Stokey History Talks No12
You are invited to the 12th Stoke Newington History Talks event; an evening of three talks about Stoke Newington’s history from different perspectives organised by local history enthusiast Amir Dotan.
The detail
Clissold Park, Stoke Newington’s beloved green space, has seen many changes since it was saved from being built on and opened to the public in 1889. This talk celebrates Clissold Park’s 130th anniversary with a glimpse into the park’s past as a public space when its notable features and attractions were a miniature railway, boating lake, bowling green, the original New River running along Church Street, and a bandstand next to Clissold House to name a few.
Talk no. 2 – Small builders of Stoke Newington by Wendy Forrest
Stoke Newington’s terraced streets went up very quickly. How exactly did that happen? What did it take to be a builder? Who chose the look of the roads and the houses? Who did the work and who made the money? One story gives some answers.
Wendy is on the committee of Friends of Hackney Archives and a trustee of the Hackney Society. Her Stoke Newington ancestors arrived in 1874.
Talk no. 3 – Thinker, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: mapping the residents of Church St past by Lucy Madison
Stoke Newington Church Street has been home to many important figures over the centuries, some more famous than others. ‘Thinker, Sailor, Soldier, Spy’ will focus on just four: the chemist, philanthropist and slave abolitionist William Allen; the cross-dressing sailor Hannah Snell; the Puritan soldier and son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell, General Charles Fleetwood; and the literary ‘Jack of all trades’ – including spying – Daniel Defoe. Historical records will be used to paint a brief story of their lives in Stoke Newington, while Lucy also shows you how you can find further records of Stoke Newington’s former residents using Hackney History’s collection on the Layers of London website.
Lucy Madison is a Stoke Newington resident currently working with the Friends of Hackney Archives’ “Hackney History” group to generate local history records for the Layers of London website. Elsewhere she runs ‘Bring Your Baby’ and ‘Bring Your Kids’ guided walks and pub quizzes across London, which started off right here in Stokey.
