoor swimming pool, London Fields Lido in Hackney, and has since performed at a wide variety of events, predominantly at music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival (UK), Fuji Rock Festival (Japan), and the Big Day Out (Australia). The Miniscule of Sound has been operated both in its own right (e.g. representing British culture in China for the British Council in 2005 ), and also participating as a sideshow at larger events. Originally it performed in local events in Hackney, east London, growing from the squat and rave party scene, with originators active in these subcultures and connected to similar artistic performance groups such as the Mutoid Waste Company.In 2000 Guinness World Records named it the "Smallest mobile nightclub", a record it held until 2010, when the record passed to "Rumors".

London Fields is a London Overground station on the Lea Valley Lines, serving the district of London Fields in the London Borough of Hackney, east London. It is 2 miles 35 chains (3.9 km) down-line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Cambridge Heath and Hackney Downs. Its three-letter station code is LOF and it is in Travelcard zone 2.

Hackney South and Shoreditch is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Meg Hillier of Labour Co-op.

The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney.

Hackney Town Hall is a municipal building in Hackney, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Hackney London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.

The Hackney siege was a criminal event that took place in Hackney, in East London, England, for 15 days from 26 December 2002 to 9 January 2003. It ended with the death of the gunman, Eli Hall.

Hackney Museum is a local history museum located in the London Borough of Hackney. Amongst other aspects of the Hackney area, the museum explores the history of immigration.

The Dolphin is a Grade II listed public house and nightclub at 165 Mare Street, Hackney Central in the London Borough of Hackney, London.It is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.It was built about 1850.In mid 2013 the pub was at risk of closure after Hackney police claimed 92 reports of thefts between June 2012 and June 2013. An online petition was created to save the venue, which as of 16 September 2013 had received 2678 signatures and a social media campaign on Twitter using the hashtag #SaveTheDolphin attracted support from presenter Caroline Flack and even telecoms company O2. Actor Michael Fassbender also gave his support to the petition sharing that John Maclean's short film Pitch Black Heist, in which he starred, had scenes filmed at the pub.In September 2013, Hackney Council stripped the pub of its 4 am late licence after local police applied for a review citing 160 crimes were reported at the venue between 2010 and 2013, including a firearm incident and rising thefts. However a year later in September 2014, the pub regained its 4 am weekend licence following a decision at Stratford magistrates court, with Hackney Council's chair of licensing councillor Emma Plouviez saying: "Managers at The Dolphin have made efforts to tackle the disproportionately high levels of theft at the pub."In 2021, the venue's licence was suspended after the police raised concerns about their response to a serious assault on Friday, October 15th where a man was hit with a glass and subsequently required hospital treatment.

Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by The Guardian as ‘the most beautiful theatre in London’ it is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

London Fields Brewery is a brewery in the London Fields area of Hackney, East London, in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 2011 as the first commercial brewery to open in Hackney since the 19th century. In December 2014, the company fell into trouble following the arrest of co-founder Julian de Vere Whiteway-Wilkinson, on suspicion of tax evasion. In 2017, London Fields Brewery was purchased in a joint-venture by Brooklyn Brewery and Carlsberg UK with plans to bring brewing back onsite.