The Hackney Archive

Book excerpt: Life-long Hackney resident Neil Martinson was still at school when he began taking photos on his home turf, documenting people at work, children at play, protests, homelessness, Jewish life, street markets and other scenes. His documentary archive brings a past era to life and shows how much the working lives of Hackney - and the world over - have changed in the digital age. 'I grew up in a period when a lot of people were doing manual jobs. There was a huge amount of manufacturing going on in the borough, which helped to make it diverse and vibrant.'