London, England/london3-001
Previous | Home | NextThis is early nineteenth-century Hackney, today a northeastern suburb of London, appearing much as it did when Priestley stayed here 1791-1794. The location of the viewer is approximately that of the entrance to present-day Hackney Central Railway. The street is Mare Street (formerly Church Street) and the Tower is the St. Augustine Tower belonging to the "Old Church." Hackney dates back to Roman times. The Great Plaque of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666 made country life more attractive to wealthy city-dwellers who migrated to Hackney and other outlying towns. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), author of "Robinson Crusoe," commented on the affluency of Hackney, describing it as being "remarkable for the retreat of wealthy citizens" with "near a hundred coaches kept in it." Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), whose personal diaries included the Great Fire and Great Plaque, visited Hackney occasionally to "take in the ayre," but also to visit "the young ladies of the [boarding] schools whereof there is great store."
