This little pocket of London was once so dangerous it had the famous nickname of “Murder Mile” – but today it couldn’t be more different.
Lower Clapton, in the heart of Hackney, was once a place you’d think twice about walking through after dark, but the area has been transformed.
Locals put it down to gentrification – and the jury is still out on whether it’s a good thing.
Long time property owners in the area would probably say yes – a one-bed flat bought in 2005 for £80,000 was sold in 2022 for £603,000.
“Nowadays, you see property prices of over £1 million, in Hackney? That’s not what you associate with this borough,” said local resident Gohar Mustafa, 50 to MyLondon.
Lower Clapton hasn’t always been this up and coming, it actually once had a serious crime problem, with guns being a factor.
In 2011 it was blighted by horrific riots with Clarence Road being dubbed the epicentre of the rioting in the area.
But even before then, back in 2002, there appeared to be a rise in shootings with the district’s demise blamed as one of the reasons it was struggling to shrug off such a bad name for crime.
Today, the area is majorly up-and-coming, but residents wonder if the changes could be too much. Local Kitty McEntee questioned if she was one of those responsible for the change, and said: “Am I part of the gentrification? Probably.
Expressing her hope that the “cafes and delis” stop arriving, she added: “What makes a neighbourhood good is a mix of places”.
Anyone taking a trip along Chatsworth Road, the epicentre of the area, will see cafes, shops restaurants with a high-end feel. Back in 2002, this was a different picture.
Local fruit and vegetable worker, Mahir Alacayir, 40, is happy with the changing face of Lower Clapton, he said: “Since the riots happened, we got a different type of person moving in.
“Gangs got pushed out and the place became nicer. We’re happy to be here and it’s a good area with nice people and we have cafes in the day and places through the night. It’s not scary anymore.”
Gohar Mustafa was less keen though, saying the local market used to be a great place for the community to mix, but it now attracts mainly tourists, which he said was “saddening”. He said he doesn’t recognise people anymore and “they don’t want to acknowledge you” either.
“I understand areas need to progress and there will be change but it has to be a positive change for the community that everybody can enjoy, not just a select few. It’s become a very us versus them type of divide. “
