is an area in the
London Borough Of Hackney in
East London . It is an inner-city development situated 5 miles (8 km) north east of
Charing Cross . It is not especially close to
Hackney Central , the historic centre of Hackney Borough (something that often confuses visitors).
It is in the far east of the borough on the edge of the planned
2012 Olympic Park and near the boundary with the
London Boroughs of
Newham ,
Waltham Forest and
Tower Hamlets .
The
Lee Navigation and the
Hertford Union Canal come to a junction at Hackney Wick and it is at the southern tip of
Hackney Marshes . The
River Lee is nearby and it forms part of the
Lower Lea Valley .
at Hackney Wick from the Eastway bridge (August 2005)]]
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Wick was a thriving well-populated industrial zone, as the Hackney Wick
First World War memorial in
Victoria Park testifies (see picture right)—the lower part of the stele is densely inscribed on all four faces with the names of Wick men who died in that conflict.
The world's first true synthetic plastic,
Parkesine , invented by
Alexander Parkes , was manufactured here from
1866 to
1868 , though sadly, Parkes' company failed due to high production costs - he was simply too far ahead of his time.
memorial in
Victoria Park , August 2005]]
Prior to 'modern times', Hackney Wick was an area prone to periodic flooding. The construction of the canals and relief channels on the
River Lee alleviated that and allowed the development of the area. In historic times, the marshes were used extensively for grazing, and there was limited occupation around the 'great house' at Hackney Wick. This area then, and the history of the marshes were a part of Lower
Homerton .
Hackney Wick station was the scene of the first ''railway murder''. The victim, Thomas Biggs of 5
Clapton Square , was returning from dining with his niece in
Peckham in July 1864 and had the misfortune to meet his murderer on the train. Two clerks discovered a compartment sticky with blood at Hackney Wick, but Franz Muller had slipped away unnoticed to return to his lodgings at 16 Park Terrace. The body was discovered on the line between
Bow and Hackney Wick, and a hat belonging to Muller was discovered in the compartment. In the next few days, a
Cheapside jeweller came forward with Biggs's missing watch and chain, and a description of Muller. The theft was to pay for Muller's emigration to America, and he departed soon after on the ''Victoria'', but the police went to New York by a faster boat and were awaiting his arrival in
New York . He was returned to
England and hanged at
Newgate Prison .
London Murders accessed 21 Jan 2007
In recent post-industrial times, Hackney Wick has lost most of its industry and much of its population. The historic
Hackney Wick Stadium , well-known throughout the
East End for greyhound racing and speedway, became derelict in late 1990's and closed in 2003. However, it will become the site for the new Olympic velodrome.
There are signs of revival, though. Not only should the area benefit from the future 2012 Olympics development, but London's artistic community, increasingly forced out of the old warehousing and industrial zones to the south of Hackney borough and in
Tower Hamlets by rising rents, are taking an interest in the more affordable industrial buildings out at the Wick.
The first stage in preparing the area for use as the 2012 Olympic Park will be the removal of the
Pylons that run from here to
Canning Town .
Due its proximity to the Olympic Park, Hackney Wick is receiving (2006, onwards) community and public realm development grants. This should further contribute to improvements in the area.
Conversely, concerns have been raised over some of the local effects of the Olympic Park development, including the potential impact to the future of the century-old
Manor Garden Allotments , which has inspired a vocal community campaign.
The area is also a local public transport hub with several bus routes, including the 388, terminating near to
Hackney Wick Railway Station . Both the 30 bus, involved in the
7 July 2005 London Bombings , and the 26 bus, involved in the
21 July 2005 London Bombings were heading to Hackney Wick.''
Hackney Wick is connected to the National Road Network, with the
A12 Eastway (completed late
1990 s), and
East Cross Route linking the area with the
Blackwall Tunnel (
1960 s).
''The area has one of the few River Lee crossing points, and this leads to severe congestion at times of the day. Parking is likely to become more restrictive, both during the construction phase, and during the Olympic games.''
Hackney Wick is on the
Capital Ring walking route, much of which is accessible to cyclists. The River Lee, and local canals, have a tow path which is accessible for both walking and cycling. The River Lee provides a continuous route to
Hertfordshire for the particularly determined.
''Some towpaths in the area may have restricted use during construction and the period of the Olympic games''
