Back in the summer of ‘65
The London Borough of Hackney is half a century old! In celebration of this momentous milestone residents have shared their memories of a bygone era at a special live radio discussion.
Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, hosted the one off Remembering '65 Listening Party; broadcast live via Spreaker.com, Friday 8 May.
Residents came along and talked candidly about their personal experiences of growing up and living in Hackney. They discussed issues such as employment; cost of living; clothes and socialising and the weather!
What a wonderful way to celebrate Hackney’s 50th anniversary. Hackney has seen a great deal of change over the years, and it’s really interesting to hear people talk about their experiences of Hackney. Projects like this bring people of all ages together and can help bridge the generation gap, and show us that we’re all not so different after all.
Dina, Loufimpou, 17, has lived in Hackney all her life. She said: “I am a trainee at the Shoreditch Trust. You need to take opportunities to become the person that you want to be. I was brought up in a good home, and I learned from my brothers. You have to get up in the morning and say I am going to go for this, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me.”
Stephen, Manning, a teenager in 1965, grew up in Hoxton, he said: “In 1965, in Hoxton it was sharp suits or brushed denim and Hush Puppies. We had a thing called the Hoxton Café Society. People with sensible shoes came down to look at us because it was the east end. Hoxton was still a tight knit community, you knew everybody and was related to half of them!”
Daniel, Haeems, said: “I came here in 1960, almost two months before the Beatles came up. Cliff Richard was already singing. Trolley buses were running from Stamford Hill to Aldgate, it was sixpence. It was very cheap. I got £5 per week wages at that time, but it was enough, as the rent was only £1.50, it was very cheap.”
Older residents have also been meeting other younger residents to talk about how growing up in Hackney has changed over the years. A selection of these conversations have been recorded and will become part of the Hackney Archives collection. A short film will be exhibited in the Hackney@50 exhibition from June.
In 1965, the London boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington merged to form what is today known as the London Borough of Hackney.
The Hackney@50 exhibition currently on display at Hackney Museum, showcases a collection of 50 artefacts from across the decades. Each object tells a different story and represents people who live and work in Hackney. The exhibition runs until August.
Hackney Council worked with Cultivaters radio producer, oral history practitioner and social broadcaster, Lucia Scazzocchio. The radio session was a collaboration with Parallel Radio. Other recordings from the Remembering ‘65 project are available.
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