Winter Wonderland

Dark days may be here but a welcome bit of magic and sparkle can be found in a small but enchanting exhibition at Hackney's Museum of Childhood (www.vam.ac.uk/moc). Wonderland is open now and runs all the way until the new year (10th Jan 2010). A wonderful world of dark beauty and imaginary beasts is explored through more than 80 artworks. Old European favourites are there, like the bewitching Hansel and Gretel, but the cultural landscape of folklore from other countries is travelled too. Wonderland is thanks to the East London Printmakers (www.eastlondonprintmakers.co.uk) an independent collective of 200 artists and printmakers based in Hackney that offers studio space and workshops.

 

Free, Free, Free!

The hedgerows of Hackney Marshes seem to be bursting with blackberries this year.

I, like many others, filled containers full of them and took them home for a free dessert – well, nearly. Thanks to a stop-off on the way home at the charming, riverside Ferry Boat Inn, I gathered some cooking apples that had fallen in their orchard, so all I needed to add was some sugar, flour and custard for a delightful blackberry and apple crumble. I highly recommend a trip to the Ferry Boat, a hundred-year-old waterside pub, for good, reasonably priced food (I tucked into a delicious turkey roast with all the trimmings last Sunday for £6.95). And for the next few weeks (until 30th September), there's another good reason to go this popular pub – they are giving away free Gin and Tonics. Here's a voucher for you to download – a good way to celebrate summer.

Cycle City: Hackney vs. Amsterdam

Guest feature by Hackney writer, Imani Backes:

Amsterdam is Europe’s most famous cycling capital, with nearly half of all traffic movement made by bike.  From nannies to bankers from school kids to senior citizens, everyone in Amsterdam likes to cycle. So, as our borough of Hackney attempts to raise its two-wheeled profile, who better as a source of inspiration than the clog wearing capital. Surely Hackney should take a leaf out of Amsterdam’s book and try to emulate this radical city?

From the 1960s onwards, Amsterdam transformed itself from a congested, traffic laden, commuter nightmare to a cyclist’s paradise. Statistics currently show the preferred mode of transport at 35% bicycle, 40% car and 25% public transport. Impressive? Not quite as impressive as the borough of Hackney. Our cycling achievements easily match the Dutch capital, and it’s about time we got some recognition for it.

Despite London being one the most congested capitals in the world, Hackney refuses to follow suit. In fact most people in Hackney use public transport or walk to get around, with the level of car drivers at just 19%. And although the percentage of cyclists is only 8%, that’s four times the Greater London average.

Hackney Council has recently introduced a “Move by Bike” scheme, which includes a free five-minute bike check up for cyclists and a chance to purchase lights and reflectors wholesale. The scheme offers free cycle training, promotes the health benefits of cycling and makes plans to improve security. Hackney has passed an historic motion in favour of 20mph limits on all residential streets, which is more radical than any other London borough, and even makes our Dutch counterparts look tame.

It does help that a quarter of elected councillors are themselves regular cyclists, including the mayor and the leader of the Conservative group. It’s a shame that the biggest streets in the borough remain under Transport For London control, and TFL refuses to budge on its rather conservative cycling policy.

Hackney should be proud of its cycling feats and its similarities with the renowned Dutch capital. Both Amsterdam and Hackney boast a beautiful and popular canal system, they’re both full of creative movers and shakes inspiring a new cycling revolution and making cycling glamorous too, from pink BMXs to vintage Bromptons. And finally, both Amsterdam and Hackney have a strong and established cycling community holding it all together – in our borough, there are  over 16 bike retail and repair shops and even unique dedicated cycle cafes like  Lock 7.

But Hackney is steering clear of Amsterdam’s biggest mistake: schemes that segregate cyclists and car drivers. Trevor Parsons, a leading light of the London Cycling Campaign (www.lcc.org.uk), believes that integration is the way forward. He says that “[in] the Netherlands people are compelled to ride on separate cycle tracks and paths where they exist and Dutch police shout at people for cycling on smooth, empty carriageways. We don't want that over here. Our view is that the whole street network is the cyclists' network, and we want to take the 'permeability' approach, which means minimising diversions, removing blockages and re-introducing two-way cycling as a way of maximising people's route choice.”

In immigrant communities, cycling is often looked down upon as a ‘lower class’ hobby, and children don’t usually see their parents cycling. Amsterdam has plans to promote cycling to ethnic minorities, but in this area Hackney has stolen a march: the Council actively promotes cycling to Jewish schools and has released a DVD on road safety specifically for young black Africans. It has undertaken a range of initiatives to encourage people with low incomes to take up cycling: installing lock-ups on estates, promoting the bike purchasing scheme and selling cycling accessories very cheaply, or at cost. 

Hackney council says: “We are always looking for innovative ways to encourage as wide a take-up of cycling as possible. One example was our Wheels on Heels in London fashion week. We knew that not as many women were cycling, and this show was designed to show that you could be stylish and fashionable on two wheels.” Cycling could soon be as fundamental an aspect of being a Hackney citizen and as iconic as Hoxton fringes, Saturday markets and Pearly Queens.

 

 

A Trace of My Existence

Don't miss the chance to see this mesmerising photographic exhibition at Chats Palace, which runs until August 31st. The first European show of the Colombian collective, Click Por Los Barrios features the work of some of the country's poorest children. The unique project was set up by a group of international photographers sick of trying to feed the media's seemingly insatiable appetite for violent images from Colombia. Children (aged between five and 26) were provided with cameras and tuition: the result is some exquisite black and white photographs documenting their life on the street.

Colombia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world (I chose to get married there) and its people are some of my favourite on the planet. If you don't trust my review, read Ken Russell's in the Times.

Make Do and Mend

Make Do and Mend is the name of just one of the current exhibitions at the Museum of Childhood (www.vam.ac.uk/moc), in Bethnal Green, satellite of the V&A Museum. 

Particularly relevant in these credit crunch times are the offerings from three contemporary designers who have reinvented and recycled everyday materials. Old socks have been turned into loveable toys, a battered chair given a new lease of life with a glossy floral covering and an abandoned supermarket trolley converted into a stylish chair. Victorian parlour games, traditional moving toys and wooden rocking horses are some of exhibits in the permanent collection, where the cry of  'I remember those!' can be heard from reminiscent adults wandering around the galleries. The museum also has a serious remit. Dedicated to informing the public about child labour, its extensive outreach programme in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney is designed to help all visitors explore the themes of childhood – past and present.

Hackney Home History

A little gem of a museum, the Geffrye is housed in 18th century almshouses, protected from the busy traffic of Kingsland Road by its own peaceful gardens. And it is very good value – free, in fact.

The Geffrye showcases English homes through history, allowing visitors to walk through a series of living rooms, peppered with fascinating objects and insights – many with particular resonance today. The use of seasonal, good quality, local produce may be a current trend, but in the 17th century it was a necessity. We are told that 'the angel of the house' had to know which vegetables were in season and which cuts of meat were right for a particular dish. Visitors learn that green was very much the old black, with a sample of Samuel Pepys sage coloured curtains, which apparently were all the rage. 

'Voices from the past' speak to us through telephones. You can hear a reading from the Female Spectator aimed at improving women's lot rather bizarrely recommending that women 'counteract the depressive qualities of tea by drinking alcohol'. An amusing excerpt from Dickens' Our Mutual Friend (read the full text here) describes Mr and Mrs Veneering – who, like their brand new house and furniture, were 'in a state of high varnish and polish'.

Don't miss the delightful walled herb garden (accessed through a separate entrance). It may be that you shouldn't judge a museum by its cafe, but I always do. This museum cafe is a light filled, charming spot, often peopled by 'ladies who tea', sampling the tangy lemon cake or the rich chocolate brownies. washed down with traditional lemonade.