Hackney Wick Warehouse District

Summary

East London’s largest surviving concentration of Victorian industrial buildings — canal-side warehouses, artist studios, and raw concrete floors that hire out regularly for productions.

About this location

Hackney Wick lies on the western edge of the Olympic Park, running along the Hertford Union Canal and the River Lea. The area retains a dense cluster of Victorian and Edwardian brick warehouses and factory buildings, most of which were converted in the 2000s to artist studios, event spaces, and light commercial units. The buildings are brick-built, typically three to five storeys, with large cast-iron-frame windows, freight lifts, and concrete-floored open-plan floor plates. The canal towpath runs along the south side of many of the buildings.

For productions, the area functions as a versatile industrial canvas. Individual warehouse units here have been used for music videos, fashion photography, commercials, short films, and larger drama productions needing an edgy, de-industrialised London backdrop. Key venues that actively hire out include CRATE Brewery (former industrial building with riverside terrace), Hackney Yard (event space in warehouse), and multiple individual artist-studio buildings whose owners take film hire enquiries.

The canal towpath is managed by the Canal and River Trust; filming on the towpath requires a CRT permit. The road layout around Hackney Wick station (Overground) gives reasonable vehicle access. The area avoids the tourist overhead of central London while still being 20 minutes from the West End. Crane access is possible for some of the larger yard spaces between buildings.