Is the Gothic a thing of the past? Or does our contemporary culture haunt us the same way that the anxieties of the Victorian age bled out onto the pages of titles such as Frankenstein or Dracula? How do our worries about the future connect with those who lived through the Age of Reform? You…
Tag: Abney Park cemetery
Changing Bermondsey, Gothic Abney After Dark
As winter draws in and it’s tempting to hibernate, there are still reasons to get out and exercise. This Saturday sees another free out-of-borough walk for Hackney Council. We’ll be having a little walk around
Never the Bride: Mary Wollstonecraft and the Crash of Wedding Symbols
Symbols matter. There’s a serious bit of state theatre going on this weekend apparently (Hackney Tours is too busy being out on the street to follow the media) and it’s all about reinforcing the ancient (feudal?) concept of monarchy. Apparently we’re paying for an elaborate spectacle that is designed to reassure us that being Subjects…
Frankenstein, Freedom and Suffragettes: Forged in Hackney
Like a little radical history? Love books? Enjoy big ideas from famous Hackney figures who rocked the boat for reform? On London Bookshop Crawl Weekend, we celebrated 100 years since women entered Parliament for the first time, 200 years since Mary Shelley published Frankenstein and
Really Discover East London!
Radical History Lover? Curious Local? Love Photography? Something for Everyone… It’s been a busy summer, so you may have missed the Hampstead Heath walk for Hackney Council or the literary adventure that was our trip to a Margate book festival in the guise of Half Day Holidays. I took some Wickers around Hackney Wick to…
Mary Wollstonecraft: Celebrating Heroines of Hackney on IWD
The most amazing woman you never heard of? Single mum; war correspondent; businesswoman; writer; educator; activist; political radical; patriarchy-smasher: if you’ve read “In Search of Mary” by Newington Green resident Bee Rowlatt you’ll know that Mary Wollstonecraft was a woman ahead of her time (and still is? Discuss…).
Discovering Dalston, Stokey Safari: The Biggest Story Ever?
It’s been a busy summer and that continues this Saturday with three different walks (booking here at Eventbrite). This Saturday we’re discovering Dalston and on safari in Stoke Newington. We’re experimenting with a new look and how best to tie together all the good stuff (art, creativity, socially progressive initiatives, sustainability etc) so what’s the…
Wall Down Tourists Out: Bringing Down Barriers With Travel
Berliners will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall on 9th November. But some resent the influx of tourists that the new openness brings. This was discussed by the travel trade this week in London. But surely breaking down barriers is what international travel should be about? 9th November is the 25th…
#TenPerCentTours – Tours Giving Back And Doing Good
#TenPerCentTours Tour guiding is an enormously rewarding job. In nearly a decade I’ve all sorts of interesting people and share with them the things that I’m passionate about. They often return the favour too! But it’s important to me that my job is something that I can feel is contributing to the greater good…
Typical: nothing for months then three events come at once…
Radio silence is broken. Apologies for the silence. Or apologies for breaking it, depending on your point of view…?Hackney Tours has news of three great events coming up for you in the next few weeks, so please read on. Thanks for reading and hope to see you soon! You can also stay up to date…
Places Left on Free Clapton Tour This Sun for Hackney Council
There are still some places left on Sunday’s walk around the waterways of Clapton, run by Hackney Tours for/with Hackney Council (scroll down, see below details).If you don’t know the area, it’s a beautiful spot with wide open spaces and all sorts of rare creatures and plants are waiting to be discovered there. If you…
October Walks & Runs with Hackney Tours
Autumn is upon us, judging by those clouds outside. All the more reason to get out and enjoy the changing of the seasons as the leaves turn brown and thoughts turn to Halloween, Bonfire Night and our other rituals marking the passing of time. As mounting research shows, it’s good to be amongst nature; you’ve…
Hackney Tours: East LDN Creative Exploration 