Stoke Newington Church Street

Stoke Newington is one of the villages swallowed by the growth of London in the 19th century, and Church Street retains some of this neighbourhood feel, with many restaurants, pubs, and independent (non-chain) shops.

[1] Paradise House had a long association with the Quaker community, being the birthplace of Samuel Hoare Jr and later occupied by William Allen.

The abolitionist Thomas Clarkson described it as "The very first house in the country, about London, in which I was received and encouraged, in my early pursuits in the cause of the Abolition of the Slave Trade...".

The first, St Mary's Old Church, was built in 1563 and was partially rebuilt in the 19th century and then again in the 1950s after heavy bomb damage during World War II.

The Daniel Defoe pub (named after the author of Robinson Crusoe, who lived nearby) offers a good range in real ales and has a passable beer garden.

In addition to public houses and restaurants, the street is also home to a wide range of independent shops and boutiques offering unusual craft items, jewellery, cutlery, musical instruments, and clothes.