One of the few
A Pub in Hackney
one of the few
The photographs are of a pub in Hackney which until the end of August (2018) had been cash-only. The pub is one of the very few which survived gentrification and managed to retain its place as a community hub where neighbours and regulars of different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different age-groups and different social classes not only exist one next to the other but socialise with one another. Local regulars who had to move out of the gentrified/ing neighbourhood still feel a sense of attachment to the pub (see image caption). At weekends they will be there.
The photographs were taken during the months of July and August, just before the pub was about to change hands. Less than a month since the new landlord took over, change could already be seen, if subtly. Card payments are now accepted and drinks are slightly more expensive. Plants and pictures of wild flowers adorn windowsills and walls, and old chairs and benches have been replaced with newer ones. Live music is played at some weekends, and new crowds are seen there.
Whether the new landlord will radically alter its character as a community hub, and whether the photos capture end of an era, who knows. Only time will tell. The photos are part of a larger project on gentrification, conviviality and everyday life in Hackney.
