Description
By the 1720s Mare Street was a well populated district of the parish, with buildings on both sides of the road between Mutton Lane and London Lane in 1745. In 1827 it was so busy that the Mutton Lane verges were cut back to create a wider roadway and the central plot, later known as The Triangle, was fenced as an ornamental space. In 1883 this small area of land was given to Hackney Board of Works by the Lord of the Manor of Hackney. It was here that Evangeline, daughter of William Booth, began preaching from a soapbox at the age of 15. Described in 1928 as 'a small triangle of land at the junction of roads containing a few trees', there is now one mature plane tree, and a late C19th double length trough of the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, which was originally to the east of its current site.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hackney Triangle Shrubbery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Mare Street/Westgate Street |
| Postcode | E8 |
| What3Words | ///value.polite.local |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: London Fields. Bus: 26, 277, 48, 55, 106, 236, 253, 277, D6. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2013 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The site has been re-configured, with new paving etc.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ348839 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.012 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hackney |
| Site Management | Streetscene |
| Dates | ?1883 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Granite double length MDFCTA trough |
| 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 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Hackney |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Mare Street |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | London Square |
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
St Joseph's Hospice was established in 1905 on the former estate of Cambridge Lodge, set up at the instigation of Father Peter Gallwey, Rector of Farm Street Jesuit Mission, to help the destitute of East London. He gained support from the Archbishop of Westminster and Miss Grace Goldsmith, whose gift of £300 a year in 1899 enabled a group of Sisters of Charity to come from Dublin to work in Hackney. In 1903 Cambridge Lodge came up for sale and was purchased for the Sisters to set up the hospice, which opened in January 1905. Over the years it has expanded but has always had a garden for recreation and contemplation. There are now different garden areas with roses, traditional perennials, half-hardy tropical plants, annual bedding schemes and container planting. The Centenary Garden was exhibited and won a medal at Chelsea Flower Show in 2005. Further garden areas are being created as part of new building works in 2010.
London Fields is former Lammas land once owned by Hackney Manor, reputedly a burial place of plague victims in 1665. Along with other open spaces in the area it was under threat from development in the 1860s but Hackney District Board was able to use the Metropolitan Commons Act of 1866 to preserve 180 acres of common land as open space. London Fields was acquired under the Metropolitan Commons Supplemental Act 1872, the land transferred to the Metropolitan Board of Works and made into a public park. By 1925 the park had a bandstand, paddling pool, netball and tennis courts, and by 1939 a refreshments hut, toilets, drinking fountain, outdoor swimming pool, and a children's gymnasium. The Lido had closed by 2000 but following a campaign to restore it, has since re-opened, London's only outdoor Olympic-sized heated pool. The park retains its original system of paths, and numerous notable C18th and C19th plane trees.
St Thomas's Recreation Ground is on the site of the former burial ground of a Nonconformist Chapel at St Thomas's Square. The burial ground was on land leased by St Thomas's Hospital and was used from at least the late C18th. Following closure for burial, it was eventually laid out as a public garden in 1888 and was maintained by Hackney District Board of Works. The grave markers were cleared, many now fixed or against the walls, and some chest tombs remain. Entry from Mare Street is via an early C19th archway, and a pavilion in the centre dates from the late C19th or early C20th.