[3] Archaeological excavations at Link Street exposed a building dating to the 11th or 12th century suggesting that Homerton existed before it was first recorded in 1343.

[5] In medieval times, Homerton, like much of Hackney, was predominantly rural and arable crops were grown, together with fruit and vegetables for the City of London markets.

Upper Homerton was divided from the village of Hackney by the width of the rectory manor's Church Field, and a path led to the churchyard.

This land formed part of his endowment of the Hospital of King James in Charterhouse, who continued to own the property until the 20th century, building Sutton Place between 1790 and 1806.

A new watermill was established on the marshes by Prince Rupert for an improved method of boring guns; however, the secret died with him in 1682, and the enterprise collapsed.

[7] In the 18th century the availability of land, large houses and tolerance to dissenters made Homerton a popular place to found institutions.

The Kings Head Society moved to a large house here in 1768, forming Homerton College for the education of Calvinist ministers with between 12 and 20 students.

Those who attended his sermons in Homerton included American politicians such as John Adams, who later became the second president of the United States, and his wife Abigail.

Burke's rebuttal "Reflections on the Revolution in France" attacked Price, whose friends Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft leapt into the fray to defend their mentor.

The reputation of Price for speaking without fear of the government on these political and philosophical matters drew huge crowds to his sermons, which were published and sold as pamphlets (i.e. publications easily printed and circulated).

This resulted in Hackney Brook being placed in a culvert and the loss of the extensive watercress fields to the south of Homerton High Street.

[12][13] Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "interesting as an effort to copy local character", it is built in the perpendicular style and was Grade II listed in 1975.

[15] Construction of the Grade II listed red brick church of St Paul, Lower Homerton on Glyn Road, was completed in 1891.

Buckler and inspired by the churches of Sta Maria in Dominica and Santi Nereo e Achillo was completed in 1883, and rebuilt after damage in World War Two.

[18][19] In the early 1890s, the author of Glimpses of Ancient Hackney wrote: "Few who traverse Homerton today will fail to note the squalid poverty of many of its inhabitants, the mean tumble-down dwellings, for which we have to thank the jerry-builders, who doubtless will pass the odium on to the ground landlords".

The tightly packed Victorian streets provided homes for the clerks and employees of the new purpose-built factories (like Berger Paints) being built in the area.

From 1937 onwards, the London County Council built mass housing, sweeping away the worst of the slums, but also eliminating many older buildings containing shops on Homerton High Street, effectively destroying it as a commercial area.

[citation needed] The oldest surviving residential building in Hackney is Sutton House on Homerton High Street.

1970s glam rock singer Marc Bolan and actor Ray Winstone[25] were born in Hackney Hospital, on Homerton High Street.

Chats Palace has presented and encouraged a wide variety of music, comedy, theatre, photography, carnival, disability arts, dance and transgressive performance, including Clifford Jarvis, Tom Hunter, Miniscule of Sound, Red Saunders, Asian Dub Foundation and Graeae Theatre Company.