Facts about Lower Clapton
Lower Clapton History
A large house known as the King’s House stood on the site now occupied by BSix Sixth Form College, as early 1476. The house was within a 200-acre estate, which was described as the Manor of Hackney from about 1532 to the early 17th century — although there were two other manors in the south of the Parish.
In 1532, Henry Algernon Percy, Earl of Northumberland, acquired the estate from Sir Richard Neville. However, in January 1535 the land was taken by Henry VIII; in settlement of a debt. The King visited the house in April 1535 and on 24 September 1535, he granted his “manor or principal messuage of Hackney” to Thomas Cromwell, his chief minister.
General Info
Clapton is a district of east London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is divided into Upper Clapton, in the north, and Lower Clapton to the south. Clapton railway station, the area’s only station, lies 4.7 miles north-east Charing Cross. From the early 19th century, manorial courts distinguished the parts north and south of Lea Bridge Road as Upper and Lower Clapton, and those names soon passed into general use with Hackney Lane becoming known as Lower and Upper Clapton roads.
In the late 19th century the stretch of road through the Clapton Common to Stamford Hill was named Clapton Common. The junction with Lea Bridge Road is still used to define Upper and Lower Clapton; Kenninghall Road is an extension of Lea Bridge Road and as such also provides a convenient point of reference between the two parts of Clapton.
