Hackney Downs
Hackney Downs was opened as a public park in 1884 and is a major inner city open space in the centre of Hackney. Major improvement works to the facilities in the park have just been undertaken.
New and improved facilities in the park now include four tennis courts, a multi use games area, two resurfaced basket ball courts, a play area and the park pavilion. The park pavilion is now open and bookings are being taken for the changing rooms. The pavilion contains two team changing rooms and a community room which will be available to book in the near future.
The park was awarded a Green Flag award in 2011. The Green Flag Award Scheme recognises and rewards the best green spaces in the country. Hackney currently has thirteen Green Flags - one of the highest totals in London.
What's on in Hackney Downs
Once again Parks for Life will be bringing a host of activities to Hackney's parks this summer including yoga, walking, aerobics, football, cricket plus lots more. To see what's going on in your local park visit What's on in Hackney's Parks.
Amenities
- Children's play area
- Dog-free area
- Ranger office
- Basketball courts
- Multi use games area
- Football pitch
- Team changing rooms
- Tennis courts (2 Flood Lit)
- Athletics track (seasonal)
- Community room
Booking the facilities
For more information about booking the above facilities, please call 020 8986 7955 or see our sports pitches and courts page.
Site map
To view the layout of the park download Hackney Downs site map (PDF, 515KB).
Get Walking, Keep Walking
A pleasant walk of under an hour through Hackney. This walk goes through Shacklewell, once a small village, to the Hackney Downs and highlights how much architecture has changed in three centuries. For more information see the Get Walking, Keep Walking website.
New meadow planted
As part of the 'Mad About Meadows' project, Hackney Council recently planted a new meadow on Hackney Downs with the help of Hackney Downs User Group and local volunteers. Hackney Council is working with London in Bloom and LOCOG (The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) to trial the Mad About Meadows project.
Mad About Meadows is a London in Bloom initiative that has been inspired by the Olympic Park wildflower meadows. The project aims to increase the number of urban meadows across London. The project is supplying free meadow seeds to Hackney Council, including the new meadow at Stoke Newington Common. The mix of rainbow annuals grows quickly and by mid-summer it will be full of colourful flowers which will attract important wildlife including butterflies and bees.
The meadow creation will also contribute to Hackney's draft Biodiversity Action Plan, which seeks to create 1 hectare (10,000m2) of new meadow over the next five years - that's about the size of one and a half football pitches.
Hackney Downs User Group
The user group at Hackney Downs has a great deal of passion and are always willing to bolster their ranks with new members who care about the future of the park.
Contact hackneydownsusergroup@gmail.com
Hackney parks newsletter
If you are interested in being informed of what's happening in Hackney's parks, sign up to our monthly newsletter by emailing parks@hackney.gov.uk
Page updated: 20 Jan 2012
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