Shepherdess Walk Mosaics
- London On The Ground
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Idyllic mosaics in a small Hackney park, a genuine hidden gem.
The Shepherdess Walk Mosaics combine imaginative and joyful art with a community project and an attractive urban park. They are also hardly ever looked at.
Walks available for booking
For a schedule of forthcoming London On The Ground guided walks and tours, please click here.
Shepherdess Walk, a street in the Hoxton area of Hackney, runs between the Regent’s canal at its northern end and City Road at its southern end.
A public park – Shepherdess Walk Park – occupies a space to the west of the street on the former site of the Metropolitan Baths and the Wenlock Bath, which were opened in the mid 19th century.
At some point in the early/mid 20th century the bath houses were converted into industrial premises. These buildings were eventually demolished, together with part of the row of early 19th century Georgian houses on Shepherdess Walk, to make way for the park.
The Shepherdess Walk Mosaics are tucked away in the northeast corner of the park, immediately behind the garden walls of the adjacent houses. They are barely noticeable from the main park area.
The mosaics can be reached from the park and also from a ‘secret’ tunnel entrance on Shepherdess Walk that runs between, and under, two of the terraced houses.
There are even one or two nearby clues to the secret entrance, in the form of small mosaics on the street.
The mosaics were created to celebrate Hackney’s Parks during the London Olympic summer of 2012.
They were designed by Tessa Hunkin, one of the UK’s foremost mosaicists. They were made and assembled by participants from Lifeline Workshop and the local community, including members of a drug and alcohol outreach programme. The project was funded by Hackney Council in partnership with Hackney DAAT (Drug and Alcohol Action Team).
The mosaic on the northern wall is inspired by the area’s rural history. Shepherdess Walk was once a pathway between Islington and the City of London, passing through fields of sheep.
This wall features ewes, rams, lambs, birds, leaping hares and - of course – shepherdesses.
On the eastern wall there are modern scenes of Londoners in Hackney's parks in each of the four seasons, with captions naming the parks.
The Autumn and Winter mosaics show people out walking, kite flying, leaf clearing, wreath making, bird watching and (what looks like) carrying a present (perhaps for Christmas).
The Spring and Summer images are more animated. They show the good people of Hackney at their leisure: playing games, picnicking, jogging, skateboarding, walking their dogs, swimming and buying an ice cream. There’s also a cat chasing a mouse.
Mosaics on the ground in front of these scenes portray a variety of plants (presumably those that can be found in Hackney’s parks).
Click on any image to enlarge.
The phrase 'hidden gem' is overused, but it is wholly applicable to the Shepherdess Walk Mosaics.
For an alternative, fictional and somewhat whimsical take on Shepherdess Walk, click below to discover Eleanor Farjeon's early 20th century nursery rhyme inspired by the street (recited by me on location!).
Walks available for booking
For a schedule of forthcoming London On The Ground guided walks and tours, please click here.
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