Where?

Walk north up Kingsland Road from Dalston Junction on the left hand side of the road. You’ll pass Dalston Kingsland. Gillett Square is a few streets after. As you get close, you’ll sense that you’re about to stumble on a pretty special spot.

If you hit the Rio Cinema, you’ve gone too far.

The development of the square

The spot was built gradually out of a car park and derilict factory premises. The aim was to create a town square for Dalston. Planning and consultation began in 1993 and the first physical realisation of the project was finished in 1999 – the row of barber, cafe and IT kiosks from which Carribbean pop music plays throughout the day.

The square itself was officially declared open in 2006. A brief history of the scheme explains the process and Ken Livingston’s involvement. A Huck Magazine article explains how the area is now being threatened by housing developers.

Why visit this spot?

Gillett Square is a place which, to me, feels like cities done right. There’s modern, angular architecture and street furniture. It’s urban, loud and diverse. Drinking tinnies is 100% the norm and there’s the right balance between organised fun and the wonderful chaos that occurs when a beautiful public space is given over to the people.

This is a spot where you’ll see some of the problems affecting Londoners. Many here have substance abuse problems. Some are likely being squeezed out of the local area by the destruction of council housing and rising rents. You might be offered drugs by someone who sells them or is touting for someone who does.

It’s far from a place of misery though. People largely come here to have fun, talk and relax. Gillett Square provides everyone with a bit of respite, a reliable place to bump into friends, and an audience for their portable soundsystem (the pictured man with the bicycle was playing a broad ranging playlist of UK garage and chart house).

Life on Gillett Square gets going early (provided the weather is dry). From 11am on weekends, the music is playing from the cafe kiosk.

Come afternoon, skateboarders try and usually fail to ollie over DIY ramps.

From 8pm, a young crowd emerge and begin getting warmed up for nights out.

In summer you’ll see lots of community work in action: a group called Universal Board Games set up popular outdoor living rooms of tables and chairs on which you can spend the day playing dominoes and backgammon. Lots of small festivals and events are held here.

Whenever you visit, you won’t be the only tinny drinker on the decking that forms the heart of the square and you’re very likely to end up in conversation. One particularly memorable chat being with an MC at 3am when my friend Stan and I were taking the slow route home from a club. The new Drake album had been released but a few hours ago, and he was pretty excited (when I listened the next day, I understood exactly why).

Like the Thames steps spot, Gillett Square is immensely practical. If you go to gigs or nightclubs, you’ll be in this area regularly. You can save your pounds by avoiding the pub and congregating with your friends here before heading to nearby venues like The Shacklewell Arms, Birthdays, Cafe Oto, or Visions Video Bar. (the once vital Dance Tunnel is sadly now a cocktail basement). A little further away is the wonderfully small and reliable Waiting Room.

Capacity for wandering onwards: 5/5

Gillett Square is an excellent starting point for exploring suburban areas in North and East London. Head up Kingsland Road and you’ll go through Stoke Newington from where you can stroll through Springfield Park, watch a spot of amateur cricket, cross the River Lea Navigation and head on to Walthamstow.

Go west up Mildmay Road and you reach the start of the long Green Lanes at Newington Green.

Head south and you can reach Shoreditch and The City within half an hour.

Proximity of local shops: 5/5

Impeccable. Options are plentiful. Kingsland Wine fuels the square and doesn’t charge you to use your card. If you stop here late, there’s a 24hr establishment by the Genisis Cinema.

Transport links: 3/5

It’s on the Hackney Wick and East London Line branches of the overground. Lots of buses from The City ply Kingsland Road. And there’s the 141 that goes from London Bridge, through Bank and stops at nearby Newington Green before heading up Green Lanes.

It doesn’t have direct rail access to central London (and the square wouldn’t be the same if it did).

Toilet access: 4/5

An occupational hazard of tinny drinking is the unrequited need to relieve oneself. In Gillet Square, you need have no fear.

For men, there’s a perfectly placed outdoor urinal in one corner.

Alternatively, just walk confidently into the ‘Downstairs’ bar underneath The Vortex. For the toilets, turn left when you enter.