London Fields is a park in Hackney, London, although the name also refers to the immediate area in Hackney surrounding it and London Fields station. It was once historically common land adjoining the Hackney Central area of the London Borough of Hackney. The park covers an area of, and includes sporting and recreation facilities. The park's history is recorded as early as the 13th century, and it has been known as London Fields since the mid-16th century.
History
In 1275, the area now known as London Fields was recorded as common pasture land adjoining Cambridge Heath. The park was first recorded by name in 1540; in the singular as 'London Field'. Still common ground, it was used by drovers to pasture their livestock before taking them to market in London. By the late 19th century the name had become pluralised to 'London Fields' and parts of the Fields were being lost to piecemeal development. There was a threat of comprehensive development of the park in 1860 but this threat was averted. In WW2 the park hosted an anti-aircraft battery in the south-west corner and a bomb shelter in the vicinity of the tennis courts. The area was heavily bombed during the Blitz and houses along the northern and eastern edges of the park were among those destroyed. These houses had been built on land that was originally part of London Fields and the land was subsequently restored to the park. The previous boundary is marked by a wide arc of Plane trees.
Sport and facilities
London Fields features 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. There is a public house called the Pub on the Park on the east side of the park; this was opened in 1855 and known as the Queen Eleanor until 1992. London Fields received a Green Flag award in July 2008. A much-used cycle path runs from the Pub on the Park to Broadway Market. The park hosts a market each Saturday where a wide variety of producers from around the country sell hot foods, hand-made jewellery, gifts, childrenswear and vintage clothing. On Sundays, the local London Fields Primary School is the base for 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 as early as 1802, and the cricket square on London Fields continues to host competitive games throughout the summer. Several teams use the park as their home pitch, most notably London Fields CC , based at 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 park is used as the starting point for an annual night-time cycle ride called the Dunwich Dynamo. The park is a training and competition base for Hackney Aquatics Club and the London Fields Triathlon Club.
Crime
The area has been connected with instances of gun crime. 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 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. HACKNEY is plagued by more gangs than anywhere else in the capital, according to a leaked police report. A total of 22 gangs have been identified - almost double the number of the next ranked borough, Enfield, with 13. The figures were taken from an unpublished report by the Metropolitan Police identifying 169 gangs across the capital, more than a quarter of which have been involved in murders. More than a fifth of youth crime in London is committed by gangs, according to the report. Even south London, where three 15-year-olds were recently shot dead in separate incidents, doesn't have as major a problem with gangs as Hackney Gangs with names such as The London Fields Crew, The Love and Money Crew, The Hoxton Boys, and Haggerston Fields Combine have gained notoriety in parts of Hackney. Other gangs that operate in Hackney take their names from the estates or neighbourhoods where they live and include Pembury Boys, Lordship, Smalley, Holly Street, Ballance, Mother's Square, DNA, LOS, Red Pitch, SOS, Manor House Boys, Stamford Hill Boys and Springfield. A gang called The E5th Ridaz, who used to control Lower Clapton's Pembury Estate, hit the headlines last October when it was revealed that they had been producing their own home-made music videos to encourage attacks on rival gangs.
Governance
The park and surrounding area has, since 2014, formed part of a new London Fields electoral ward.
Education
There is also a primary school named after the area, London Fields Primary School, opposite one of the entrances to London Fields park.
Housing
The area includes several housing estates. 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.
