Description
Shacklewell was a medieval hamlet that grew up on both sides of Shacklewell Lane, an old route between the village of Hackney and Kingsland Road. An ancient well attracted visitors from the C17th onwards, and various inns and hostelries were established here. Shacklewell Green and Shacklewell Lane Triangle, sometimes called the 'small green', are survivals of manorial waste that were given to Hackney Board of Works for public open space in 1883 by the Lord of the Manor, whose manor house was to the north. The Green has perimeter plane trees and contains the 1914-18 war memorial.
Practical Information
| Site location | Shacklewell Lane/Cecilia Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E5 |
| What3Words | ///thing.task.senses |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Rectory Road. Bus: 276, 236. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Shacklewell was an old medieval hamlet of Hackney, which had this name by the mid C18th, although there are records of settlement here from 1490 when a saddler, Thomas Cornish, had a tenant here. The village grew up on both sides of Shacklewell Lane, which was an old route between the village of Hackney and Kingsland Road, and an area of waste formed the village green. As the name indicates, it was once the site of an ancient well, and in the C17th and C18th it was frequented as a rural retreat by visitors from London. Various inns and hostelries were established near the Green, the earliest being the Cock Inn, which was in existence by 1725, and The Green Man, licensed in 1760. North of Shacklewell Green was Shacklewell Manor, which in the C16th belonged to Sir John Heron, Master of the Jewel House, whose wife Cecilia was the daughter of Sir Thomas More. By the late C17th it was the home of Francis Tyssen, who was Lord of the Manor of Hackney and a major landowner. Between 1672 and 1735 the number of households in the village grew from 14 to 47, and by the late C18th there were a number of gentlemen's houses.
The green spaces of both Shacklewell Green and Shacklewell Lane Triangle were formerly owned by the Lord of the Manor, who gave them to the Hackney Board of Works in 1883. Both spaces are protected as public open space under the London Squares and Enclosures (Preservation) Act of 1906, and in 1928 they were described as 'well-kept enclosures in the middle of a public road, laid out as lawns with some trees and shrubs' (Royal Commission on London Squares). The Green has a single line of notable London plane trees around the perimeter and is laid out with grass and crazy paving path; seats were placed here in the late C19th by the MPGA and the green is also the setting for the 1914-18 war memorial. The garden is surrounded by modern railings set onto a low brick wall. Shacklewell Lane Triangle is an area of grass slightly raised behind a low brick wall with a few trees.
The green spaces of both Shacklewell Green and Shacklewell Lane Triangle were formerly owned by the Lord of the Manor, who gave them to the Hackney Board of Works in 1883. Both spaces are protected as public open space under the London Squares and Enclosures (Preservation) Act of 1906, and in 1928 they were described as 'well-kept enclosures in the middle of a public road, laid out as lawns with some trees and shrubs' (Royal Commission on London Squares). The Green has a single line of notable London plane trees around the perimeter and is laid out with grass and crazy paving path; seats were placed here in the late C19th by the MPGA and the green is also the setting for the 1914-18 war memorial. The garden is surrounded by modern railings set onto a low brick wall. Shacklewell Lane Triangle is an area of grass slightly raised behind a low brick wall with a few trees.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ337853 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Hackney |
| Site Management | Hackney Parks Service |
| Dates | C19th |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Priority |
| 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
From the 1840s, Dalston was rapidly expanding as a middle class suburb and in the 1860s a planned residential development was built on land owned by the Lord of the Manor. The population was initially served by an iron church, which St Mark's Church was built to replace in 1863-66. One of the largest parish church in London, it was nicknamed the Cathedral of the East. The tower, built in 1877-80, features a turret barometer, probably the only working one in Europe. The church is surrounded by a churchyard garden with lawn, some shrubbery and notable mature trees around the railed perimeter.
Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is on the site of disused railway lands, no longer required after improvement works were made at Dalston Junction. In 2009 it was used as a site for a temporary art installation in conjunction with the Barbican Art Gallery. In 2010 the garden was created through a partnership project commissioned by Design for London, 'Making Space in Dalston' in which Hackney Council, local residents and groups worked with muf architect/art and J & L Gibbons Landscape Architects. It was planted with wildlife friendly trees and shrubs, Since 2012 the garden has been managed as a social enterprise, with a café, education programme and community events.
The Jewish Burial Ground was opened by the Reform Synagogue, who broke away from the Bevis Marks Sephardic cemetery. The first recorded burial was in 1843 and it was in use until 1951. Enclosed by high brick walls, the burial ground has numerous regularly arranged tombstones set in grass with plane trees along the Kingsbury Road and south boundaries. Among those buried here are many prominent members of the Jewish community such as the de Stern, Goldsmid and Mocatta families.