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)
July 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

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 this evening to the 27th Stoke Newington History Talks at St. Matthias Halls on Wordsworth Road. As always, it was packed, with tickets selling out in less than a day a month ago! We had brilliant talks throughout the evening. Alexandra Taylor spoke about Stoke Newington Borough Council’s attempt in 1910 to 1912 to pass a byelaw banning rollerskating on pavements, a dispute with the London County Council that eventually reached the Home Office Minister at the time, Winston Churchill, and even the King. Jay Derrick gave a terrific talk on the remarkable trove of documents discovered in the eaves of the Mildmay Club roof. My own talk explored Paradise Row, once an affluent and picturesque stretch of Stoke Newington Church Street that was home to notable abolitionists, scientists and bakers, many of whom were 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.

Clissold Park Petition Project Featured in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine

I’ve been a huge fan of the series Who Do You Think You Are? for many years, so it was a real thrill to be contacted earlier this year by the series’ magazine for an article about my 2021 crowdsourcing project to transcribe the 1886 petition that helped save Clissold Park. Featured in the September edition of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine, the piece highlights the 11,000-signature petition raised by residents of Stoke Newington, Hackney and Islington to stop the sale of the land that would become Clissold Park, and tells the story of how I initiated, organised, coordinated and managed a community-wide effort that brought together 40 volunteers from across the country to digitally transcribe this remarkable document.