I was very happy to contribute an article about the campaign to save Clissold Park from development in the 1880s to the 2018 Spring edition of London Landscapes; the tri-annual newsletter of the London Parks & Gardens Trust.

65 people braved the snow on a freezing night to attend the 6th Stoke Newington History Talks event, which was held in the beautiful former New River filtration plant, now West Reservoir Centre, on the bank of the West Reservoir in Green Lanes. The event also doubled as a mini local history market with stalls representative from the Clissold Park User Group, Abney Park Trust, Hackney Society and Hackney Archives selling merchandise.

My presentation slides:

Peter Daniels’ presentation slides:

Janet Foster’s presentation slides:

 

I had a great time presenting my research into the evolution of Stoke Newington Church Street (1847-2017) at a Nerd Nite London event in January in front of 200 people. My talk was followed by two brilliant talks about 3D printing and quantum physics! It’s a terrific event which takes place once a month. Highly recommended.

The 5th Stoke Newington History Talks event was held at St Matthias Hall to accommodate the growing popularity since I organised the first event on the 28th of November 2016. The hall was packed and it was fascinating hearing about the history of the New River from Nick Higham and the story of the campaign to save the New River Reservoirs from Monica Blake.

A 20min video of my talk where I presented photos of Stoke Newington Church from the Hackney Archives collection.

My presentation slides:

Nick Higham presentation slides:

Monica Blake’s presentation slides:

Photos from the event:

It was a pleasure talking about the history of some of Stoke Newington’s churches during a local history event, which organised by the Green Lanes Traders & Residents Association.

The 2nd talk was by John Wirth, who carried out an impressive research into the history of the Green Lanes Methodist Church.

Alexandar Guttridges’ photos from the 1930s by Amir Dotan

Alexandar Guttridge, a local resident whose family ran two shops on Church Street took photos of the street and surrounding area during the 1930s. His 18 photos provide a unique and fascinating view of the area in the 1930s as old small houses were being replaced with new modern blocks of flats. Stoke Newington history enthusiast (StokeNewingtonHistory.com) and organiser of the Stoke Newington History Talks events, Amir will present this special collection of photos, providing context and supporting material to bring them to life.

The History and burials of Abney Park Cemetery by John Baldock 

The first nondenominational cemetery in Europe, Abney Park Cemtery is one of Stoke Newington’s most famous and cherished landmarks. It opened in 1840 as a garden cemetery on the site of a vast 18th century arboretum, and holds many fascinting stories. John Balsock, the Abney Park Trust Office Manager, will share some of these as well as the history of the cemetery. John moved to Stoke Newington in 2008, and started volunteering at Abney Park in Feb 2010. He fell in love with its quirky beauty and the peace and solitude it provided and has been employed by Abney Park Trust in Oct 2010. He’s been the Abney Park Trust Office Manager since.

Jewish Stoke Newington by Rachel Kolsky

Today, the ultra-orthodox community predominates but with its neighbourhood park, numerous synagogues and shops, this tour provides an insight into the early Jewish migration from the East End northwards and community initiatives such as maternity homes, schools and social housing associated with communal leaders such as the Bearsted and Schonfeld families. Engaging, knowledgeable and well-researched Rachel Kolsky is a prize-winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide (www.golondontours.com) who is passionate about exploring Jewish heritage. She has co-authored two books, ‘Jewish London’ and ‘Whitechapel in 50 Buildings’.

60 people turned up for the first ever Stoke Newington history pub quiz, which was organised by the Green Lanes N16 Traders & Residents Association (GLTRA) . Quiz Master Joey Bartram did a great job delivering the questions I had written. Hopefully we can do it again this time next year!