Stoke Newington

Stamford Hill Mods

Detail of a magazine spread with text and two black and white images of three well dressed young men.

A Mod (short for ‘modernist’) was a subculture that began in late 1950s London and spread throughout the country, influencing fashion, music and youth culture. Stamford Hill in the 1960s had all the key ingredients of the Mod movement – a community of working-class and upwardly mobile Eastenders, young people with access to American rhythm … Read more

Stories from East African Communities in Hackney

Over the last 30 years, people with roots in East African countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya have made Hackney their home. This blog shares some of the stories of the groups, businesses and community spaces that celebrate eastern African heritage in Hackney, shaping the borough’s mixed cultural identity and forming places for communities … Read more

Perpetual Beauty Carnival Club: Stoke Newington’s Pioneering Mas Band

Five people dressed in blue and white peacock costumes posing in the middle of the street.

This blog explores the story of Perpetual Beauty Carnival Club, the Stoke Newington Mas Band that introduced Caribbean carnival traditions to the borough in the 1970s, inspiring generations of Mas makers.  Mas Comes to Hackney In the 18th and 19th centuries, enslaved people in the Caribbean developed Mas – short for ‘masquerade’ – as a … Read more

Stone Age Hackney: 300,000 BC

An artist's reconstruction of a prehistoric mammoth hunting scene. Six human figures wearing furs and grasses are surrounding a mammoth holding spears.

Rare evidence of mammoth hunting has been found in Stoke Newington. Reconstruction via Wikimedia Commons. This series explores how artefacts, animal and plant remains provide a rare glimpse into Hackney’s distant past, when the area was home to huge beasts and a mysterious now extinct humans, the Neanderthals. In this post, we’re going back in … Read more

Stone Age Hackney: Prehistoric Animals

Painting showing a prehistoric landscape. Several animals are shown, including a bear, hyenas, and in the distance straight-tusked elephants.

This series explores how artefacts, animal and plant remains provide a rare glimpse into Hackney’s distant past. In this post, we are exploring some of the curious creatures discovered to have once roamed Hackney. What animals were in Hackney 300,000 years ago? Ancient bones, teeth and other animal remains have been found across the borough. … Read more

Stone Age Hackney: Rediscovery

A black and white photograph of a deep excavation. In the trench pose 3 unknown workers, and apart from them Worthington George Smith pointing to a layer of stratigraphy in the soil with his cane.

This series explores how Hackney’s Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic) archaeology was discovered and preserved due to the rapid urban development of the late 1800s and the dedicated work of a handful of collectors. The Opportunity The borough witnessed rapid population increase in the 19th century, rising from just under 15,000 people in 1801 to nearly … Read more

Stone Age Hackney: Worthington George Smith

Trade-card of Worthington George Smith, with central inscription space surrounded by wood-engraving style images of birds, fruits, violin, plants, mask, sculpted head, vase, and lower left a Neanderthal and at right a mammoth.

This series explores how Hackney’s Old Stone Age was discovered because of the rapid urban development in the borough in the late 1800s. The dedicated work of a handful of collectors preserved these for the future. In this post, we explore the work of a local archaeological pioneer, Worthington George Smith. Worthington George Smith (1835-1917) Smith was … Read more