St. Augustine's Tower
St Augustine's Tower is Hackney's oldest surviving building and stands at
the centre of the ancient village of Hackney. The tower is all that remains
of the medieval church of St Augustine, which was built on the site at the
end of the thirteenth century and demolished at the end of the eighteenth
century. The footprint of the old church can still be seen in the churchyard
today, and some of the tombs that lay within the church still survive.
By the end of the eighteenth century the citizens of Hackney - by then an affluent village - decided that the church was too small for their needs and raised money through public subscription to build the new church of St John, which was finished in 1797. However when the new church was first completed there wasn't enough money to build a steeple, so the old tower was retained to house the bells and the clock that has been in situ since at least 1608. It was not until 1855 that the bells were eventually moved from St Augustine's Tower to the new steeple at St John at Hackney.
In 1866 the tower was used as a mortuary and later as a gardeners tool shed.
In 1933, the battlements were repaired and some of the stone facings replaced.
More recently in 1983, the tower was renovated under the Urban Programme Environment
Project's "Facelift" scheme. Other grants obtained from English Heritage and
the London Borough of Hackney have enabled the Hackney Historic Buildings
Trust to open the tower on an occasional basis over recent years.
Now the Trust is hoping to raise about £200,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make a number of repairs to the fabric of the tower, and to improve the historical interpretation of the building, including the recreation in virtual reality of the medieval church. We will also create an education room on the atmospheric first floor where story telling and other activities for children can take place. The opening of the tower to a new audience will see the start of another chapter in the long and varied history of the building. The use of the tower as a venue for art exhibitions will bring a contemporary vibrancy to the oldest building in Hackney and hopefully introduce a new audience to this rare medieval survival in the heart of Hackney.
Ann Robey
Ann Robey is part of the Hackney Historic Buildings Trust.