Since the 2012 Olympic Games, Hackney Wick has begun to attract young professionals and creatives willing to make the most of the area’s rugged warehouse conversions. Sandwiched between Victoria Park and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this area exemplifies Hackney’s status as London’s greenest borough. Of course, the locale is still very much in its adolescence, with developers buying up space faster than the locals can buy avocados. As a result, prices here are swiftly on the up as more and more city workers and families come to exploit the price per square foot ratio. Along with glamorous new luxury apartments the area has a significant proportion of council-built properties. Canalside eateries and bars are plentiful – Grow will satiate local residents desire for sustainability; fresh air is on the menu at Number 90 Bar and waterside drinks can be had at Barge East. Commuting into London is easy as the Overground station is one stop from Stratford which links to the Central Line, the Jubilee line, the DLR and the new Elizabeth Line. City Academy for girls in neighbouring Hackney is ‘outstanding’, as is the new Chobham Academy in East Village in Stratford.

It is difficult to imagine anything but concrete and steel here, but the name Wick actually originated from the meaning of the word ‘wyk’ meaning an outlying dairy farm. The area’s urbanisation began in the late 18th century when, due to its proximity to the River Lea, industrialists leaped at the economic opportunities associated with the Wick. Railway employment and east London factory opportunities drew migrants from the countryside to establish their new homes here. Most of the Wick’s residents lived in the same slums which dominated large areas of east London at the time. The area was hit ruthlessly by German bombs during WWII and only a few pre-war buildings remain are, such as the Parish of St Mary’s of Eton and the Eton Mission Rowing Club. The former was established by Eton College in 1880 to help soothe some of the area’s destitution. During the sixties effort was made to rebuild and replace old slums with council housing. However, new life was not breathed into the Wick until recently when the games shone a new spotlight onto the locale.

The epic artist Paul Noble, known for his work – Nobson Newtown – has a studio in Hackney Wick. Producing work in grayscale, Noble devotes years to making a single piece of art. The artist has been credited as an architect, urban planner, and social historian among other things due to the painstaking detail and accuracy with which he committed himself in the dystopian work.

The Wick was not only a centre for industrial activity in the 19th century but also a pioneer of it. Prior to widespread automobile use, petrol had few applications. The substance extracted from crude oil was only just beginning to be used. In 1859, Eugene Carless founded his company Carless in Hackney Wick and it is from here that the word ‘petrol’ spread and became popularised. Another innovator, Achilles Serre was based at Lion Works, a factory which brought dry cleaning to the UK.

The Wick might not be for all tastes, however. The A12 runs along its western edge, separating the area from Victoria Park and causing air and noise pollution. Persistent construction and economic upheaval has also led to complaints among some residents, both in terms of noise, and because of a more general lack of stability.

One example of the kind of investment the area attracts is Fish Island Village: a mixed use scheme which describes itself as “a cultural creative hub” and that will provide 600 new homes. A similar scheme at Fish Island’s historic Smokehouse is a similar example of the old making way for the new, providing 45 homes and 7000sqft of commercial space for creative industries.
In the centre of Hackney Wick, the overground station is also getting a £25 million makeover which will make transport more accessible. This is set to be joined by yet another new development scheme which will provide 190 new homes around the station.