I was interviewed for a BBC News article about manhole covers and the people who find them a fascinating (who doesn’t?!). The cover image is my photo-survey of Stoke Newington coalhole covers and my collection also makes an appearance! Check it out.
Continue reading “5.05.2021 – Interviewed for a BBC News Article ‘Drain-spotting: The People Who Keep Their Minds in the Gutter’”The 15th Stoke Newington History Talks event yesterday was terrific. 197(!) tickets were sold, which is a record and the event raised £638 for the local branch of National Food Service North London. I’ve been meaning to give a talk about historical street signs in Stoke Newington for a while now, so it was great to finally be able to do that. James Watson’s talk about the history of electricity in Stoke Newington, which included a private tour of the substation in Wordsworth Road and Edwards Lane filmed especially for the event, was captivating. Mark Barnes’ brilliant photos of Stoke Newington he took in the late 70s coupled with his stories and personal memories growing up in the area, brought the period to life.
Continue reading “06.04.2021 – Stoke Newington History Talks #15”On a very hot day in August 2020 I provided a short history overview of Woodberry Down as part of an episode of Landscape Artist of the Year. It was fun experience, which allowed me for the first time to stroll along the south bank of West Reservoir that is otherwise closed.
I’ve used Flourish.Studio and data from my Church St occupancy survey 1847-2021 to create an animated ‘race chart’ showing the most common businesses by type in Stoke Newington Church St since 1847. You can view it in action and interact with it here.
The 14th Stoke Newington History Talks event on December 3rd was attended by 130+ viewers on YouTube and included talks from myself, Billy Reading and Caz Richards. It was a very different experience than the usual in-person setting I got used to in the last 4 years, but it was still a great evening nonetheless. £573 was raised for the Hackney Foodbank and each talk generated interesting questions from the remote audience. And now I can start planning the next event!
Continue reading “03.12.2020 – Stoke Newington History Talks #14”Connie Dimsdale wrote a piece in the Hackney Gazette about my talk in October, which drew an online audience of 315 people.
From the article:
Hackney’s Cllr Sophie Cameron (Clissold, Lab) said she feels “heartened” by how popular the history of Stoke Newington is: “One of the things that is so amazing about the local area is that there are so many people invested in the history…and it really affirms their identity. “It gives people a connection to the past that sometimes they feel is missing in modern life.
Hackney Gazette
Yesterday I gave an online talk on YouTube, which was attended by 315 people, out of the 580(!) that booked tickets. Both were incredible numbers and it was great to be able to share old photos of Stoke Newington Church Street with such a large audience. The 45min talk was structured as a tour of Stoke Newington Church Street using photos I was given kindly by the Hackney Archives, when I first gave the talk a few years ago. Special thank you to Nick Perry who organised and orchestrated the event.
The talk was organised by HackneySociety.org and HackneyHistory.org
Clara Murray from LovingDalston.co.uk wrote a short article about my campaign asking the council to save old street signs. Earlier this year I learnt through correspondence with the council, that irrespective of their potential historical significance, street signs are removed and destroyed if they are considered no longer fit-for-purpose due to their condition.
Continue reading “14.10.2020 – An Article About My Campaign to Save Old Street Signs Across Stoke Newington”
I was chuffed to be invited a few months ago to record a BBC ‘Boring Talk’ podcast about my fascination with coalhole cover designs. It was great fun to record in the BBC 4 studio and also in the streets of Stoke Newington. You can listen to the podcast here.
Continue reading “BBC ‘Boring Talks’ Podcast”
The 13th Stoke Newington History Talks event was held in St Matthias Halls on March 2nd in front of a packed audience. Brilliant talks by Alan Denney and Andy Wells. Proceeds from this event were donated to Hackney Playbus. Thank you to all who attended.
Continue reading “02.03.2020 – Stoke Newington History Talks #13”
Stoke Newington History 