Stoke Newington History

About

I’m a local historian and heritage advocate focused specifically on the history of Stoke Newington, working to research, document, and share the story of this ancient parish in north London, first recorded in 1086. It was a Metropolitan London Borough from 1900 until 1965, when it merged into the newly formed London Borough of Hackney. I moved to Stoke Newington in 2002, and since 2012, I have been sharing local history content daily on social media and giving talks, including a regular event I’ve run since 2016.

Amir Dotan

Upcoming Events

16.05.2026 – Talk about ghost shop signs at the Hackney History Festival (Book tickets)
09.07.2026 – Stoke Newington History Talks 28 (Details to be confirmed)

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Past 5 Events

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Past 5 Blog Posts

New Dedicated Site for The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street

A new dedicated site is now live for The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street, a major strand of my ongoing research into the commercial history of Church Street. Drawing on years of work documented in the master spreadsheet, it brings that research into a more accessible and engaging form through an interactive timeline that can be filtered and sorted in different ways, a photo survey of shopfronts, and an insight page that highlight wider patterns in occupancy, change and continuity from the 1840s to the present day.

Tickets Now on Sale for My Hackney History Festival Talk

I’m pleased to be taking part in the Hackney History Festival for the third year running, and to be presenting again in the Round Chapel. This year my talk is dedicated to ghost shop signs, the faded names of long-forgotten businesses that sometimes reappear when modern fascias are removed. These brief discoveries offer glimpses of the past. Some signs survive almost intact, others appear only as faint traces, but all preserve the identities of businesses that once formed part of Stoke Newington’s commercial life. In the talk I’ll share examples uncovered in recent years across Stoke Newington, showing the range of signwriting styles and the stories behind several that were recorded, and in some cases rescued, just in time.

Ghost Shop Signs: Accidental Finds, Briefly Revealing Lost Shops
🗓 Saturday 16 May 2026, 11:00–11:50
📍 Round Chapel, E5 0NP
🎟 Tickets (£3): https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hackneyhistoryfestival/2074163

Stoke Newington History Talks 27

Thank you to everyone who came to the 27th Stoke Newington History Talks at St Matthias Halls. As always, it sold out quickly and was packed. Alexandra Taylor spoke on the 1910–1912 attempt to ban rollerskating on pavements, a dispute with the London County Council that reached Winston Churchill and even the King. Jay Derrick shared findings from documents discovered in the Mildmay Club roof. My talk explored Paradise Row, once home to abolitionists, scientists and bakers, many of them Quakers.

Featured in the Hackney Post: My Bid to Fund Historic Street Sign Restoration

A feature was published today on the Hackney Post website about my funding application, currently under review, to restore nine historic street signs. The application, submitted on behalf of the Hackney Society, outlines a proposed collaboration with Hackney Council. The council would handle the technical restoration, while the Hackney Society and I would lead the community outreach, aiming to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the restored signs and their historical importance.

Saving Ghost Shop Signs in Stoke Newington

The latest issue of Spaces, the Hackney Society’s newsletter, includes a short piece I wrote about two ghost shop signs recently uncovered and saved on Stoke Newington Church Street. These old signs sometimes appear when modern fascias are removed, giving a glimpse of long-gone businesses that have been preserved in an old, hand-painted sign.