Have been offered a room in Hackney and just wondered what people thought of the place. The only thing I know about Hackney is the 'Murder Mile!' How long would it take to cycle to the west end?

crime ridden pit of filth.

(yes i have lived there and in brixton and various other places in london to compare to)

Lived in Hackney for 4 years.

1 burglary ( whilst asleep upstairs! )
1 dislocated shoulder through getting beating up
1 mugging
1 fight in street with nutter who spat in my wifes face
1 stolen bike
1 egg thrown ( at wife )
1 pervert exposing himself to wife
1 x group of kids chasing me down road on bike


Lived in other parts of London 32 years.
1 burglary

I dont even like going through the area as I had such a horrific experience there.

But dont let that put you off, as I know plenty of people who have had no problems

prepare for a barage from those who will defend the area:

murder mile is clapton.

to be honest, you might experience some crime, but you might also feel at home amidst the vast horde of 'creatives', or 'bright young things' who are so proud to call hackney home, like some kind of urban martha gellhorn.

half hour to west end.

depends where in hackney your living. it is a prety bad place but stokey isn't that bad.

west end in 20 if your fast, and run red lights. although, dont do it infront of police, i got fined a few weeks ago

the night club that was the source of the murders is now closed.

i work hackney everyday and i dont think it is worse than any other part of london.

where about was u staying in hackney ? ? ?
shows u wasnt in the right place and the right time for sure . . .

P.J. I expect nobody except me and you know's who martha gelhorn is (without googling)

It was actually De Beauvoir Town, which is supposed to be the nicest part!!

have been living in hackney for the past 10 years and have never had any problems other than bikes stolen from my garden, i live near london fields (hackney central) and it takes 20-25 mins to the w/end.

surely thats "was"?

I've lived in Hackney the last four or five years.

Local kids set fire to a bin last week. Oh and once when walking home last year I almost stepped in a pool of blood. Called the police, they said it was a gang fight thing that they'd already handled.

That's about it.

Public transport is pretty crap around here, but then again I ride my bike most places.

in death do people stop being themselves?

hmmm. i don't know the answer. but i do know this:

in hackney people stop being themselves.

haha yea cranes right diff parts are worse or better, dalston, stokie, stamford hill, london fields, there not too bad as there on edges, hackney central, downs, wick, homerton, upper and lower clapton abit worse, mere streets notorious itself, but vicki parks nice. oxford street in about 20-25 mins from the first places, 30 or more from the others.

Depends where in hackney, just like anywhere else. Friends have often been abused on their way to my flat in brixton, but I have never had any more trouble than being asked, very intimidatingly, for a quid. It's all pot luck.

london fields is revolting. when i used to go there the sight of millions of identikit hipsters drinking magners and eating humous and bread used to turn my stomach. victoria park 'village' is a sinhole as well. fuckin' boho, tory scumbags. rich assholes pretending to be poor. public schoolboys all.

having said that, the downs estate isn't that much to write home about either. and stoke newington is great if you're a lesbian.

I am kind of glad I didn't move there this year. Much rather be south of the river.

As with all things in life
matter of taste and opinion

20 mins

Funny, this seems to be the other stock rant about a lot of places in London. Either they're really dangerous or they're full of rich tossers.

I live mid way between Viccy Park and the south edge of London Fields, just east of Mere St. I love the area, used to live just off Portobello back in the late 80s and this is kind of the same, yes, there are iffy bits, yes there are rich people, but I walk the dog in Viccy Park everyday and love it. Its London, and its not rich like south ken so be careful and have a nice life.

Good coffee, good pastries, nice food, nice beer, good neighbours, lots of creatives. Too many hipsters on their "fixies" but apart from that...

i'm big on stock rants.

er - what is a 'creative'? i was using the term a little facetiously. i tend see it as an ironic, self-aggrandising, specious term for people who aren't actually creative at all. maybe i'm wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

u gotta be a snob to refuse living in hackney

that's a paradox.

what if you just don't want to live there?

nah perhaps i said that completly wrong lol
but to refuse moving into an appartment just because its located in hackney
its a perfectly fine area

What pj (pj) and mikec said.

In the 4 years I lived there:

1 bike stolen from inside communal hallway
1 gun pulled on me
1 nearly knifed on my own doorstep
1 friend mugged on my own doorstep
Countless giros nicked.
Countless fuck ups by local benefits agencies, usually involving me walking miles between offices, and filling out fresh claims every month
6 months compulsory JobClub, being told to have nice shoes for interviews and apply for as much cold calling work as possible
3 counts of being sold something under the pretence of it being something else, and ending up sleeping in doorways
1 count of front door being kicked in by police with dogs at 5.30am on Sunday morning when they were actually looking for the bloke next door
Blah blah blah

I lived between Dalston and Hackney Downs, sandwiched between the 2 major crack streets - usually self-contained, but people strayed. I don't mind visiting bits of it, but there's no way I'd ever live there again.

haha u lot must be unlucky im 17 in the prime age to be targeted in and around hackney, yet ive found more problems at home (islington), yet i feel if u know the roads to stay away from u will be fine

i think you are very right. it's amazing the people you meet who like to think of themselves as creative or working in 'the creative industry' but being an account handler or selling advertising space isn't creative.
selling pencils doesn't make you an artist.

Spend some time in the area before moving there if you can. Nothing compares to first-hand experience. As other people have said, there are good parts and bad parts.

It's probably worth mentioning that when I lived there, nosferatu was between 1 and 5 years old, and it was definitely a grimmer time socio-economically back then.

Don't be a dumbass. You have yet to be mugged/raped/murdered because you're 17.

It's not like you go into hackney (or any area of london for that matter), and are immediately targeted. It's down to luck. People on here have bad experiences because they've had far more time for them to happen in.