Festival Videos

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From Hackney, With Love: An Intimate History of Regeneration, Gentrification and Belonging is an insider exploration of the dramatic social, cultural and economic transformation of one of the most iconic places in Britain – Richard’s home, the London Borough of Hackney.

Squatting, culture and politics in Hackney in the 1980s, Chas Loft, Gail Thibert, David Insurrection, Heather Redheader talk about their experiences of squatting.

Watch more — expand each category below to view a list of videos available to watch on YouTube

Architecture & Buildings

Watch videos on topics related to historic buildings, estates, churches, preservation, design, regeneration

The past, present and future of the Hackney Society's work on the borough's built heritage at risk

The Hackney Society has been active in calling for the retention and reuse of historic buildings and other structures in the borough since it was founded in 1967.

Meaning from Mannerism: Understanding Allen’s Estate and Gardens, Stoke Newington

To celebrate 150 years since the completion of Allen's Estate and Gardens, Stoke Newington this talk by Darren aims to answer a question - Can a study of Allen’s Estate and Gardens demonstrate there was a Mannerist Revival in the Victorian era that has since been overlooked?

A history of the Hackney Design Awards - celebrating the borough's best loved buildings

Matt Payne works for the Conservation, Urban Design & Sustainability Team at Hackney Council and will be delving into the archives of the Hackney Design Awards to celebrate some of the borough's best loved buildings, which have either won or been shortlisted since 2004.

Plans in the Dark: Stoke Newington’s Unbuilt Deep Shelter and the Politics of Protection

In 1939, Stoke Newington commissioned a leading consulting engineer to design a deep level air raid shelter beneath the borough.

How Lower Clapton Grew Up: A Story Told by Its Homes

In 1939, Stoke Newington commissioned a leading consulting engineer to design a deep level air raid shelter beneath the borough.

The Dudley Monument of St Mary’s Old Church

The Dudley Monument of St Mary’s Old Church: exploring Elizabethan Stoke Newington through an iconic memorial stone.

Faith Buildings in Hackney talk

Urban landscapes are shaped by faith: faith buildings act as landmarks both geographically and in collective cultural consciousness.

Local History

Watch videos on topics related to general Hackney history, neighbourhoods, everyday life, streets, shops

River Lea

The Lee Valley Park was the brainchild of a famous Hackney mayor, Lou Sherman, whose aim was to restore the neglected open spaces of the Lee Valley for public use.

Life on the Lea

Judith explains the long and impactful history of the River Lea from Viking raiders, through its industrial heritage and the legacy of the Olympics, with interviews from many who call it home.

Every House in Hackney Has a Story. What’s Yours?

Inspired by David Olusoga’s A House Through Time, Jessica Crowe went searching for the secrets hidden within the walls of her London Fields home.

250 Years of Shops and Trades in Hackney’s Historic High Street

Carolyn Clark's talk traces the history of Central Hackney’s historic shopping street from Georgian times to the 1970s.

Politics & Social Change

Watch videos on topics related to suffragettes, strikes, housing, slavery, protest, activism

Not a thing was moving”: the 1926 General Strike in Hackney and beyond

In May 1926 two million workers joined the only official General Strike Britain has ever seen, in support of miners facing drastic wage cuts.

Strike Songs Sing-along

We topped off the Archives day with a right old knees-up led by Peter Jarvis from Shrubland Road TRA and Eric Segal whose grandfather was involved in the strike.

A Quiet Roar — Untold stories of the Women of Sutton House

History is most often recorded as a long list of men and their deeds, with only passing mention of their wives.

Hackney’s Squatters, punks and ravers

From Punk squats to free parties and raves, an alternative history to Hackney’s anarchist communities making a lot of noise in Thatcher’s wastelands.

May Scott’s Hoxton Hall

May Scott’s Hoxton Hall: Intersectional rootedness, social change, and community care at the Hall that May built. It’s 1959 and the slim figure of May Scott travels the short distance from her flat at Arnold Circus to Hoxton Hall.

When the spirit of Judah Maccabee hovered over Whitechapel

In 1917, during WW1, after much lobbying, the British government agreed to the raising of a specifically Jewish unit to fight in the Army against the Ottomans in present day Israel.

Rock against Racism in Victoria Park

1978. 100,000 music fans walked seven miles from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park. To protest against the National Front.

Communities & Identity

Watch videos on topics related to migration, black history, LGBTQ+, faith communities, women's history, youth

Well Settled: Archiving Vietnamese histories in Hackney

Named after a Vietnamese phrase meaning ‘well settled’, the An Việt Foundation was established by Mr. Vũ Khánh Thành in Hackney in 1981.

Up the Youth Club

Youth clubs have been an important part of Hackney life for over a hundred years. Now, youth clubs are back on the national and local agenda.

Borders, Boats and Boarding Houses: Hidden histories of Sylheti lascars in Hackney

From Sylhet to Spitalfields is an account of the long historical roots of the Bangladeshi community in east London.

Stitching Lives, Making Place: Turkish and Kurdish Women and the Making of Hackney since the 1980s

Since the 1980s, Turkish and Kurdish women have played a vital yet often overlooked role in shaping Hackney’s economy, streets, and community life.

Capturing Hackney’s LGBTQ+ history

While researching Hackney’s history names have emerged - Sue will present these (some from centuries past) and start the conversation about capturing what the (audience/attendees) know.

People

Watch videos on topics related to individual biographies and notable Hackney residents

Anna Letitia Barbauld, née Aikin, 1743-1825

Anna Letitia Barbauld, née Aikin, 1743-1825 lived in Stoke Newington Church Street from 1802 until her death in 1825 and you can see her tomb in Stoke Newington Churchyard.

Sir James Drax of Hackney - Slave plantation owners in Hackney and the City

The Drax family are unique as they still own the colonial sugar plantation in Barbados where their ancestors enslaved people for over 200 years.

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Watch videos on topics related to theatre, film, music, literature, design, artists, performance

Hoxton Hall and the 70s arts and theatre movements from May Scott to Terry Goodfellow

David Sulkin OBE, chair of the Hoxton Hall board of trustees, will talk about his time at the Hall from the 1970s looking at how the Hoxton Hall archive helps uncover and preserve this legacy as well as exploring some of his own contributions to it.

John Berger in Hackney The origins of the Writers & Readers Publishing Co-operative

John Berger, one of Europe’s most influential post-war writers and intellectuals was born at 1 Filey Avenue, Stoke Newington on 5 November 1926.

Lights, Camera, Location - Hackney on Film

When (if) we think of British cinema and where its films were made, it is perhaps most likely that various studios - Elstree, Pinewood, Shepperton etc. - come to mind.

History of The Premises Studio

An introduction to the legendary Premises Studios - an East LDN institution and a cafe that has been part of London’s working music infrastructure for decades.

Heritage & Collections

Watch videos on topics related to archives, exhibitions, museums, heritage projects

Hackney Mosaic Project

The mosaic project creates large mosaics in and around Hackney with a diverse group of volunteers.

Nature & Environment

Watch videos on topics related to geology, rivers, marshes, birds, parks

Making a happy family: birdkeeping in Hackney and East London

In their crystal jars, beetles kick and plunge. Set before a tall window, rests a glass case carefully planted with ferns that swoop and curl against the light.

Walks

Watch videos on topics related to guided walks

Pie ‘n’ Mash & Prefabs

Norman Jacobs, who was born and brought up in a prefab on Millfields, will take you on a guided tour of Lower Clapton.

Tours & Open Days

Watch videos on topics related to building tours, open buildings, boat trips, bike rides

Aziziye Mosque

A guided tour of the Aziziye Mosque in Stoke Newington, which was originally built in 1913-1914 as the Apollo Picture House, designed with a distinct mock-oriental style.

Tours of 195 Mare Street

We visited 195 Mare Street, one of Hackney’s oldest buildings as part of Hackney History Festival in May 2026.

Georgian Church Tour

A chance to see inside this Grade II*-listed building in Stamford Hill, Hackney, with exceptional Arts and Crafts stained glass windows and the former headquarters of a late-Victorian Christian cult.