Stoke Newington History Talks 27

Join us for the 27th Stoke Newington History Talks event; an evening of three talks about Stoke Newington's history from different perspectives organised by local historian Amir Dotan (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube). This event marks the 10th year of the series, which began in November 2016! To date, there have been 48 guest speakers and 78 talks, reflecting the depth of the area’s rich history.

The event will be held in St Matthias Halls, Wordsworth Road N16 8DD. Each talk is 25min followed by 5min Q&A. There'll be a 10min break between each talk and a bar with a selection of beer and wine.

Doors open no sooner than 7:00 PM to ensure the venue is prepared for your optimal experience.

Tickets are £7, with the proceeds going to charity. Funds from this event will support Hackney Giving, part of Hackney CVS, a registered charity and grant-giving programme for grassroots voluntary and community organisations in Hackney and the City of London. The last 19 events raised £12,002 for charitable causes (List of the charities available here).

• The Friends of Hackney Archives will offer recent issues of Hackney History and their newsletter, The Terrier, with the option to sign up for membership. Card and cash accepted. Free booklets will be available, with donations welcome.
• Local ceramist Simon Turner (Instagram: @simonturnersart) will be selling a range of wax rubbings and ceramic pieces based on decorative coalhole covers found around Stoke Newington. Card and cash accepted.

Join the mailing list to know about upcoming Stoke Newington History Talks events.

A list of all the talks since 2016, with links to slides and recordings (recordings are available for most talks since 2020), is available here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Xm-TN6VYCpS3XpVlD8q2pg4lUXhAB0IX5HJJmC6s4Q/edit?usp=sharing

102 years after local historian Francis W. Baxter delivered a lecture with this title in the Library Hall on Edward’s Lane, this talk revives his account of Paradise Row, a once picturesque part of Stoke Newington known for its large houses and notable residents. The section of Church Street overlooking Clissold Park was home to some of Stoke Newington’s historically significant residents, including abolitionists, scientists and leading bankers. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Paradise Row was a sought-after location. Set back from the commercial centre of Church Street, it was quiet and overlooked the New River and open land that later became Clissold Park. In the 20th century, most of its houses were sold for factory and business use and later demolished for council housing or due to road widening, with only a few of the original houses remain. For 25 minutes, this talk will bring the lost world of Paradise Row back into life.

Amir Dotan () is a local historian focused on the history of Stoke Newington. Since 2012, he has researched and shared local history through social media (, ), talks, and community projects. In 2016, he founded , a regular event featuring speakers on the area’s past.

The Mildmay Club, known as the Mildmay Radical Club in the early years of the 20th century, was launched in 1888 and has occupied its rather grand, grade II-listed building standing on the north side of Newington Green, continuously since 1900. It was established, like many others all over the country in that period, by local working people who wanted a place for socialising and entertainment, but also for broadening their education and as a place for politics. This illustrated talk will highlight the huge trawl of club archives, including club committee minutes, letters, plans, receipts, membership lists, showbills, and account books, recently-discovered mouldering away in the nooks and crannies of the club building, which the Club's Archive Group is beginning to sort out and catalogue. In particular we will look at the foundation and earliest years of the club, its formation in 1888, and its move to its present building during the last years of the 1800s. Further printed information about Mildmay Club historical resources will also be available.

Jay Derrick has lived in E5 since 1987 and moved to West Green in Tottenham this year. Having retired two years ago from teaching in adult education, further education colleges, and universities, he is a member of the Mildmay Club Archives Group, plays keyboards in a pub band called King Toadfish, and is a bellringer at St John’s in Hackney.

In 1908, a rollerskating craze gripped the nation, but not everyone was excited about the popular pastime. Many complained about tearaway youngsters on wheels bringing noise, chaos and even danger to pedestrians. In 1910, following the example of other London boroughs, Stoke Newington Borough Council submitted a byelaw banning rollerskating on footways in the area. This was just the start of a two-year conflict between local and national government over the power to control the pavements, which involved Home Secretary Winston Churchill, and even went as far the Privy Council and the King himself. This battle of the byelaw took place at a pivotal point in British history - hot on the heels of the coming of the railway, electricity and public libraries, when women were fighting for the right to vote in the shadow of growing tensions in Europe. The story of this one niche byelaw illuminates so much about power, status and control in Edwardian Stoke Newington.

Alexandra Taylor () is a writer and producer for the theatre, TV, film and audio. Many of her projects are inspired by historic characters and events. A Londoner by birth, Alexandra grew up in Hampton, but has lived in Birmingham for over 30 years.

• "Loved your street signs talk last night. In fact all the presenters were great. Thank you so much for your dedication and energy in setting these evenings up." (Graeme)
• "That was a wonderful evening last night. You said it would be special and it was. That chap James talking about electricity he is a star! How can anyone make substations sound interesting. Brilliant. And Mark was just great too. So relaxed and cool and calm. To think that Stokey looked like that at the time I was spending time there. I do not remember anything … we just used to go to the pubs and hear music. No cameras with us of course." (Rachel)
• "Thank you Amir for the wonderful talk tonight. It was all so interesting! Mark and James were great too so please pass on thanks to them for sharing. Look forward to the next one." (Amanda)
• "We thoroughly enjoyed your last gig, we were treated to so much information – too much for my aged brain to retain, so I’m looking forward to seeing the video of the event to refresh my memory." (Alan)
• "Many thanks again for an excellent event. You and your guests help us enjoy and appreciate our common local history and urban landscape in massively entertaining ways." (Julio)

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More videos are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@stokenewingtonhistory/videos

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

St Matthias Halls, Wordsworth Road, London, United Kingdom

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