Eton Mission Rowing Club…a proper Eton Mess
The once historic rowing club has sat mothballed for a decade in a standoff over redevelopment and the changing use of local waterways
Co-creating a new Hackney Wick
Greater involvement from the local community can shape future development projects and avoid the mistakes of the past
Hackney Wick’s Warehouse Living
What might our informal and threatened co-living spaces reveal about how other homes and neighbourhoods could be built?
The Wicked One: Rawden Pettitt
A local resident with a unique insight into an area, as Director of Architecture studio Stanton Williams
Meanwhile in East London…
Over the years, Hackney Wick and Fish Island’s glut of ex-industrial units and vacant lots have afforded numerous actors – from community organisations and artists, to business owners and creative practitioners – access to and free-reign over low-cost land, studio space, and warehouses. From skateparks to food-halls, festivals to theatres, artist studios and night-time venues, […]
Losing the Plot
In cities, we have less opportunity to stare aimlessly at the sky or find ourselves experiencing the particular pleasure we get from walking amidst blossoms, flowers, trees, and birds. Research shows that we’re kinder in parks, and London is known all over for its legendary proliferation of green spaces. It all started here, too. Queen […]
Unstoppable Green Shoots
At first glance it might not appear to be the greenest of places, but Hackney Wick is bursting with plant life. From the roof gardens of Oslo House to the jostling pots atop narrowboats on the River Lea, plants are thriving. As we transition into spring, nature is gently unfurling, sending our urban landscapes into […]
Pent Up Anger
Artist Aida Wilde is angry. She asked for local legend Edwin’s iconic slogan, ‘SHITHOUSE TO PENTHOUSE’ – an artwork curated by her – to be removed from the newly refurbished Lord Napier pub. She didn’t want the incoming landlords to financially benefit from Edwin’s cheeky provocation. Aida rightly asks, “I caused Hackney Wick to become […]
Reinventing the High Street
From illegal-squat raves and graffiti to repurposed derelict buildings, Hackney Wick’s history is written on its streets. And while the near weekly-opening of new businesses, coupled with the hordes of ‘tourists’ might appear to bring a sanitisation of the area, one local organisation is hoping to steer the neighbourhood towards a new unique future. The […]
Upcycle, recycle, full circle
For some years, scaffolding boards and other ‘waste’ materials from the Olympic Park were used for mezzanine-building, warehouse modifications and much more in Hackney Wick. Almost a decade ago, Tom Fletcher created his Rejuce factory in a Fish Island warehouse, collecting discarded fruit from a wholesale market. Another warehouse-dweller I knew fantasised about closed-circuit hydroponic […]
