London Fields

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For the novel by Martin Amis, see London Fields (novel).

Coordinates: 51°32′24″N 0°03′39″W / 51.5400°N 0.0608°W / 51.5400; -0.0608

London Fields at twilight. The bicycle path on the right leads to the Pub on the Park. (October 2005)

London Fields is a park and the name of an area of London, situated in the eastern borough of Hackney. The park itself was first recorded in 1540. At this time it was common ground and was used by drovers to pasture their livestock before taking them to market in London.

London Fields is just over 31 acres (13 ha) in extent; about one-third of its original size.^[1] It is 4.2 miles (6.8 km) north-east of Charing Cross.

[edit] Overview

London Fields Lido is the only heated outdoor Olympic-size pool in London

London Fields sports a cricket pitch, lido (the only heated outdoor 50 metre swimming pool in London), grass areas, a small BMX track, tennis courts, a table tennis table and two children's play areas. London Fields received a Green Flag award in July 2008.^[2] A much-used cycle path runs from the Pub on the Park to Broadway Market. London Fields also has a railway station linking it to Hackney Downs and to Liverpool Street in the City. The Pub on the Park is the starting point for the annual Dunwich Dynamo night cycle ride.

Every Saturday, a wide variety of producers from around the country take part in the very popular market selling quality produce including a huge array of hot foods, complemented by many others selling hand-made jewellery, gifts, childrenswear and vintage clothing. Every Sunday, the local London Fields Primary School now hosts 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^[3] as early as 1802, and the cricket square on London Fields continues to host competitive games throughout the summer (late April — mid September). Several teams from the North East London Cricket League regard the park as their home pitch, most notably London Fields CC, based from 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 area has been connected with some notable instances of gun crime in recent years. Members of the London Fields gang which operates in and around the area were convicted on April 12, 2011 for the shooting of 16-year-old Agnes Sina-Inakoju ^[4] at a chicken shop in Hoxton in April 2010. In May 2010 an innocent 27-year-old man was shot by mistake on a sunny afternoon in London Fields by feuding gang members. ^[5]

[edit] Governance

The area forms part of the Queensbridge ward.^[6]

[edit] Education

For details of education in London Fields, see List of schools in the London Borough of Hackney.

There is also a primary school named after the area, London Fields Primary School, opposite one of the entrances to London Fields park.

[edit] Housing

The area includes several housing estates.^[6] 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.^[7]^[8]