Out and about Hackney Wick

The social and industrial history of Hackney Wick  11.00am-1.00pm Sunday 9 April 2017 Start: Hackney Wick rail station (Hepscott Rd, London E9 5ER)

Eastender Alan Tucker invites you discover the old and new of his ‘manor’, on this guided discovery walk of Hackney Wick and adjacent neighbourhoods.

“Hackney Wick was once a little hamlet in the marshlands of the Lea Valley. People kept cattle, and there were watermills out here. The arrival of the canals, then the railways, made this an ideal place to site dangerous and noxious industries that were being pushed out of town. By the 1860s it had earned a reputation as London’s first “Science Park”, there’s little evidence of that now, as the area is one of constant change. My recent photo above does not give the full picture of Hackney Wick. There are some great new bars and the well-regarded Yard Theatre. Across the Lee Navigation lie the wide open spaces of the Queen Elizabeth Park (better known as the 2012 Olympic Park).”

Alan’s an enthusiastic social historian, with energy and curiosity that knows no bounds.  He has unearthed forgotten maps and photographs, peered inside partially obscured relics, and listened to stories told by the few of the elderly residents who can still remember ‘the old days’.  On the walk, Alan will reveal how different life was, as the factories came and went, but the workers remained.  Join him on a condensed 2-hour history tour of Hackney Wick.

Normally £10. When booking claim a Museum of Walking £2 discount by using the code MOW.

Alan Tucker is a member of the Museum of Walking’s Co-creator Community – together we are also devising a film makers’ walkshop and building a series of walkshops to reveal the sporting heritage of the East End. Want to learn more about our Co-creator community? Click here

Walking in Step with:

Alan Tucker