Stoke Newington’s Pubs – Demolished. Converted. Rebuilt by Amir Dotan

My talk walked through the history of some of Stoke Newington’s pubs, which over the centuries have been rebuilt, converted into flats, or demolished. From Georgian taverns and inns to Victorian saloons and 1970s punk venues, Stoke Newington’s pubs have been important social and cultural landmarks for centuries.

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Conservation & Preservation by Nick Perry

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Nick is a local amateur planning and conservation activist and director of The Hackney Society. He regularly get involved in planning matters in the borough including the abandoned Sainsbury’s development by Abney Park. In this talk Nick explained his approach to conservation of built heritage and how that differs from preservation, at a time when London faces a housing crisis, business rents are sky high and the planning system starts with a presumption in favour of development.

The story of the Simpsons factory by Sean Gubbins

Sean Gubbins’ talk was about the Simpson factory on Stoke Newington Road and the family firm behind it. Started by a 16-year-old tailor in the East End’s Petticoat Lane in 1894, the business grew into a world-renowned manufacturer of menswear, building its state-of-the-art factory in Stoke Newington in 1929 (now Beyond Retro). With a passionate interest in history, Sean Gubbins trained as a guide in neighbouring Islington. Realising that Hackney is just as historically interesting – if not more so – Sean began devising and leading history walks here in 2002, including those in Stoke Newington. Now, under WALK HACKNEY, Sean offers two walks per month in 15 different parts of the borough – see walkhackney.co.uk.

Slides are not available.