A fashionable little corner tucked away under River Lea’s Hackney Marshes, this part of Clapton is a recently rejuvenated set of cosy streets. The homes are almost completely Victorian with the exception of some council, and private built apartments in the north east of the area. The area has certainly undergone a significant transformation since the Olympics. From an infamous no-go zone - branded the “Murder Mile”, thanks to a number of killings that happened here in the early 2000s - to a quiet and homely collection of coffee shops, artists studios and green spaces. Newick Road green space is particularly agreeable featuring a pond and fountain. The locale is popular with creative professionals and features the well-regarded Lubomirov and Angus Hughes gallery for contemporary art. Though in recent times a price hike has put off some families looking to buy property, the area has a significant proportion of households with children. Daubeney Fields boast an adventure playground where six to fifteen-year-olds can enjoy tyre swings, fire pits, and arts and crafts under the supervision of trained playworkers. Clapton Girls Academy is the local secondary school rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Whether it’s strolling the Sunday market on Chatsworth Road or browsing vinyl over a latte at Lion Coffee and Records, there are plenty of ways to occupy oneself in Lower Clapton.

The name Clapton is probably a distortion of the original ‘Clopton’, meaning farm on the hill. The grand estate of the Hackney area was, unsurprisingly, Hackney House. It was built for Stamp Brooksbank who, in 1741, was Governor of the Bank of England. Thus, much of the land currently covered by this locale was that belonging to the house. This began to be developed around the second half of the 19th century by London and Suburban Land and Building Company who built westward from the River Lea Navigation. During the 1930s, London County Council began developing the spaces which had been left behind by urbanisation, and the Kingsmead Estate was constructed to provide housing for those displaced by slum clearance programs. Throughout the 20th century, the council erected a number of imposing high- rises, closer to the river; but due to rapidly deteriorating conditions, these were mostly torn down during the nineties.

Harold Pinter has been described as one of the 20th century’s most influential playwrights. He pioneered a style which emphasised natural, imperfect speech. Subsequent critiques have since began calling such writing ‘Pinteresque.’ Born in 1930 in this very locale, Pinter enjoyed athletics and cricket as a child. Distinguishing himself from the outset as a conscientious objector and then enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, his work was not popular immediately, with his first play not lasting more than a week in production. It was not until the sixties that Pinter’s extraordinary signature was recognised, with The ‘Caretaker’ – a play about two brothers who let a homeless man live in their house. Pinter would go on to win numerous awards including the Nobel Prize for literature in 2005.

Pauline Pearce, dubbed the ‘Hackney Heroine’, rose to national fame in 2011 when a video of the grandmother chastising young rioters on Clarence Road went viral on YouTube. Pearce has since expressed her confusion in interviews at her rapid spread across national television for an argument she had started with a man about all the carnage that was ensuing around her. After appearing on numerous shows to explain her message Pearce has run for various positions within the Liberal Democrat party and is one of the party’s best ‘issue-raisers.’

Despite being in zone two, the average journey into London Liverpool Street will take at least half an hour as Hackney Downs Overground is a short walk away. Given this, professionals who have just stepped onto the career ladder might fare better by looking for accommodation further out, where similar journey times combine with cheaper costs of living. However, though the locale is very family-friendly, the broader area appeals more to creatives.

Given the dense layout of the Victorian streets in this area means that there are fewer planned developments within this postcode than there are in surrounding neighbourhoods. However, nowhere in this area of the city is exempt from development completely. Work is currently underway on a residential development located on Mandeville Street which will provide 43 homes which will be discounted for buyers who already live or work in the borough. A similar scheme is also planned for Pedro Street where 26 new affordable homes will be built, with 50% reserved for social housing.