Haggerston’s architecture is distinctively modern, consisting mostly of post-war council housing mixed with newer contemporary apartments. The area is located just east of Hoxton and northwest of Bethnal Green. Kingsland Road and the Overground railway line between Hoxton and Haggerston defines the western boundary, while Hackney Road defines the south, and Regent’s Canal to the north. To the east, Goldsmiths Road is approximately the edge of the postcode sector, with Haggerston Park and Hackney City Farm being dominant features in the area. The main high streets are on Kingsland and Hackney Road, particularly where the two meet to the southwest. Local retail is largely made up of small businesses, eateries and a few supermarkets which reflect the neighbourhood’s diversity. Many Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Russian people call Haggerston home.

Haggerston first appeared in the Domesday Book as Hergotestane, a hamlet just outside Shoreditch. A map in the 1700s showed it as Agostone. It retained its rural character until the 19th century, when the opening of Regent’s Canal and the arrival of the railways signalled the industrialisation of the area. The area was extremely poor during the Victorian era, before resurging in the late 20th century to become the creative hub that it is today. A particularly interesting building from the early 20th century is the Haggerston Baths, which was amongst the 11 public baths designed by Alfred Cross. Opening in 1904, it was described as an ‘absolute necessity’ due to the numerous cholera outbreaks of the time.

Sir William Randal Cremer was the Member of Parliament for Haggerston from 1885 to 1895, and again from 1900 to his death in 1908. Born in Fareham to impoverished conditions, he moved to London in 1852 and was elected to a council campaigning for the nine-hour day in 1858. He would later also direct a strike and formed a single union for Carpenters and Joiners. He would later enter politics on a liberal platform. As a passionate pacifist he formed a committee of workers to promote England’s neutrality in the Franco-Prussian war, which provided the keystone for the International Arbitration League. He would later be given the Nobel Peace Prize, with a cash value of £8,000 – he would give £7,000 to the League and later the other £1,000. Cremer Street is named after him.

Hackney City Farm was established in 1984 to give children and the local people an opportunity to experience farming. The site was originally occupied by farmers and market gardeners, and later a brewery, a furniture maker, and a button factory. It became a road haulage company in 1940, and would continue that way until 1984, when the lorry park would be transformed into the city farm it is today, with a pottery studio and meeting and training rooms. Today the farm is a great place for a day out for both kids and adults, boasting a popular waste-free farm shop.

Some residents complain that a lot of the factors which make Haggerston a desirable place to live - its small businesses and relatively quiet atmosphere - are being eroded as development and gentrification moves from Hackney and Shoreditch in the south. The area is in the midst of change and may look different in years to come. For example plans were recently approved to redevelop the historic Haggerston Baths into a co-working space and private gym. Once a meeting place for the community, the old pool room will become a hub of productivity reflecting a new London. Elsewhere office space is being created on the south bank of regents canal, with a £40 million commercial development on Orsman Road currently underway.