Religion & Social Change

Hockley’s past is tightly woven with the threads of religious change. Landmark buildings in Hockley such as Broadway and Peggy Skylight were constructed by Christian groups in the 19th Century. This religious expansion in the area coincides with the expansion of the urban population, as majority of the population were living in back-to-back houses that filled roads in Lennox Street during the height if the lace trade.

During this time, the population that lived in Hockley were mainly working class citizens. They were forced to leave their area when a scheme was enforced by the City Council to eventually demolish the back-to-back housing in the 1930s as part of a high-density clearance programme.