Amir Dotan: Researching, Preserving and Sharing Stoke Newington’s History Since 2012
I had a great time giving the talk at Stoke Newington Bookshop about the book Back to the Local by Maurice Gorham. During the talk, I explored Gorham’s examination of the charm and character of traditional pubs, focusing almost exclusively on examples of past and present Stoke Newington pubs to bring the themes in the book to life. Thanks to everyone who attended!
Continue reading “07.11.2024: Talk at Stoke Newington Bookshop About the Book ‘Back to the Local’”
An article by Lily Scaplehorn in Hackney Post highlights the milestone reached by Stoke Newington History Talks, a community event series I started in 2016, which has now raised over £10,000 in donations for Hackney charities. The latest talk, held at St. Matthias Hall, raised £649 for Boiler House Spaces, a charity dedicated to strengthening community connections in Hackney. The contribution brought the total funds raised through ticket sales to £10,079.
Continue reading “31.10.2024: Hackney Post Article on My Event Reaching £10,000 in Donations”
Many thanks to everyone who attended the final Stoke Newington History Talks event of 2024. The evening featured brilliant talks by Wayne Fortune on the Church of England’s impact on urban development in Stoke Newington as a major landowner, and Jan Leybourne’s account of her inspiring shopfront poster project, which captured Church Street’s colourful (and evolving) shopfronts in the 90s and late 00s. I presented a talk on the history of the Red Lion pub, which was rebuilt 100 years ago. Ticket sales raised £649 for the Boiler House Community Space, bringing the total raised for various local charities through these events to £10,079.
Continue reading “24.10.2024 – Stoke Newington History Talks 23”Almost two months to the day after beautiful decorative Victorian tiles were uncovered at 117 Stoke Newington Church Street during its refurbishment to become De Nadas Empanadas, I had the pleasure of participating in the opening event on 19th September, where I presented a section of the tiles now visible as part of the new interior. I gave a brief talk about the shop’s history to a small audience gathered inside. The owners contacted me in early August after I pointed out on social media that the tiles had been covered during the refurbishment, and I was pleased to hear they planned to feature half of them in the interior by cutting a large hole in the newly constructed plasterboard.
Continue reading “My Talk on the Uncovered Victorian Tiles at De Nadas’ Opening Event”
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.
Continue reading “Heritage Street Signs Restored Following Campaign”I thoroughly enjoyed giving a 40-minute talk in a packed Red Lion in Stoke Newington Church Street about its long history, as part of ‘Red Lion Fest,’ marking 100 years since the current building was constructed after the 17th-century pub was demolished for road widening. The event, organised by the pub, included Craig McLean’s lively ‘Sorted for Beers & Quiz’ and raised £675 for St. Joseph’s Hospice through ticket sales and an auction. Cathie Brennan, whose parents ran the pub from 1969 to 1986, attended and shared vivid memories, having not visited in 42 years. Her appearance and stories were the icing on the cake.
Continue reading “08.09.2024 – Red Lion Pub History Talk as Part of ‘Red Lion Fest’”
The 22nd Stoke Newington History Talks event featured three talks about the Town Hall, Allen’s Estate and the 1960s. St Matthias Halls was packed as always, and it was great seeing many familiar faces as well as meeting people who have attended the event for the first time. Ticket sales raised £683 for The Old Fire Station, bringing the total raised for charitable causes from the last 15 events to £9,472.
Continue reading “20.06.2024 – Stoke Newington History Talks 22”This morning I had the pleasure of speaking with Riz Lateef live on BBC Radio London this morning about my interest in Stoke Newington’s history, and specifically ‘The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street‘. It’s great to see that my research into the evolving commercial landscape of the street since the mid 19th century is generating interest beyond Stoke Newington.
Continue reading “14.06.2024 – Interview on BBC Radio London”
I had a great time giving a talk about the history of local street names as part of the Stoke Newington Literary Festival. The main hall in the Mildmay Club was completely packed! It’s great to see this level of interest in our local history. Fascinating and thought provoking questions from people in the audience at the end. See you again next year!
Continue reading “09.06.2024 – Stoke Newington Literary Festival”Since I first shared the 155-page book I created a few weeks ago for my research into the history of every shop in Stoke Newington Church Street, it has taken off, and I had the pleasure of filming a short segment about it with BBC London News. In this 2:30-minute piece, I describe the project, talk about a few shops, and visit two where the business owners talk about their shop. At the time of writing, nearly all 100 copies that were printed, thanks to Oakwood Estate Agents, have been given away for free. Five additional local businesses have offered to sponsor an additional 325 copies, which will be available for free from local shops.
Continue reading “03.06.2024 – ‘The History of Every Shop in Stoke Newington Church Street’ on BBC London News”
Stoke Newington History 