London Fields
Coordinates: 51°32′28″N 0°03′34″W / 51.541104°N 0.059545°W
London Fields is a park and district in north-east London, England, and situated in the borough of Hackney. The park itself was first recorded in 1540. At this time it was common ground and was used by drovers to pasture their livestock before taking them to market in London. London Fields is 12.65 hectares (31.3 acres) in extent;[1] about one-third of its original size.[2] It is 4.2 miles (6.8 km) north-east of Charing Cross. There are plenty of sport facilities on London Fields. The park also contain areas to use the restroom and play places for children. London Fields received a Green Flag award in July 2008.[3] Shops often go up around the park selling various items and hot food. A gang called the London Fields gang was convicted for the crimes they committed. The gang was associated with gun crime which included the death of a young woman.[4] The park is very well known for the cricket that has been played there since the 19th century.[5] A school named after the park resides very close to the park. Housing was also built on London Fields and the estates won and Apartment building of the year award in 2009.[6] Sports clubs take advantage of the field by using it for training. These sports clubs include a cricket, aquatics and triathlon club.[1][2][3] London fields is a central area that connects various places like a railway, a pub, and a school. The park is used for an annual cycle ride that happens at night. The cycle ride is called Dunwich Dynamo and has become a tradition that runs right through London Fields.[5]
Overview
London Fields sports a cricket pitch, a heated 50m lido and lido cafe, grass areas, designated barbecue area, a small BMX track, tennis courts, a table tennis table, toilet blocks and two children's play areas. In 2013 the Council turned a sandy, gritty area of London Fields into a pictorial meadow the size of a football pitch.[7]
London Fields received a Green Flag award in July 2008.[3] A much-used cycle path runs from the Pub on the Park to Broadway Market. London Fields also has a railway station linking it to Hackney Downs and to Liverpool Street in the City. The Pub on the Park is the starting point for the annual Dunwich Dynamo night cycle ride.
Every Saturday, a wide variety of producers from around the country take part in the market, selling hot foods, hand-made jewellery, gifts, childrenswear and vintage clothing. Every Sunday, the local London Fields Primary School now hosts the London Fields Farmers' Market and there is a crafts market adjacent to the building next door.
A document in Hackney library records a game of cricket to have been played on the park[5] as early as 1802, and the cricket square on London Fields continues to host competitive games throughout the summer (late April — mid September). Several teams from the North East London Cricket League regard the park as their home pitch, most notably London Fields CC, based from the Pub on the Park. During the summer the park can be extremely busy with many people combining an afternoon's picnic with watching the cricket. The Turley End of the ground is a popular vantage point for those watching the cricket.
The area has been connected with instances of gun crime in recent years. Members of the London Fields gang which operates in and around the area were convicted on 12 April 2011 for the shooting of 16-year-old Agnes Sina-Inakoju[4] at a chicken shop in Hoxton in April 2010. In May 2010 an innocent 27-year-old man was shot by mistake in London Fields by feuding gang members.[8]
Governance
The area forms part of the Queensbridge ward.[6]
Education
There is also a primary school named after the area, London Fields Primary School, opposite one of the entrances to London Fields park.
Sport Clubs
The park is a key training and competition base for several sport clubs serving the area and the London Borough of Hackney.
Housing
The area includes several housing estates.[6] One of the largest, the Holly Street Estate, is undergoing regeneration, and the new development by United House won Apartment Building of the Year at the Daily Mail British Homes Awards in 2009.[9][10]
Transport and locale
 |
Dalston | Hackney Central | Homerton | |
| Haggerston |  |
South Hackney | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Shoreditch | Bethnal Green | Victoria Park |
The London Overground stations in the area are at Haggerston and London Fields railway station.
References
- 1 2 "London Fields Management Plan 2010 - 2015 updated January 2013" (PDF). /www.hackney.gov.uk/. Hackney Council. 2013. p. 4. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- 1 2 The Fields (London Fields User Group) accessed 19 September 2009
- 1 2 3 Hackney Today 188 21 July 2008
- 1 2 "Agnes's brother 'could forgive' Hoxton takeaway murderers". BBC News. 12 April 2011.
- 1 2 3 Copy of 1802 scorecard (London Fields Cricket Club) accessed 19 September 2009
- 1 2 3 A Profile of Queensbridge Ward, Hackney Council. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
- ↑ http://www.hackney.gov.uk/cp-londonfields.htm#.VTDk3yFViko
- ↑ "Shots 'fired from outside' Hackney's London Fields park". BBC News. 25 May 2010.
- ↑ "British Homes Awards 2009". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
- ↑ "Queensbridge Quarter". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
External links
- Hackney Council's London Fields information
- North East London Cricket League
- London Fields Cricket Club
- London Fields Farmers' Market
- Broadway Market
- GLL's London Fields Lido information
- London Fields User Group
- History links
- Hackney: Mare Street and London Fields (British History online)
- Hackney: Hackney Village (British History online)
- http://jonmartindesigns.com/Mike/Londonfieldshistory/09.4%20A%20History%20of%20London%20FieldsS%5B1%5D.pdf
- http://www.jonmartindesigns.com/Mike/Londonfieldshistory/09.6%20zLF%20LIDO%20HISTORY+ATT%20S.pdf
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