Mare Street is dominated by the Hackney Empire Music Hall, on whose stage appeared Charles Chaplin and Marie Lloyd - who lived in nearby Graham Road.

This district is the historical core of Hackney, and in fact, before the 1899 London County Council reorganisation, it was what many would have understood to be Hackney, although the term ’Hackney Proper’ was often used to distinguish it from other local settlements such as South Hackney, West Hackney and Hackney Wick.

However, in terms of parish boundaries, up until 1835 the areas of Hackney Proper, Homerton, Clapton, Dalston, De Beauvoir Town, Stamford Hill, and Kingsland all constituted the Parish of Hackney. In 1835 this was split into three, with the Parish of Hackney St John representing Hackney Proper and Homerton.

Since then, the term has been vastly extended to mean, firstly the 1899 Metropolitan Borough, then, after 1965, the current Greater London Borough.