Editing Dalston (section)

==Area profile==
[[File:dalston junction 1.jpg|thumb|left|Dalston, looking south towards [[City of London|the City]]. A major traffic nexus. (October 2005)]]
Contemporary Dalston is a lively neighbourhood with an ethnically varied population. Architecturally it is a mixture of 18th- and 19th-century [[terraced house]]s and 20th-century [[council estate]]s. It is currently undergoing rapid [[gentrification]], partly because of the redevelopment of the railway station at [[Dalston Junction railway station|Dalston Junction]] and partly due to the revitalisation of large parts of east London in the build-up to the [[2012 Olympics]]. ([[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]] was one of the four host [[borough]]s of the [[2012 Olympics|Games]].)

Dalston has attracted immigrants for over 100 years; at the turn of the century it was a popular area for newly arrived [[Jews|Jewish]] people from [[central Europe]]. In the 1950s and '60s, as the Jewish community became more affluent and moved out, they were replaced by a large Caribbean community, which accounts for the wide choice of Caribbean food available in Ridley Road. As the Caribbean community slowly drifted out of Dalston it then became popular with the Turkish, as well as the Vietnamese. Recent arrivals include Poles, judging by the numbers of Polish delicatessens now appearing and other stores catering to Polish tastes.

[[Fassett Square]] was the inspiration for the BBC soap ''[[EastEnders]]''. Originally, there were plans to film the series there, on location. However, Fassett Square ([[Albert Square]]) and Ridley Road Market (Walford Market) were rebuilt on the set in Elstree, near Borehamwood, to have a more controlled filming environment. The idea of Walford stems from Walford Road, and many of the houses on the show use the same exterior design. Coincidentally both [[Barbara Windsor]] and [[Tony Holland]], one of the original creators of the show, lived at different times on the street.

The Hackney Peace Carnival Mural depicts a group of people marching for peace against [[Nuclear warfare|"the bomb"]]. It was designed in 1985 by [[Ray Walker (artist)|Ray Walker]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Keys |first=Lottie |date=2022-03-25 |title=Can you help solve hackney's mural mystery? |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/can-you-help-solve-hackneys-mural-mystery-032522 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-05-18 |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]}}</ref> and has become an important cultural statement from that era. It can be found opposite [[Dalston Junction Overground station]] on Dalston Lane. It has also been used on the cover of  [[Home (Rudimental album)|the Home album]] by local group [[Rudimental]].

[[Music hall]] artist [[Marie Lloyd]] (1870–1922) used to reside on Graham Road. The house now has a [[blue plaque]].

In April 2009 ''The Guardian'' published an article on Dalston claiming that it was the "coolest" place to live in Britain.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/apr/27/dalston-cool-london-suburb | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Paul | last=Flynn | title=Welcome to Dalston, now the coolest place in Britain | date=27 April 2009}}</ref> In the same year however, sculpture park [[The Towers of Hackney]] was torn down to give way to new buildings.