I’m constantly looking for new ways to celebrate and share the vibrant history of Stoke Newington, aiming to captivate the interest of those who may not yet be familiar with the area’s rich past. In an exciting development, I’m thrilled to unveil a collaborative venture with Oakwood Estate Agents, an initiative designed to bring the community closer to the heritage that defines Stoke Newington. Our collaboration involves the presentation of historical images of Stoke Newington prominently displayed in the windows of Oakwood Estate Agents. This visual journey through time will serve as a compelling window into the bygone eras of the area, allowing passers-by to connect with the captivating transformations that have shaped Stoke Newington.

The 20th Stoke Newington History Talks event, which also marked the 7 year anniversary since the first event in 2016, was a great evening with 100 people in attendance and fascinating talks by Sue Doe and Breda Corish. Ticket sales from the event raised £678 for Sandbrook Community Playgroup, bringing the total raised for 12 charities in the last 13 events to £8,146.

Close to 100 people attended the 19th Stoke Newington History Talks event in St Matthias Halls to hear about the transformation of the ‘Castle’ Pumping Station into a climbing centre, the lives of three social campaigners who were imprisoned for their actions and are buried in Abney Park Cemetery and finally, to catch a glimpse of a treasure trove of print material from the 1930s-50’s that was salvaged from a former local print shop.

On July 5th 2023, I had the pleasure of meeting Marc Caucutt, who grew up in 33 Cowper Road, to interview him about the demolition of the street in the late 1970s as part of the development of Butterfield Green. Over 100 Victorian houses, that were occupied, were pulled down to make way for a new public park. In the 15min interview, Marc reflects about his childhood in the 60s and 70s and the difficult period as the east side of the street was demolished and his family home was the last one standing in the street in 1982.

I had a great time giving a talk at this year’s Stoke Newington Literary Festival in the historic Mildmay Club. 175 people was my biggest audience to date! My talk covered various aspects of Stoke Newington’s rich history using 10 eBay finds. From the story of the Town Hall to a Jewish confectionary works, High St businesses in 1982, the Church St library and much more!

It was great meeting people on May 25th who came to Revere the Residence in Stoke Newington Church Street to get their local history questions answered by Nick Perry, Richard Young, Rachel Tobyn and I. As with the first and second sessions, we were presented with a wide range of interesting questions from the history of St Mary’s Lodge in Lordship Road to whether the Hackney Brook runs under the railway line in Rectory Road!

90 people attended the 18th Stoke Newington History Talks event in St Matthias Halls and it was a great evening with talks about local ghost stories, the area’s pre-historic past and rare archeological finds and my talk about local history items I got on eBay.

80 people braved the icy pavements and cold evening to gather in St Matthias Halls for the 17th Stoke Newington History Talks event on Dec 12th. It was great to be back hosting an in-person for the first time since the pandemic and seeing many familiar faces. The event sold out in less than 24 hours, which was amazing.