Fourteen months after I rescued the original 1972 T. J. Electrics shop sign from the back of a builder’s van, 300 copies of a new special edition of my book, The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street, have been printed and are now being given away free. The printing was made possible by the Science Museum’s acquisition of the rescued sign, bringing together two projects concerned with preserving the commercial history of Stoke Newington Church Street.

The book project

I began researching the history of every shop on Church Street in 2017, tracing the businesses that have occupied each premises from the mid-19th century to the present day. The research became a book in 2024, with each of the street’s 125 shops given its own timeline.

The book has always been available as a free download, while print runs have allowed physical copies to be distributed free through local businesses and community events. Most previous editions were made possible through sponsorship from businesses trading on Church Street. This new 186-page T. J. Electrics Special Edition is the latest stage of the project.

From T. J. Electrics to the Science Museum

T. J. Electrics opened at 174 Stoke Newington Church Street in 1972, founded by John Baptiste George and Terence (Terry) Gritton, and sold and repaired televisions, radios and other electronics for more than 50 years before closing in February 2025. Four months later, renovation works revealed its original hand-painted 1972 shop sign hidden behind a later sign. Karen Sims of Know & Love alerted me to the discovery and, when I arrived a few hours later, the sign was already in the back of a builder’s van and about to be discarded. With the agreement of Ibrahim Tasyurdu of Woody’s Local, I rescued it and took it home.

After I shared photographs of the sign online, Science Museum curator Rachel Boon contacted me about acquiring it. Research historian Tony Rich also played an important role in the acquisition process, working with John George’s family and securing their agreement to the transfer of ownership. The sign was collected by the Science Museum on 20 April 2026.

300 free books

I decided to use the proceeds from the Science Museum’s acquisition to fund a new print run of the book. The result is 300 copies of this 186-page special edition, all being distributed completely free of charge. For this edition I also added a new section telling the story of T. J. Electrics, John and Terry, the rescue of the sign and its journey to the Science Museum.

There is a fitting symmetry to the outcome: a surviving piece of one Church Street business has helped preserve and share the history of every business to have traded in the street’s 125 shops since the mid-19th century.

Fourteen months after I rescued the sign, the 300 books have now arrived. They are not for sale and can be picked up free from Stoke Newington Bookshop, 159 Stoke Newington High Street, while stocks last.

For more about the research, previous editions and the wider book project, see The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street: The Book.