London Fields
Directions
Leaving Hackney Central Station on foot, turn right and right again under the railway bridge into Mare Street. Walk 250m up Mare Street, across Graham Road at the crossing and past the Hackney Empire and Town Hall on the right. Turn right into Reading Lane then left into Hackney Grove. Cross Richmond Road and continue under the railway into Martello Street. The Pub on the Park is on the right. London Fields Station is on the left. At the bend into Martello Terrace, enter London Fields. Follow the cycle path south to a point where two cycle paths cross, just after a stone-built house on the left.
From here, there is now a choice of routes:
- To join Section 3, turn right and follow the route to Albion Square below.
- For a longer ride via Section 2, turn left and into Lamb Lane.
Description
London Fields are on former Lammas land once owned by Hackney Manor, which was still in strip divisions at the end of the 18th century. It was reputedly a burial place of plague victims in 1665. Cricket was played here as early as c.1820.
The park retains its regular 19th century system of paths, numerous notable 18th and 19th century planes, and is bounded on several sides by fragmentary ranges of 18th and 19th century dwellings. The play area in the south-east corner has a sculptural seating area, described by Pevsner as ‘an endearing pebbly sculpture of flower sellers and sheep’.
Further information on LGT Inventory
