St Augustine’s Tower is Hackney’s oldest building, having survived when the rest of the original parish church was demolished in 1798.
The tower is not the only think to look at when you visit — the clock at St Augustine’s is interesting in itself. It is thought to have been put in place in the 16th or 17th centuries and is a fine example of a church clock of the period. It needed to be wound by hand for over 400 years and played a pivotal role in the lives of local residents for many centuries. When it was put in place, it was the only way for the public to tell the time in Hackney village. There are four floors in St Augustine’s Tower and three of them house part of the clock and its workings.
