I’m extremely pleased to announce that four heritage street signs have now been restored and reinstalled, following a year-long process. For a couple of years, I directly campaigned to Hackney Council to stop them from removing and destroying old street signs when they deemed them no longer ‘fit for purpose’ due to discolouration. This was followed by a year-long effort, with the help of local councillors, to persuade the council to restore these historically significant signs.

This is a fantastic first step, and I’m hopeful that the other six signs I’ve identified as worthy of restoration will also be restored soon. The restored signs are in:

• Belgrade Road/Stoke Newington Road
• Dynevor Road/Stoke Newington High Street
• Green Lanes/Stoke Newington Church Street
• Stoke Newington High Street/Dynevor Road

I’d like to thank councillors Richard Lufkin, Sheila Suso-Runge, and former councillor Mete Coban for their support. Special thanks also go to Nick Perry for his ongoing support and advice, and to the Streetscene manager and team at the council for their great work in restoring the signs, their appearance is excellent and truly honours the heritage of our streets.

These restored cast iron signs, dating from the 1930s and featuring the name of the former borough of Stoke Newington, are not only a testament to our area’s local authority past and proud heritage but also a reminder of the importance of protecting and preserving historic local artefacts for future generations.