Events

Public Speaking

I enjoy sharing my interest in Stoke Newington’s history through talks at both public and private events. Over the years, I’ve been invited to speak by a diverse range of groups, including the London Pubs Group, the Green Lanes N16 Traders & Residents Association, Friends of Hackney Archives, the Hackney Society, Hackney History Festival, the East London History Society, and the London Parks & Gardens Trust Research Group, to name just a few. I have also given multiple talks at regular events such as the Stoke Newington Literary Festival and Nerd Nite London.

Stoke Newington History Talks

I run a recurring event every four months, Stoke Newington History Talks, where I’m joined by two different speakers each time. I’m glad to say the event has grown in popularity since the first one in November 2016, with tickets usually selling out within a day. To date, there have been 78 talks (including mine) with 48 guest speakers, some of whom have appeared more than once—a remarkable achievement, given the event’s focus on a relatively small area with a very rich history! The event’s mailing list has over 1,600 subscribers, so don’t wait too long to book a ticket.

Upcoming Events

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My Talks

Parks and Public Spaces

  • From Houses or Votes to a Public Park – The Creation of Butterfield Green (Slides, Recording)
  • How Clissold Park was saved by the public, for the public (Slides, Recording)
  • 130 years of Clissold Park (Slides)

Decades of Change

  • 1930s Stoke Newington – Rediscovering a Decade of Profound Change (Slides, Recording)
  • Swinging Stoke Newington – A Journey Through Changes in the 1960s (Slides, Recording)

Lost and Changed Landmarks

  • Stoke Newington’s Lost Pubs and Ghost Cinemas – A Visual Journey (Slides, Recording)
  • Stoke Newington’s seven long-lost cinemas (Slides)
  • Stoke Newington pubs – Converted. Demolished. Rebuilt. (Slides)
  • Stoke Newington’s lost pubs (Slides)
  • Pints, Partitions and Rebuild – The Red Lion’s 300-Year History (Slides, Recording)
  • Back to the Local…A Stoke Newington Perspective (Slides, Recording)

Architecture and Urban Design

  • The architects who built Stoke Newington (Recording)
  • Stoke Newington churches (Slides)
  • The Beauty of Victorian Coal-Hole Covers (Slides)
  • The evolution of Stoke Newington Church Street 1847-2017 (Slides)
  • A Visual History of Stoke Newington Church Street (Slides)

Mapping and Aerial Views

  • Come Fly With Me – Exploring old aerial photos of Stoke Newington (Slides, Recording)
  • A visual history of Stoke Newington street signs (Recording)
  • Before the building boom: Exploring the 1846 map (Slides)
  • On Maps and in Minds: The Boundaries of Stoke Newington (Slides)

Archival Research and Discoveries

  • Photos from the Hackney Archives (Slides)
  • A Glimpse into Hackney Archives’ photos of Stoke Newington (Recording)
  • Stoke Newington history treasure troves (Slides)
  • Lost in the Shed – Unearthing a Treasure Trove of Printing Material from the 1930s-50s (Slides, Recording)

Social and Cultural Insights

  • Ghost Shop Signs: Accidental Finds, Briefly Revealing Lost Shops (Slides, Recording)
  • Look up, Look down: Spotting local history everywhere (Slides)
  • The History of Stoke Newington Street Names (Slides, Recording)
  • Bidding on the Past – Unearthing Stoke Newington’s history through eBay finds (Slides, Recording)
  • The Segregated Pub – A History of Class and Gender-based Drinking (Slides, Recording)
  • Reconstruct, Restore, Reimagine: New Perspectives on Stoke Newington’s History Through AI (Slides, Recording)

Past Events

2025

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2023

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2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Recordings

Below are recordings of some of my talks.

Extended version