ON
TOUR
DALSTON JUNCTION
Exchange met some of the team whose hard work and excellent customer service helped make Dalston Junction our Station of the Year
OLD AND NEW
Although originally opened in the mid-19th century, the current version of Dalston Junction station is relatively new, having opened in 2010.
It was one of several new stations on the East London Line that were created, in part, to cater for the 2012 Olympic Games. The new transport link, and its neighbour Dalston Kingsland (just 200 metres to the north), have played their part in the area’s regeneration. That’s the view of customer hosts Kutlu Kekilli and Andrew Roberts, who have worked at the station for more than 10 years.
“My parents used to have grocery shops and restaurants in Ridley Road market and when I was younger, we were always involved in the carnival, so it’s a community I know very well,” says Andrew.
“The area’s changed a lot since then. Many new flats and business have brought new people in but the traditional side has remained and there’s now a real multicultural feel.”
Graphic design graduate Kutlu and former dental technician Andrew say the daily interaction with customers is what attracted them to a change of career path.
“There are multiple challenges to deal with, so you need to be alert, proactive and ready for anything – that’s what I enjoy,” says Kutlu.
While the station has a regular mix of customers – local people using the shops, restaurants and bars, as well as those commuting to Canary Wharf and the City of London. There is a definite seasonal shift.
“In the summer, there is a slightly different vibe,” says Andrew. “We have quite a few tourists coming in – some regular visitors. There’s a couple from Australia who I see and talk to most years.”
AWARD SUCCESS
Excellent customer service and effective management during periods of disruption helped Dalston Junction secure the title Station of the Year at the Shining Star Awards.
“I’m very proud to have contributed to the success. It’s a team effort that has won us the award,” says Kutlu.
Andrew adds: “It’s important that the work frontline colleagues do gets recognised like this.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The name Dalston is thought to have derived from Deorlaf’s farm.
EAST END ICONS
Various neighbourhoods around Dalston are said to have inspired the long-running BBC drama EastEnders. The soap’s fictional focal point, Albert Square, was said to be inspired by Fassett Square, while the show’s market stalls are reputedly based on those in Dalston’s Ridley Road.
A real-life East End legend, music hall artist Marie Lloyd, lived on Graham Road in Dalston. The singer was best known for performing songs such as “My Old Man (Said Follow the Van)” and the railway-related “Oh Mr Porter What Shall I Do”.
St Mark’s Church in Dalston has the nickname “the Cathedral of the East End”.
WHY I LOVE DALSTON
Kutlu Kekilli
“Food is fantastic around here. There are many different cultural influences. One of our favourite places is Pepper and Spice Caribbean and, just across the road, there’s the Curve Garden – an amazing outdoor space, coffee shop and kids’ play area.”
Andrew Roberts
“It is a genuine multicultural community full of hidden treasures like the coffee roasting business in Dalston Lane – places that you only hear about by word of mouth.”
DID YOU KNOW?
A 2009 article in The Guardian named Dalston as Britain’s ‘coolest’ place to live.
RIGHT ON CUE
One of Andrew’s favourite ways to relax is with a game of snooker – and he’s pretty good at it. He has a highest break of 88 and has had the privilege of watching snooker legends Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White practise at his club. Andrew was also lucky enough to get some first-hand cueing tips from Australian snooker and pool maestro, the late Eddie Charlton.
PEACE AND PROTEST
Dalston’s Ridley Road lends its name to a novel and TV drama set during high-profile anti-fascist protests in the area during the 1930s. The area’s campaigning heritage is also celebrated in colourful fashion in The Hackney Peace Carnival Mural opposite Dalston Junction station. Created in 1985, it depicts a group marching against nuclear weapons.
DID YOU KNOW?
Comedy duo Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie shared a house in Dalston in the early 1980s.
Built with Shorthand