With Victoria Park and Well Street Common comprising almost half of this area, locals and new-comers can take full advantage of the green space and village-like community. The housing stock is impressive: Georgian homes on Cassland Road are interspersed with bay windowed Victorian terraces. Early council blocks are not uncommon in the east of this postcode as you move towards Mare Street and London Fields. The area is popular among creatives and families, with house prices peaking on the northern edge of Victoria Park in a small area known as Victoria Village. Whether you want to paint a pot at Wonderland Ceramics or try out some life drawing at The Royal Inn on the Park, this part of Hackney has long shed its rougher reputation. Mare Street which leads up to Hackney Central overground station is the locale’s commercial area, where the old Hackney Empire has entertained locals since the beginning of the twentieth century. Hackney Picturehouse alongside numerous coffee shops and trendy bars now also draw in locals and tourists alike. Lauriston and Orchard are the state primary schools of the area, rated ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

In the late 17th century, the then hamlet of Mare Street had a strong Huguenot and Jewish presence who settled in large homes here and around Homerton. The governance of the area was the responsibility of the parish churches until 1899 when the Government Act was passed and the metropolitan borough of Hackney formally took over. The Crown Estate bought land which would form Victoria Park in 1842. By 1845 it was open to the public – set to be the ‘People’s Park’ owing to the rapidly-evolving working class in the east end during the second half of the 19th century.

During this p[eriod the park became the setting for various rallies and demonstrations and became synonymous with social mobilisation. William Morris, the textile designer, was also a vocal socialist who attracted huge crowds at some of the various speaker’s corners. During WWII, the park was closed off for the public to serve as an anti-aircraft site. In more recent decades, rock concerts and festivals have been held here mainly for commercial purposes, but sometimes drawing on the postcode’s history of social activism.

The Times columnist Robert Crampton resides locally with his wife and children. Crampton has interviewed the likes of Tony Blair, Paul McCartney, Kate Winslet, and many more. In his early life, Crampton, a northerner, was active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and by the age of 18 had earned himself a £20 fine for participating in a rowdy demonstration. Educated at Oxford and then at City University Journalism Department, Crampton has throughout his career been shortlisted for a number of awards, and won the “Interviewer of the Year” award in 2004.

This area is lacking access to public transport systems connections. There are no tube stops in the vicinity, with London Fields and Cambridge Heath overground stations making up the only rail connections, despite both sitting outside the area’s boundary. However, with numerous bus routes running through the area, many residents are not overly concerned by these poor transport links. Philippa, who runs gym classes close to the area, says that “having Victoria Park at your doorstep is an unparalleled advantage. There’s simply never an excuse to not go for a jog!”

The Shoe Factory is representative of the kind of industrial-to-residential conversion that the area champions. Currell recently completed these open-plan lofts, carefully retaining the industrial feel of the dwelling with features like exposed brickwork and wall-to-wall Crittall windows. Prices are typically high, ranging from £500,000 to £800,000 for one and two-bed apartments. A similar residential project was also recently completed at the old Ceramics Works, slightly to the north of Well Street Common, which takes advantage of the neighbourhood’s industrial past.