Re-igniting former glories in E5

Street party in Trehurst Road earlier this year

It once housed Henry VIII and Samuel Pepys, but Clapton hasn’t always had the best of reputations. Sandwiched between Stoke Newington and central Hackney, the area garnered quite a rough reputation when a series of attacks in the early 2000s led to the nickname ‘murder mile’ being given to Upper Clapton Road.

In recent years, however, the E5 postcode has slowly been transformed into one of the most desirable areas of Hackney, gathering in the exodus from Shoreditch and London Fields as it drastically improved its local services.

With a mixture of large Georgian houses, charming terraced Victorian properties and new upmarket developments along the River Lea, Clapton has a lot to offer both young professionals and families of all sizes, and although house prices are soaring, they are still significantly lower than many other Hackney neighbourhoods.

Clapton is less oppressively urban than its surrounding areas, and is abound with green spaces, from the River Lea itself, with its cyclist and jogger friendly towpaths, to the 40-acre Springfield Park, which includes tennis courts, a cricket pitch, a duck pond, a café and an historic bandstand to boot.

The huge Hackney Marshes border Clapton to the east, stretching all the way to the Olympic Park, while Hackney Downs is a short walk for those living more centrally.

Johnny Rotten may not have thought much of Brook House, the Clapton school he attended, but some local schools have been getting excellent results in recent years, with families moving to the neighbourhood just so that they can be in the right catchment area.

The Clapton Girls’ Academy on Laura Place, which only received its ‘academy’ status a couple of years back, has been steadily improving, with ‘outstanding’ Ofsted reports becoming commonplace. The much-lauded Mossbourne Academy, often used as a paradigm for inner city schools, is the former stomping ground of Sir Michael Wilshaw, now Chief Inspector of Schools, and although its ethos may not cater to all tastes, the results speak for themselves.

For the younger ones, the Daubeney Primary School has been doing well academically, and the nearby Kingsmead is another Ofsted ‘Outstanding School’. Options for the really little ones include the Rooftop Nursery in Ottaway Street, and affordable private child-care is readily available throughout E5.

Transport links to central London are ever improving. National Rail services from Clapton, Rectory Road and Hackney Downs stations all make it to Liverpool Street in ten minutes or under, while the London Overground stations just outside E5, such as Homerton and Hackney Central, provide a speedy route to places such as Stratford, Highbury and even as far as Richmond. Cycling is on the increase all over Hackney, but Clapton’s proximity to the River Lea means many a journey can be made in a safer and more serene environment.

Other local highlights include top-rate leisure facilities in Hackney Marshes and at the Kings Hall Centre on Lower Clapton Road. The Chatsworth Road market, which runs every Sunday, is full of independent stalls which have become local favourites, from homemade Greek food to retro jewellery.

A couple of months ago, a blue plaque was unveiled at the birth home of Harold Pinter, who lived a street away from Clapton Pond. But the esteemed playwright has only set the scene – the best of E5, one senses, is yet to come.