Why I like Hackney Wick

I loved putting together my 'why I like' video on Elephant & Castle so here's one on Hackney Wick! This is one of my favourite parts of London for multiple reasons. Overall, I like how it achieves excellent placemaking without overthinking it.

00:00 - Intro
00:24 - Bit of history
01:39 - Placemaking
03:07 - Celebration of Heritage
03:53 - Street Art
04:15 - New development
08:44 - Future and grovel

In this video I also explore some of the newbuild parts of Hackney Wick around Fish Island. A pretty special neighbourhood has been created here over recent years: one which ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to good urban planning.

Hope you like the video and if you did, please consider liking and subscribing. And comment below your thoughts - I'm learning a lot about video editing still so any feedback is appreciated.

[leesmusic]

Lived here in the mid eighties (1985-87), most of the old warehouses were derelict and the windows all smashed in, and at night on the weekends you could hear warehouse raves going on. The Lord Napier was an old mans pub, I think it was still open then. Basically the area was barren, and a bit strange to walk around. The Trowbridge estate still had tower blocks. And the shopping area was like something from east germany in the 70’s. But it was a fun place to explore as a kid

[YutubeBelongsToMe]

Most urbanist videos I've watched are cantered around areas in North America or mainland Europe so it's nice to see a creator is focusing on London. It's definitely needed.
Keep up the great work 👍

[blacksunshine]

One of my favourite summers day walks is to begin at Tottenham Hale and walk along the canal all the way to Hackney Wick. Its a beautiful walk. There are some great bars once you arrive there too.

[Brunkoh]

This is genuinely the best urban channel on youtube, not condescending or moany like a lot of other channels. Thanks!

[AdamTeece-ngsm]

These videos are so great! I really appreciate this small-scale focus on different parts of the city, as someone into urbanism looking to move to London in the next few years. Keep them coming!

[keith]

Wow what a transformation from last time I was around that area in 1990, lovely to see the area turn around as long as the local people and shops are not and pushed out .

[christopherbrown]

This place had an incredible atmosphere when it was still artist studios in most of those sheds and warehouses. It was totally unique. Now it's all very nice but nothing special about it anymore. How many of the artists who made it interesting in the first place could have afforded to stay there?

[infern]

I love being able to run around Hackney Wick, so unique!

[-Eckhart]

I used to live in South Hackney just off Well Street Common (Homerton Overground) and even then, I regarded it as London's best kept secret. My walks would take me along the Hertford Union Canal and the River Lea Navigation. Like you, I'm a Northerner and near my house in Doncaster was an old industrial area which I would ride my bike around. It gave me a taste for such areas and once in Hackney, I loved the indiustrial atmosphere of the Wick, taking walks around derelict Fish Island, the scramble of waterways called the Bow Backs (in one of these lie the remains of the demolished Euston Arch) and the wasteland along the Northern Outfall Sewer (now probably fallen prey to the Olympics). I thoroughly approve of how the Council have redeveloped the Wick, all credit to them, and how they have a design handbook for all buildings, giving the area a definite personality. Well done on retaining/planting new London Planes - I believe that it is ONLY THESE which make an area so desirable. Your video is an excellent guide to the area as is (I have to put up with the background muzak!) and as an ex-resident, it makes me very happy to see this. Well done Hackney Council and well done you for such a good guide (subbed). A question: Did the Clarnico sweet factory survive? I hope so. It had the name emblazoned high up on the brickwork on the gable end and was the biggest "old factory" at the Wick.

[Hongaars]

I live in Croatia, but lived in London in the late 1990’s. Coincidentally watched your upload from here in London, really liked everything about your video. Keep up the good work. Cheers Zoltan

[StevePinkus]

Nice video!! I live in Brooklyn and explored Hackney Wick last summer. It totally reminds me of areas of Brooklyn but even better since you have the canal and the truly excellent infill.

I love your videos and London has so much urban development that is relevant to NY.

[immaterialimmaterial]

Wow - what a transformation. I remember the area 20 years ago and it's certainly cha---cha----changed for the better!!! Thanks for this wonderful video!

[kulak]

The 'Why I like..' series on your channel is quite refreshing, keep up the work, I hope your channel gets the attention it deserves.

[okinrob]

Love this vid. This basically sums up why I love living in Hackney Wick. I was fortunate enough to be living just opposite facing the wall of Vlad.art5 street art (the fiery girl). Thanks for making this vid.

[stevenkennell]

Great video! I spend most of my free time in Hackney Wick and glad to see it’s getting some Kudos.

[AnnaAlexandra_]

Great video once again! I love Hackney Wick, it's such a nice place to walk around and to go for drinks. And Queen's Yard Summer Party is amazing

[davidsterry]

Wyke Road had a close escape, before the Olympics I carried out a feasibility design for a bus garage on the site next to the canal. TfL had lost two garages to the Olympic site (they are under what was the media centre), however in the end garage was built at West Ham.

[adamyt]

fantastic video. love it. more of this

[TheMixCurator]

Once long ago, Hackney Wick was a pretty good place, tucked away from everywhere else. It felt isolated. I used to go there a lot around 2008-15 as lived in Hackney (still do as it goes).
The skate park was the largest in the area (now they've only got Mile End nearby, which is tiny in comparison).
The yard where Howling Hops, Crate and the like I see is still going. They also used to have so many warehouses for live music but since the new generation/NIMBYs have come in, there's less of that.
Today, its the place where young city workers in their 20s/30s live in identikit housing.
The old "shithouse to penthouse" that was scrawled on the Lord Napier pub (before it reopened) is the most apt commentary on the area.

[impamiizgraa]

Definitely one of my favourite parts of London, which is very cool because only 8-10 years ago there was absolutely nothing there. Hackney Wick is one of the reasons I moved nearby in east London (also the last part of London with 'affordable' housing!)