For much of its history Hackney was a rural outpost of London, but today it is one of the capital’s most densely populated areas and contains a wealth of wonderful architecture, including the medieval St Augustine’s Church tower and sixteenth-century Sutton House. Hackney and the surrounding hamlets of Homerton, Dalston, Clapton and Kingsland rapidly changed once industrialisation took hold, bringing factories, workshops, new housing, churches, synagogues, pubs and the Hackney Empire theatre. The area remains home to many marvellous Georgian and Victorian buildings, but interesting twentieth-century and later buildings abound too, from the Rio cinema at Dalston and the art deco Town Hall to Hackney New Primary School, alongside many conversions from old factories and warehouses.

Hackney in 50 Buildings explores the history of this fascinating area of north-east London through a selection of its most interesting buildings and structures, showing the changes that have taken place over the years. The book will appeal to all those who live in Hackney or who have an interest in the area.