About Gillett Square

Follow the links on the left to find out: what Gillett Square is, who the Gillett Squared partnership are & what they do, and how you can get involved. To find out what events are going on, see the Events section.

What is it?

Gillett Square is a unique public space in the heart of Dalston, East London. A large, uncluttered space with the potential to become something specific - or remain not really anything at all. A blank canvas for a community to paint differently, every day.

Physically, the square is a quiet, off road yet near the town centre, granite open space flanked by jazz bars, cafes, food outlets and a host of other interesting entrepneurs. Culturally, the square is people - people from an antonishing range of ages, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds & beliefs, all sharing the space with each other, to work and to play.

Gillett Square provides a vital piece of public realm where it is needed most. The urban area of Dalston is in the 10% most deprived wards in the UK. It has no public parks, only 4.22 hectares of open space, a traffic dominated environment and a cramped and hostile pedestrian environment. Hackney Co-operative Developments work with many partners to ensure that Gillett Square provides us the opportunity to offer the community a vital refuge and place to congregate in community celebration. 

As real public space in London reduces, Gillett Square is a unique proposition of a space where you can do anything. The Gillett Squared team work together to create activites and events to invite all potential users into the square to meet and interact with each other. 

A place to walk through; a place to sit; a place to share; a place to meet; a place to see, hear, feel, smell, taste and discover wonderful and incredible things.