Review, Rename, Reclaim
Review, Rename, Reclaim is a collaboration between us, community leaders, cultural experts, historians, teachers and young people.
In June 2020, we launched a review to listen and understand the views of residents, partners and others about what was memorialised and how this was no longer appropriate in an anti-racist borough where equality for all is a priority.
The review identified names symbolic of Afriphobic racism. Therefore Review, Rename and Reclaim complements our Black Lives Matter motion building upon a long history of fighting racism and equality in the borough.
This project adds to the wider ambition to make our shared spaces more inclusive and representative of the borough’s diverse histories.
On this page:
Mission statement
The memorialisation of those who profited in the trafficking or ownership of enslaved African people in our public spaces does not make sense in an anti-racist borough.
We’ll use an open, inclusive, and democratic approach to help residents rename our public spaces with names we can be proud of for years to come. We’ll make local history more accessible to our local communities by working together to rename places.
If you think a name or monument represents a racist or unethical history, email naminghub@hackney.gov.uk. Provide as much information as you can including your concerns, so we can add it to the review.
Audit into contested names and sites
In 2020 we completed an audit of plaques, street and building names. With the help of heritage professionals, African-Heritage residents, educationalists, and young people, we identified five names considered symbolic of racist histories.
These names were connected to commerce that profited from the enslavement of Africans or imperial exploitation of African nations. This has resulted in a legacy of racism that affects African and African-Caribbean communities today, known as Afriphobia.
Contested figures
Sir Robert Aske (1619 to 1689) was a successful cloth merchant (Haberdasher) and investor in the East India Company and Royal African Company. With no heirs, his philanthropic bequest that established the Aske Charity purchased land in Hoxton around 1690. It is in Hoxton where his name remains due to the purchase of land by the Aske Charity due to the stipulation that the hospital and school be within 1 mile of the City of London.
Sir John Cass (1660 to 1719) was an investor in, and assistant (comparable to company director) in the Royal African Company. His philanthropic bequest to establish an education charity also gained his land portfolio in South Hackney. It was the charity, as the new landowner, that later installed his name on our streets during rapid urbanisation after the 1840s. The Sir Cass Foundation was renamed The Portal Trust in 2021.
Francis Tyssen I (1624 to 1699) was an investor in the Royal African Company and the East India Company. He was an absentee plantation and slave owner. Several generations of the Tyssen family inherited the plantation and its enslaved Africans before selling the property of land (and people) in the 19th century. The ancestors of the Tyssen family continue to hold the status of Lord of the Manor of Hackney.
Cecil John Rhodes (1835 to 1902) inherited a share of land in Dalston, first purchased by his great grandfather. Due to Cecil’s wealth generated through the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources (specifically diamonds) he was able to purchase the majority of the Dalston estate from his siblings and cousins. Rhodes is well documented in his actions and ideologies of imperial rule. His racist beliefs and political policies enabled the system of apartheid to be established in South Africa. This has left a troubling and enduring legacy of racism and inequality in southern Africa.
Sir Robert Geffrye (1613 to 1704) was an investor in, and assistant (Company Director) in the Royal African Company. The Corporation of London purchased his bequest of almshouses in Hoxton,in the early 20th Century, becoming a museum to celebrate London’s furniture making industry, and later focusing on home interiors. Although never about Robert Geffrye, the museum was always known as the Geffrye Museum until 2019 when it rebranded as part of a multi-million pound development to be The Museum of the Home. The Central Government’s The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) funds this museum, not Hackney Council.
Learning, engagement and how to get involved
We can’t change the past and we don’t want to rewrite history. However, we do want to better understand it, and help others to recognise how the past can remain present and impactful in society today.
This project provides opportunities to promote public learning and support more representative and inclusive spaces where we can come together to celebrate Hackney’s diverse histories and communities.
Cassland Road Gardens was renamed as one of the first actions from the review.
Tyssen Community School and Children Centre engaged with all school stakeholders to change the name of their school to Oldhill Community School.
The Museum itself is not related to Robert Geffrye. Originally established in the early 20th century to celebrate London’s furniture making industry, it now focuses on the story of home. For the latest information on the statue, visit Museum of the Home.