Back to the Local… A Stoke Newington Perspective at the Red Lion

On 28 September I gave my talk Back to the Local… A Stoke Newington Perspective upstairs at the Red Lion in Stoke Newington Church Street. The event was organised by the London Pubs Group of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale), and places made available to the public only a few days beforehand sold out very quickly.

The talk uses Maurice Gorham’s 1949 book Back to the Local, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone, as a starting point for exploring the social history of Stoke Newington’s pubs.

Using old photographs and original historical pub floor plans, I looked at a period when pubs were commonly divided into separate drinking areas, including Public Bars, Saloon Bars, Private Bars and Ladies’ Bars. These divisions reflected social and gender boundaries as well as differences in price, comfort and service.

I used examples from Stoke Newington to explore how these spaces worked, including the Red Lion itself, alongside pubs that have disappeared and former pub buildings that have since found other uses. The talk also looks at how the experience of going to the local pub has changed over time.

I first gave Back to the Local… A Stoke Newington Perspective last year at a local bookshop, so it was good to have an opportunity to give the talk again, especially as this time it was in a pub.

Around 40 people joined us upstairs at the Red Lion. The £5 admission fee from the evening was donated to my local history community project and will help fund another print run of The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street. Printed copies of the book are not sold but distributed free through local shops, events and other community outlets.

Thank you to Jane Jephcote, Chair of CAMRA’s London Pubs Group, for organising the evening, the Red Lion for hosting us, and everyone who came along.

There has been a lot of interest from people who missed out on a place, so due to popular demand I’m hoping to give the talk again in a few months. Details will be posted here when another date is arranged.