broadway market and london fields

Nick Oliver begins an occasional series which looks at nearby areas of interest in Hackney.

The Roman historian Tacitus, writing in AD 61, described London as famous for its vast number of merchants and for the abundance of every type of commodity it could supply. Strabo speaks of British merchants as bringing to the Seine and Rhine shiploads of corn and cattle, and it is recorded that in AD 359 eight hundred vessels were employed for the conveyance of corn from the Port of London.

London was supplied with livestock and farm produce from its north-east corner along a centuries-old drover’s route. This porters’ path, or broad way, wide enough to drive cattle, crossed Lea River and continued along Upper Clapton, Mare Street, and the Martello road side of London Fields, through the centre of present- day Broadway Market, past the Nag’s Head and along Columbia Road and Virginia Road to Shoreditch Church and thence to Spitalfields and Bishopsgate.

The most historic site on Broadway Market is that occupied by the Cat and Mutton. There has been a pub on this site since at least 1680. It stood alone as a wayside inn on the porters’ path until Victorian times, when other buildings joined it to create a new street market. At a time when British industry and commerce were at a peak, Broadway Market became established between a new resident middle class population in the east and a thickly populated working class area south of Regents Canal.

At the Canal end of the Market once stood the Hackney Bun House which made buns to rival the celebrated and more aristocratic Chelsea buns. The Market is now the home to a wide variety of exciting new businesses which are reviving its fortunes after a period of decline, as Jo Smith Oliver explains below.

London Fields, given over to common land by a royal decree of Henry VIII, was chiefly devoted to sheep grazing until the early 18th century. Pub and street names in the vicinity, such as The Blade Bone Inn, The Nags Head, Slaughter Street. Mutton Lane, Sheep Lane, Bacon Street, and Cock Street recall the former activities that kept London supplied from porters’ path and rural Hackney.

During the first centuries of British colonial expansion, chartered companies with monopolistic control of colonial exploitation often had significant private armies to protect their overseas interests. The most notable of these was the Honourable East India Company that acquired Pembroke House, a large property that stood in spacious grounds on London Fields East, and used the Fields to train and drill its militia.

In the middle of the 19th century London Fields, being the nearest open space to the City, was frequently used as a fairground and attracted many visitors, including disreputable characters, footpads, travelling preachers, and rioters. The neighbourhood was then notorious for the gangs of robbers that frequented the Cat and Mutton public house.

The old porter’s path was by then used by carriages that frequently overturned when encountering large waterfilled potholes. In time, the path was tarred and tarmacadamed by Hackney Board of Works and London Fields came under the jurisdiction of the LCC which manicured the lawns, provided seats, a bandstand for music, and other recreational facilities to add to those offered by the Pub on the Park.

N16 magazine owes its thanks to urbane classicist, artist, and historian Stephen Selby for his help in compiling this article. Stephen can be visited at his gallery at 63-64 Broadway Market.

up the market

by Jo Smith Oliver

As a reflexologist, I have always been interested in the reflection of the body in the soles and other parts of the feet and hands. My rational physiotherapy training is challenged by the fact that simple massage of the feet can also trigger the body to heal itself. When this principle is viewed on a larger scale, massage given to the whole body also has the effect of changing the environment around that person. We all know that relaxed and cheerful people are much nicer to be around!

As a complementary therapist, finding a location for my business was vitally important.   Where could I move my business, feel at home, grow and be accepted for what I am, whilst at the same time get to know my neighbours? After many years of searching, I came into this delightful street. Living only a stone’s throw from Broadway Market, I hardly knew of its existence eight years ago. Now it has become home to a vital part of my life.

Little did I know that such a small but self-contained area of Hackney could provide me with a delicious capuccino, fresh fruit and veg from the barrow, vintage cheddar from the butchers and doughnuts to die for in the bakery. Many shops and businesses have existed here for years: the barber’s, the hardware merchant, and the famous Dove pub, for example. Every community needs its doctor, pharmacist, off-licence, general stores and post office. We have the lot! I have been in the street since 1996 and have always felt a sense of belonging here, for which I will be eternally grateful. There is always someone willing to talk and, if you are in the right place at the right time, a private view to attend! Good design, English, Russian, Mexican, Turkish food and lively company, what more do you need?

So, back to this holistic scene and what it all means. How much does this business influence the community, and how does the community affect us? What I do know is that during my time here I have felt increasingly inspired by the changing faces and businesses in the street. So maybe it is to each other and, of course, ourselves we need to look for our own creative energy, where transformation exists around our inner security. For me the core of Broadway Market will always remain, containing the rich energies of international trading and life that have been here for centuries. I have always been very happy here, and my vision for Holistic Health is that it will exist as part of this lively community for many years to come.

Jo Smith Oliver, proprietor,
Holistic Health, 64 Broadway
Market, London E8 4QJ. Tel:
020 7275 8434. www.holistichealth-hackney.co.uk