The Hackney Society

Introduction

The Hackney Society
Studio B12
3 Bradbury Street
London N16 8JN
tel 020 7254 0212 fax 020 7275 8971
hackneysociety@poptel.org

HACKNEY:
THE BEST PLACE IN LONDON

The Hackney Society works to preserve Hackney's unique heritage and make the area a better place in which to live and work.

The Society was formed 30 years ago to involve and support local people in the conservation and regeneration of Hackney's built environment and public spaces.

The Hackney Society aims to:

• promote high standards of planning and architecture in Hackney
• give a voice to local people in the future development of Hackney
  
• educate and foster public interest in the history, architecture and character of the Borough

Who are we?

The Hackney Society is a membership organisation of Hackney residents and is a registered charity. An elected Board of Trustees, drawn from the membership, manages the work of the Society.

What do we do?

The Hackney Society:

• provides advice, training and technical support to local groups to help them improve their neighbourhoods
• works with residents and groups to develop community history and cultural heritage projects
• supports conservation planning work in the borough
• organises free, public events including talks, guided walks, exhibitions and site visits
• produces publications about Hackney's social, cultural and architectural history
• works to build links between residents, officials and councilors. For more details on all our activities see the annual report in Projects

How have we worked to improve the area?

The Hackney Society has:

• set up five new Conservation Area Advisory Committees made up of local people
• launched SPACES, an award-winning quarterly newsletter about developments in Hackney, see Spaces
• published an award-winning & critically acclaimed book on Twentieth Century Buildings in Hackney, see Publications
• undertaken community consultation and research projects
• established a Buildings Trust which has raised over £750,000 to restore listed buildings in Hackney
• campaigned on issues including litter, street trees, streetscape design and empty homes
• won funding for two important new projects: Building Blocs and Doing it For Ourselves. see Projects

Why is Hackney special?

• Hackney has a uniquely rich and diverse cultural heritage
• There are over 1,250 special historic (or listed) buildings in the borough and 20 conservation areas
• Hackney has over 50 important listed buildings in need of urgent repairs
• Hackney is one of the most deprived authorities in England, yet property prices have risen dramatically in the last three years
• Development pressures in Hackney are rising at an unprecedented rate

Becoming a Hackney Society member gives you:

• an opportunity to help make Hackney a better place to live and work
• a free copy of SPACES, a quarterly newsletter
• discount on all Hackney Society publications and information about events
• an opportunity to guide and shape the work of the organisation For further details and to join see Membership