London Fields

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 was once historically 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),[1] 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.

This article is about the place. For other uses, see London Fields (disambiguation).

London Fields
London Fields
Location within Greater London
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
The sculpture Flower Sellers

History
London Fields at twilight; the bicycle path on the right leads to the Pub on the Park (October 2005)

In 1275, the area now known as London Fields was recorded as common pasture land adjoining Cambridge Heath.[1]

The park was first recorded by name in 1540; in the singular as 'London Field'. Still common ground, it was used by drovers to pasture their livestock before taking them to market in London. By the late 19th century the name had become pluralised to 'London Fields' and parts of the Fields were being lost to piecemeal development. There was a threat of comprehensive development of the park in 1860 but this threat was averted.

In WW2 the park hosted an anti-aircraft battery in the south-west corner (the tarmac is still visible under the grass) and a bomb shelter in the vicinity of the tennis courts.[1]

The area was heavily bombed during the Blitz and houses along the northern and eastern edges of the park were among those destroyed. These houses had been built on land that was originally part of London Fields and the land was subsequently restored to the park. The previous boundary is marked by a wide arc of Plane trees.[1]

Sport and facilities
London Fields Lido

London Fields features a cricket pitch, a heated 50m lido and lido cafe, grass areas, designated barbecue area, a small BMX track, tennis courts, a table tennis table, toilet blocks and two children's play areas. In 2013 the Council turned a sandy, gritty area of London Fields into a pictorial meadow the size of a football pitch.[2]

There is a public house called the Pub on the Park on the east side of the park; this was opened in 1855 and known as the Queen Eleanor until 1992.

London Fields received a Green Flag award in July 2008.[3] A much-used cycle path runs from the Pub on the Park to Broadway Market.

The park hosts a market each Saturday where a wide variety of producers from around the country sell hot foods, hand-made jewellery, gifts, childrenswear and vintage clothing. On Sundays, the local London Fields Primary School is the base for the London Fields Farmers' Market and there is a crafts market adjacent to the building next door.

A document in Hackney library records a game of cricket to have been played on the park[4] as early as 1802, and the cricket square on London Fields continues to host competitive games throughout the summer (late April – mid September). Several teams use the park as their home pitch, most notably London Fields CC , based at the Pub on the Park. During the summer the park can be extremely busy with many people combining an afternoon's picnic with watching the cricket. The Turley End of the ground is a popular vantage point for those watching the cricket.

The park is used as the starting point for an annual night-time cycle ride called the Dunwich Dynamo.[4]

The park is a training and competition base for Hackney Aquatics Club and the London Fields Triathlon Club.

Crime

The area has been connected with instances of gun crime. Members of the London Fields gang which operates in and around the area were convicted on 12 April 2011 for the shooting of 16-year-old Agnes Sina-Inakoju[5] at a chicken shop in Hoxton in April 2010. In May 2010 an innocent 27-year-old man was shot by mistake in London Fields by feuding gang members.[6]

Governance

The park and surrounding area has, since 2014, formed part of a new London Fields electoral ward.

Education
For details of education in London Fields, see List of schools in the London Borough of Hackney.

There is also a primary school named after the area, London Fields Primary School, opposite one of the entrances to London Fields park.

Housing

The area includes several housing estates.[7] One of the largest, the Holly Street Estate, is undergoing regeneration, and the new development by United House won Apartment Building of the Year at the Daily Mail British Homes Awards in 2009.[8][9]

Transport

London Fields railway station is a London Overground station close to the park which links the area to Liverpool Street in the City.

References
  1. "London Fields Management Plan 2010–2015 updated January 2013" (PDF). /www.hackney.gov.uk/. Hackney Council. 2013. p. 4. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Hackney Today 188 21 July 2008
  4. Copy of 1802 scorecard (London Fields Cricket Club) accessed 19 September 2009
  5. "Agnes's brother 'could forgive' Hoxton takeaway murderers". BBC News. 12 April 2011.
  6. "Shots 'fired from outside' Hackney's London Fields park". BBC News. 25 May 2010.
  7. A Profile of Queensbridge Ward Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Hackney Council. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  8. "British Homes Awards 2009". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  9. "Queensbridge Quarter". Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
History links
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