Our October walk

Vibrant artworks, market bustle and an urban oasis – our October walk in Dalston

In honour of Black History Month, for our October walk we followed the Dalston end of the Windrush Line walk, from a series of walks by TfL and walking app Go Jauntly based on the recently-renamed Overground lines.

Starting at Dalston Junction station, our first stop was the Hackney Peace Carnival mural designed in 1983 by artist Ray Walker, finished by fellow artist and friend Mick Jones and restored in 2014. In the same space is Future Hackney photography and social engagement project The Strip, A visual love letter to our neighbourhood.

Walking along Dalston Lane, we passed new shops, tucked-away buildings, our October coffee venue and curved round to Ridley Road Market. Since the 1880s, the market has served the area's diverse communities. We wandered through a world of stalls: clothes, cloth, rugs, cookware, fruits and vegetables (Giant avocados, anyone?) to the mural at the end.  

Our next stops were Bradbury Street and Gillet Square, rich in music history, home to the Vortex Jazz Club and with a mirrored artwork where we paused to play with the multiple images it gave us of our walking group.

Dalston Curve Garden, at the start of the route, is open from midday, so as we meet at 11am, we made that our last stop, a beautiful green oasis for coffee. We reached the end of the garden just in time to be treated to a tour by the head gardener of its normally hidden growing and education space, with raised beds, espalier apple trees – and some magnificent tromboncino squash, modelled for scale by our very own Heather.

Fancy joining one of our walks? Look out for our 'Coming up' blogposts.

Pictures by Alison, Christine, Heather and Lydia

Coming up in October

 

Film, Black history, coffee and Curve Garden – Coming up in October

Our monthly walk: Saturday 12th October, meet at Dalston Junction Station at 11.00

This month’s walk has again been suggested by our walking group.TFL have launched a series of walks with Go Jauntly related to the renaming of the London overground lines.

As a nod to Black History Month we thought we’d do part of the Windrush Line walk.

“The Windrush line runs through areas with strong ties to Caribbean communities today, such as Dalston Junction, Peckham Rye and West Croydon and honours the Windrush generation who continue to shape and enrich London's cultural and social identity today” TFL

See the Walkers’ WhatsApp group for more info. on the day

Our monthly meeting: Thursday 17th October, 7pm for 7.30 – Maggie Pinhorn, East End Film director and local activist

NB: we're in a different room this month – we will still be at St Margaret’s House but in The Anson Room. Come to the front of 21 Old Ford Road and walk up the steps to the main entrance. Beccy from St Margaret’s has kindly agreed to be available and let us all in, so if you're coming along, it will be great if you can arrive before 7.30pm.

Maggie Pinhorn has a long history of  involvement and innovation in Community Arts in London and in the East End in particular. Currently her organisation Alternative Arts runs Photomonth — the East London Festival of Photography.

Maggie started her career in the film industry but, dissatisfied with it, became an early pioneer of using film and video making in the community.  The first film she made with a mixed group of young people in Tower Hamlets – Tunde’s Film – was a seminal film of the period. The process of making the film became the basis of her setting up The Basement Project, which went on to become a major Community Arts project, London community video archive.

Maggie will be showing Tunde’s film as part of her presentation.

Our monthly coffee corning: Friday 25th OctoberMeet between 10.30 and 11.00, Allpress, 55 Dalston Ln, London E8 2NG

Meet for coffee and a chat at Allpress, reviewed below by one of its regular customers

“Really nice staff, cool venue, amazing coffee and gorgeous food (brunch, have never tried other meals here). I go here as often as I can. It has a lovely outdoor area that's perfect any time of year, even in winter, it's nice to wrap up warm and enjoy the scenery”

After coffee, an opportunity to see the annual display of carved pumpkins at Dalston Curve Garden.