A church has been present on the site since the twelfth century, when Hackney was a small village. As Hackney developed into an important London suburb and eventually a major urban centre in the nineteenth century the church remained its most important cultural and spiritual centre.

The general trend in the churchyard’s recent history however, has been one of gradual decline as maintenance resources have been reduced and alterations have compromised the historic qualities of the site.

By the end of the twentieth century the churchyard was near derelict and used as a dumping ground for rubbish. With an eroded historic fabric and degraded appearance the Churchyard was unused and dangerous. In 2002 a strategy was produced for the restoration and enhancement of the site in a manner which celebrates the Churchyard’s past while also satisfying the needs and aspirations of contemporary site users. Over a seven year period LUC worked to transform the site into an urban oasis in one of the most deprived boroughs in Central London.