On October 4th 2022 I had the pleasure of giving a talk to members of CAMRA’s London Pubs Group about Stoke Newington’s lost pubs. It was an extended version of the first part of my recent talk in the Stoke Newington Literary Festival about Stoke Newington’s ‘ghost’ pubs and cinemas. By the way, have you tried my free self-guided walk ‘Stoke Newington’s Lost Pubs’ yet?
Continue reading “4.10.2022 – Private Talk to CAMRA’s London Pubs Group”
I was interviewed for Hackney Social Audio and talked about my Stoke Newington history hobby. It was good fun and a chance to reflect on the last 9 years since I started this account. You can listen to the interview here from 7:26min into the episode.
Continue reading “01.08.2022 – Interview for Hackney Social Audio Podcast”
On Sunday, June 5th I gave a talk as part of the Stoke Newington Literary Festival about some of Stoke Newington’s lost pubs and cinemas. It was great being in front of an audience for the first time since early March 2020 in the historic Mildmay Club in Newington Green. I gave talks in the festival in 2017, 2018 and 2019. It was always great fun and and a thrill to be part of a such a fantastic local event. I enjoyed putting the material together and doing additional research in the process. All 80 tickets sold out in two days and I was glad I was able to get through all 142(!) slides in 45min.
Continue reading “05.06.2022 – Stoke Newington Literary Festival Talk”On May 24th I ran the first (and hopefully not the last one) Stoke Newington History Pop-Up event with Nick Perry, Richard Young and Rachel Tobyn where people were invited to come and visit us at Revere the Residence shop in 150 Stoke Newington Church Street and ask us for free local history questions. We had no idea what to expect and after three and half hours I estimate about 30 people walked into the shop and presented us with fascinating questions, which we did our best to answer using old maps, old photos and census records.
Continue reading “24.05.2022 – Stoke Newington History Pop-Up Event no. 1”
Way back in December 2020 I was contacted by a TV producer who was developing an idea for a history programme based around someone who grew up in Stoke Newington in the 1970s & 80s learning about the history of the area.
Continue reading “01.05.2022 – Local History Adviser on ‘Jay Blades – No Place Like Home’”
It’s that time of the year and Here’s my 8th annual photo survey of Stoke Newington Church St. 41 businesses have changed since 2015 (37%). You can view the previous years in the Prints section here. The number of vacant sites hasn’t changed over the years. Full street history here: bit.ly/amirstokey
The 16th Stoke Newington History Talks event was online with talks that about the fascinating history of the Woodberry Down Estate by John Boughton, the story behind the publication of the Stoke Newington Lifestyle Guide in 1987 by Martin Bailey and finally, my talk was about some of the architects that designed Stoke Newington’s public buildings. The event raised £500 for the Literacy Pirates; an educational charity developing literacy, confidence and perseverance in young people.
Continue reading “05.08.2021 – Stoke Newington History Talks no. 16”
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.
Stoke Newington History 