Stoke Newington’s Pubs by Amir Dotan

Curator and publisher of the History of Stoke Newington Twitter and Facebook feeds, Amir will guide us through the history of some of Stoke Newington’s pubs, which over the centuries have been rebuilt, converted to flats or demolished. From Georgian Teverns and Inns to Victorian Saloons and 1970s Punk venues, Stoke Newington’s pubs have been important social and cultural landmarks for centuries.

Conservation & Preservation by Nick Perry

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 will explain his approach to conservation of our 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

A talk about the Simpson factory in 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, his 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 Hackney is as interesting historically – if not more so – Sean started devising and leading history walks here in 2002, including Stoke Newington. Now as WALK HACKNEY, Sean offers 2 walks per month in 15 different parts of the borough – see walkhackney.co.uk.