An ancient hamlet of Hackney, Dalston developed, east of the Roman’s Ermine Street, from farm settlement to market gardening to brick fields to built-up suburbia by the 1860s. While still rural, Dalston was home to smart big houses, refuges for destitute women and infant orphans and a hospital for foreigners. Industrialisation brought the junction of two railways and factories. The diversity of today’s Hackney is reflected by the stalls of Ridley Road, scene of post-war anti-fascist clashes.

• Which square inspired EastEnders’ Albert Square?
• Why did the Germans have their own hospital?
• Whose royal mistress lived here?

Duration : allow for 3 hours

Cost: £12 (£9 concessions) – pay on the day, card or cash.

Start: Dalston Lane entrance, Dalston Junction Station, London, E8 3DL at 2pm

End: Ashwin Street, London, E8 3DL ‎

To Book: text/phone  07710 414240 or email sean@walkhackney.co.uk