Dalston
| Dalston | |
|---|---|
 Dalston
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| Dalston shown within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ345845 |
| • Charing Cross | 4 mi (6.4 km) SW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | E8,N1,N16 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Dalston (/ˈdɔːlstən/) is a district of the London Borough of Hackney in North East London, England. Dalston began as a hamlet within the parish of Hackney, which developed on either side of Dalston Lane. As the area urbanised, the term came to apply to surrounding areas including the old centres of Kingsland and Shacklewell, which are now considered part of Dalston.
The area’s best known former resident was Prime Minister Tony Blair who lived in Mapledene Road from 1980–86. Blair famously described Dalston as being on "the wrong side of Kingsland Road", contrasting the then deprived east London neighbourhood with the more fashionable north London districts on the other side of the road, which were favoured by his peers.
The same contrast could not be made today as gentrification has led to a rapid increase in the price of property, with current prices 8% above the London average. The process of change was accelerated by the East London line extension, now part of London Overground. The reopening of Dalston Junction Station on this extension was part of London's successful bid to hold the 2012 Olympics.
Dalston has never been an administrative unit, and partly for this reason the boundaries are not fully defined. There are popularly understood boundaries in the south and west, but its northern and especially eastern extent is not delineated. This is a common situation in London’s neighbourhoods which often merge, overlap and change over time. There is an electoral Ward of the same name which covers a part of the north–west of Dalston.
Dalston’s boundaries are described with more or less precision below:
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Wikipedia