History & Picture Gallery

George Grocott was born in 1846 and brought up in Hackney. He became Hackney's first Town Clerk. His book was published to raise money for the Mayor of Hackney's fund for those affected by what became known as the Great War. 'South Hackney Common' is what we know as Well Street Common. Here is an excerpt from his book, Hackney Fifty Years Ago, written in 1915.

'This common, bounded on one side by Victoria Park, was at the period I have referred to nearly surrounded by open lands, the Common itself being enclosed by posts and chains. It had nothing like the rough usage of London Fields or Stoke Newington Common, and, being in close proximity to Victoria Park, it only came in for a share of the sports. As the neighbourhood surrounding the Common began to develop, the necessity for supervision became very urgent, as the undesirable characters who frequented it were a source of annoyance to the residents of the superior class houses abutting thereon. Good lighting, proper paths, and thorough supervision have remedied this, and now South Hackney possesses a well-kept and popular recreation ground, largely patronised by the general public as well as the residents of the immediate neighbourhood. Although practically all of the available land has now been developed, the existence of these bright and ample open spaces, together with the broad roads and smaller plantations, will always secure for this part of the borough of Hackney the reputation for being one of the healthiest in the Metropolis'.