Mare Street

Mare Street is a street in Hackney. It has existed since the 15th century, when it was one of the first roads at the centre of the parish. It was then known as Merestret. The word mere was either the Old English mǣre meaning a boundary — referring to the boundary with the parish of Stepney — or mere, a large pond which was fed by Hackney Brook.

Mare Street runs north-south through the centre of Hackney. It starts at the junction of Dalston Lane with the Lower Clapton Road and runs south to the Regent's Canal. The northernmost section is a largely traffic-free shopping street, known as The Narroway.

South of the North London Line at Hackney Central railway station, Mare Street follows the A107 to the canal, where it becomes the Cambridge Heath Road.

Mare Street was established by 1593 when the Flying Horse Inn was a staging post for travellers. By 1720, it was the most populous part of Hackney.

In the 18th century, St Thomas’ Hospital was developed on Mare Street, followed by a Congregational chapel. The Great Eastern Railway came to Mare Street in 1872, bringing more residential development, as well as institutions including Morley Hall, later the Electric Cinema,Lady Eleanor Holles School (on the site later used by Cordwainers College) and St Joseph’s hospice.

After the First World War, the area became more industrial, and after World War II, a mixture of bomb damage and slum clearance led to building of housing estates and Hackney Technical College.

In 1945, the Cordwainers' College moved from Clerkenwell to 182 Mare Street (formerly Lady Holles's School and the Dalston county school).

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