Saturday, 21 April, 2018
My brother, John, has been a keen genealogist for some time and keeps me honest on these pages. The amount of history my family has – on both sides – with this borough of Hackney and that of Tower Hamlets is quite astonishing. No wonder I feel completely at home on these streets. Although it’s not as prolific as the connection with Mile End, Bethnal Green, Spitalfields and Whitechapel, there is a pretty strong line in Hackney so I’ve chased some of the places up.
‘Birth cert of Kate Lees (Samuel Simmons’ – my paternal grandmother – mother) of 1865 shows she was born at 25 Wentworth St. Terrible reputation but maybe the street was not as bad at that time.
Also, her mother Hannah’s last address was 140 Imperial. The Willing great grandparents also lived on Imperial (#37), not sure if they overlapped.’
So on a walk up to Stoke Newington for bread and fabric, I looked for ‘Imperial.’ On a street called Victorian Road is a complex of flats that I immediately recognised as one of the Four Percent Industrial Dwellings that are still scattered around the east end of London.
And part way along, almost where the road becomes a much more modern housing estate, is a chained and padlocked gate. If you look through the bars, there is Imperial Avenue – like a row of mews houses – a hidden pocket of homes.
I was interested and, as always, my own neighbourhood had surprised me with something I hadn’t seen before. And ‘victorian rd, imperial ave and coronation road. I sense a theme,’ I told John.
Stoke Newington (aka Stokey) can be a grim area along the high street. It’s somehow escaped the gentrification of neighbouring Dalston. However, its age also brings some treasures and I’m very fond of things tour guide Eleanor Blum calls ‘ghosts.’ These are remnants of past times. Still partially there but not in keeping with today.
I often buy fresh burrata and newly baked ciabatta at Gallo Nero along the grubby high street. It’s not quite Italy but it’s packed with Italian goods.
Saturday, after a busy morning, I set off again to Stoke Newington. (The New Town in the Woods.) This time to Church Street (Stoke Newington Church Street) because I’d heard there were St George Day celebrations at the last remaining Elizabethan church in London, The Old Church. Contrary to the main high street, Church Street is charming, leafy and feels far different.First I went for a snack lunch of a handroll and miso soup. Very nicely done, Fuji, although I am often dumbstruck by how small a portion is served in the UK (and I’m a small eater).
The Old Church (St Mary’s) was built from an even older church, in  1563, and some of the original brickwork and areas remain from that time.
Children had been making flags and these were planted along the path beside the overgrown graves.
The church itself was musty and not much has been done to preserve or enhance its former self but I lingered a while, trying some honey cake made by a local resident – neighbourhood cultures were represented on a bakery table. There’s a large organ at one end, a small chapel and font at the other. And some lovely inlaid gravestones, although none dating back beyond the 1700s that I could make out.
From the churchyard you can see the town hall. This was built in the 1930s and apparently has some lovely art deco inside. I must see if I can go in some time.
I was lucky to stroll through to the town hall courtyard in time for a wedding celebration. People waited patiently, then threw confetti in a happy but subdued way. Everything subsided quickly and I thought, how British!
Stoke Newington was once a Saxon village – arrow heads have been found in the area during excavations. Church Street, the original heart of more modern Stokey, is now a trendy village-like community. It’s certainly got a charming atmosphere. In fact, some people feel that it’s almost its own community, having nothing much to do with Hackney or even London. There are many gift shops, cute children’s clothing, artisan bakers and butchers, and various restaurants and cafes.
On my walk back to the bus home, I passed some interesting sights.
My final stop is the side entrance to Abney Park. It’s one of London’s major garden cemeteries (called the ‘magnificent seven’) – but with a difference since it is also a park and a local Nature Reserve. It attracts a lot of visitors and picnickers. Concerts and other events are also held here. It’s curious to see such life among the gravestones. I didn’t venture far but I did capture a few shots – further in, it becomes very overgrown and gothic.
