S is for Shacklewell

LONDON A-Z S is for Shacklewell My alphabetical quest has finally reached zone 2, because unsung suburbs exist even in inner London. Shacklewell was one of the four hamlets of the ancient parish of Hackney, the others being the better-known Dalston, Kingsland and Newington. For centuries it comprised a quiet linear village along a country lane bearing off the Great Cambridge Road. But housing growth in Victorian times caused everything to merge, and while the names of settlements along the main roads survived poor old Shacklewell mostly lost its identity. It does have a station, near enough, but when they named that Rectory Road in 1872 the battle was mostly lost. I intend to walk the half-mile of Shacklewell Lane to see what's still here and what's new, starting by the Dalston branch of Nando's. It's not the most uplifting of starts, passing a plant hire yard and a corner shop which claims to be 'the best supermarket in town', in which case London's retail economy must be in…