Description
The northern part of Haggerston Park was the site of the Imperial Gas Company from 1823, later becoming the Gas Light and Coke Co, which was destroyed in WWII bombing. It was laid out as a park in 1956 by the LCC with ornamental gardens, a raised bowling green, a birch grove on the infilled basin site, and a long pergola walk on the north side. In the 1980s the park was extended to the south to include Hackney City farm, children's playground and playing fields.
Practical Information
| Site location | Queensbridge Road/Whiston Road/Hackney Road/Audrey Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E2 8QH |
| What3Words | ///stray.bleat.grew |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk (summer 9.30pm, winter 4pm). Farm: Tues-Sun & BH 10am-4.30pm |
| Facilities | Children's play area, basketball, athletics track (seasonal), BMX cycle track, multi-use games area, Trim Trail, ping pong table; Hackney City Farm, toilets, dog walking area |
| Events | Various events |
| Public Transport | Tube: Bethnal Green (Central) then bus. Rail: Cambridge Heath. Bus: 26, 48, 55, 236, 394. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Haggerston is recorded as early as the Domesday survey when the manor was known as 'Hergotestane' on land granted by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's. The manor was subsequently broken up, some land becoming part of Hoxton Manor, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the land passed through a number of owners. The Astronomer Royal Edmond Halley (1646-1742) lived in Haggerston at one time. In 1823 the Imperial Gas Company was established on Haggerston Basin, a spur off the Regent's Canal, and in 1887 the company amalgamated to form the Gas Light and Coke Co. This was bombed and destroyed in World War II and on its site the oldest part of Haggerston Park was laid out in 1956 by the London County Council with the high relict C19th brick walls still visible on three sides.
The LCC park layout included fine ornamental gardens, a raised bowling green, and a birch grove on the infilled basin site, a Tea Terrace, and a sundial and elliptical bed at the Edith Street entrance. Haggerston Park has been described as 'one of the few formal landscaped gardens in the Borough'. Also dating from the 1950s is a long pergola walk on the north side of the park. In 1966 a Park Keeper's Lodge and 1 O'clock Club were built, and in the 1980s the park was extended to the south to include a city farm, children's playground and playing fields. The pond in the park, which is of value for nature conservation, was repaired in 2010/11. A Community Orchard and Food Growing Garden is being created, for which the ground has been cleared and prepared and 200 plants have been planted.
The LCC park layout included fine ornamental gardens, a raised bowling green, and a birch grove on the infilled basin site, a Tea Terrace, and a sundial and elliptical bed at the Edith Street entrance. Haggerston Park has been described as 'one of the few formal landscaped gardens in the Borough'. Also dating from the 1950s is a long pergola walk on the north side of the park. In 1966 a Park Keeper's Lodge and 1 O'clock Club were built, and in the 1980s the park was extended to the south to include a city farm, children's playground and playing fields. The pond in the park, which is of value for nature conservation, was repaired in 2010/11. A Community Orchard and Food Growing Garden is being created, for which the ground has been cleared and prepared and 200 plants have been planted.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ340833 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Hackney |
| Site Management | Hackney Parks Service; Haggerston Park User Group; Hackney City Farm |
| Dates | 1956; 1980s |
| Designers | LCC Architect: R Lyell Thorpe |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hackney |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance I |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Goldsmith's Square is on land acquired by the LCC who built two blocks of working-class housing here in 1894/95, largely for the people who were displaced when the Boundary Estate in Shoreditch was being built. The central open space was initially laid out as a children's playground. It was re-landscaped in the 1980s when a sports court was provided, surrounded by planting, a series of pergolas, seating areas, raised brick planters as well as a small railed garden area with lawn, shrubs and seating.
Ion Square Gardens is on the former site of Ion Square built in c.1845, which had terraced cottages on three sides facing a central communal garden. In 1886 the Kyrle Society approached the Vestry of St Matthew's with a view to opening the garden to the public. As a result it was leased in 1894 by the MPGA for a peppercorn rent, laid out and opened in 1895. In 1928 responsibility for the garden passed to Bethnal Green Borough Council. Most of the square's houses were destroyed in WWII bombing and in the 1960s the wider area was landscaped, although the site of the original garden remains demarcated.
St Peter's Church, built in 1840-41 and designed by Lewis Vulliamy, was originally the centre of a square of terraced houses, now surrounded by modern flats. The church building was considerably refurbished from 1905 onwards under the then vicar Revd W H Maynard. The churchyard, closed to burial, was laid out as a public garden under the auspices of the Kyrle Society in 1883/84 and is surrounded by iron railings with hedging and has a number of mature plane trees.
