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Stoke Newington

Stoke Newington is an area occupying the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is 5 mi northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish.

The historic core on Stoke Newington Church Street retains the distinct London village character which led Nikolaus Pevsner to write in 1953 that he found it hard to see the district as being in London at all.

Boundaries
The modern London Borough of Hackney was formed in 1965 by the merger of three former Metropolitan Boroughs, Hackney and the smaller authorities of Stoke Newington and Shoreditch. These Metropolitan Boroughs had been in existence since 1899 but their names and boundaries were very closely based on parishes dating back to the Middle Ages.

Unlike many London districts, such as nearby Stamford Hill and Dalston, Stoke Newington has longstanding fixed boundaries; however, to many the informal perception of Stoke Newington has blurred over time, to stretch east of the originally Roman A10 to overlap areas of the former Ancient Parish and subsequent Metropolitan Borough of Hackney.

Formal ancient limits
The Metropolitan Borough largely adopted the Ancient Parish's boundaries, including the eastern boundary which followed the A10 road, though there were minor rationalisations, notably the transfer of areas of Hornsey.

Stoke Newington's northern and western boundaries have become the north-west borders of the modern London Borough. The eastern boundary was formed by the A10 road where it goes by the name Stoke Newington High Street (originally High Street, until a name change in 1937 ) and Stoke Newington Road (meaning the road to the hamlet of Stoke Newington), further south.

These boundaries included the sites of the small hamlet of Stoke Newington and part of Newington Green, however it excluded the open space known since the early 20th century as Stoke Newington Common (originally Cockhangar Green), and Stoke Newington railway station was built close to, but just outside this area.

Wider contemporary perception
More recently, Stoke Newington has come to be viewed by many as extending east of the A10 to overlap the AP\MB of Hackney to include West Hackney, an ill-defined area of the N16 postal area which includes Stoke Newington railway station, Rectory Road railway station and Stoke Newington Common.

As a consequence Stoke Newington, like nearby Stamford Hill, has become closely associated with the N16 postcode, though a significant part of western Stoke Newington is covered by the N4 postcode district.

Administrative history
The Manor (estate) of Stoke Newington was part of a huge block of land around London held by the Diocese of London. This broad area comprised many estates, stretching from the Manor of Stepney in the east (of which neighbouring Hackney was a part), to Willesden in the west and Hornsey in the north. The Manor is recorded, as Neutone, in the Domesday Book of 1086, as being part of the Ossulstone hundred of the county of Middlesex. Domesday also records that the Manor was held by St Paul's both before and after the Norman Conquest. Stoke Newington was a Prebendary Manor, providing an income to the work of the cathedral.

The Ancient Parish of Stoke Newington was established to serve the area of the Manor with which it was coterminous and, like other parishes would have had its boundaries permanently fixed by the 1180s, even if the boundaries of the underlying Manor changed (though manor boundaries were generally stable at this early date).

From the Tudor period, parishes were obliged to take on a civil as well as ecclesiastical role, with the administration of the new Poor Law of 1601.

In the 17th century, the Ossulstone Hundred was sub-divided, with the parish of Stoke Newington, lying on the west side of Stoke Newington High Street, becoming part of the new Finsbury division and the parish of Hackney to the east becoming part of the Tower division.

The Ancient Parishes provided a framework for both civil (administrative) and ecclesiastical (church) functions, but during the nineteenth century there was a divergence into distinct civil and ecclesiastical parish systems. In London the Ecclesiastical Parishes sub-divided to better serve the needs of a growing population, while the Civil Parishes continued to be based on the same Ancient Parish areas.

The Metropolis Management Act 1855 merged the Civil Parishes of Hackney and Stoke Newington under a new Hackney District. This proved very unpopular, especially in more affluent Stoke Newington and after four unsuccessful attempts the two parishes regained their independence when they were separated by mutual consent under the Metropolis Management (Plumstead and Hackney) Act of 1893. The London Government Act 1899 converted the parishes into Metropolitan Boroughs based on the same boundaries, sometimes with mergers or minor boundary rationalisations. Stoke Newington was smaller than the desired size for the new boroughs, and there were proposals to re-merge Stoke Newington and Hackney, or to detach the northern part of Hackney and join it with Stoke Newington. These proposals were rejected due to the experience of "intolerable and interminable feuds" between the districts when they were previously "forced together", and because Parliament recognised that there was "great ill-feeling and mutual ill-will... between the inhabitants of the two districts".

Stoke Newington was permitted to become an independent Borough, and most of South Hornsey (also a part of the Finsbury Division was transferred to Stoke Newington in order to increase the size of the new authority. Parts of South Hornsey had previously been exclaves which separated southern Stoke Newington from the rest of the area. The Finsbury Division was abolished at that time.

Stoke Newington lost its independence in 1965, when it merged with the Metropolitan Boroughs of Hackney and Shoreditch to form the new London Borough of Hackney.

Representation
Stoke Newington is part of the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency which has been represented by Labour MP Diane Abbott since 1987.

Early
Stoke Newington or 'new town in the wood', has been lightly settled for hundreds of years, close to larger neighbouring Saxon settlements near the River Lea. In the 19th century it was discovered that Stoke Newington Common and Abney Park Cemetery had been part of a Neolithic working area for axe-making, some examples of which can be seen in the Museum of London.

In the Middle Ages and Tudor times, it was a very small village a few miles from the city of London, frequently visited by wayfarers as a pit stop before journeying north, Stoke Newington High Street being part of the Cambridge road (A10). At this date the whole manor was owned by St. Paul's Cathedral and yielded a small income, enough to support part of their work. During the 17th century the Cathedral sold the Manor to William Patten, who became the first Lord of the Manor. His initials 'WP' and the motto 'ab alto' can be seen inscribed above the doorway of the old church next to Clissold Park.

18th century
A century later, it passed to Lady Mary Abney who drew up the first detailed maps of field boundaries and began to lay out a manorial parkland behind today's fire station on Church Street, with the aid of her daughters and Dr Isaac Watts. During the course of the century, given its proximity to the city a number of Quaker and nonconformist families became settled in the area.

19th century
During the early 19th century, as London expanded, the Manor of Stoke Newington was "enfranchised" to be sold in parcels as freehold land for building purposes. Gradually the village became absorbed into the seamless expansion of London. It was no longer a separate village by the mid-to-late 19th century.

Being on the outskirts at this time, many expensive and large houses were built to house London's expanding population of nouveau riche whose journey to the commercial heart of the capital was made possible by the birth of the railways and the first omnibuses. The latter were first introduced into central London in the 1820s by George Shillibeer, following his successful trial of the world's first school bus for William Allen and Susanna Corder's novel Quaker school, Newington Academy for Girls. By the mid-19th century, Stoke Newington had "the largest concentration of Quakers in London", including many who had moved up the A10 from Gracechurch Street meeting house in the city. A meeting house was built in Park Street (now Yoakley Road) by the architect William Alderson, who later designed Hanwell Pauper and Lunatic Asylum. The Anglican St Mary's Church, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1854–58, replaced the older parish church (also St. Mary's), which survives on the opposite side of Church Street.

St Mary's Lodge on Lordship Road, the 1843 home of architect and district surveyor John Young, is the last-surviving (though now ruined and derelict) of several grand detached houses built in the area around that time for well-off members of the new commuter class. Gibson Gardens, an early example of quality tenement buildings erected for the housing of 'the industrious classes', was built off Stoke Newington High Street in 1880 and still stands today.

As a late Victorian and Edwardian suburb, Stoke Newington prospered, and continued in relative affluence and civic pride with its own municipal government until changes brought about by the Second World War.

Early 20th century
Between 1935 and 1937, the curved brick and Portland stone Town Hall was built for the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington by J. Reginald Truelove.

Second World War
During World War II, much of the area was damaged in the Blitz and many were made homeless, although the level of destruction was much lower than in those areas of East London further south such as Stepney or Shoreditch or even in next-door Hackney. The death toll was also relatively low: almost three-quarters of civilian deaths being due to one incident on 13 October 1940 when a crowded shelter at Coronation Avenue off the high street received a direct hit. The memorial to all the residents of the Borough who died in the air raids, including local Jewish people, can be seen in Abney Park Cemetery. Like Hackney, Stoke Newington avoided most of the later V-weapon attacks, which fell disproportionately on South London; seven V-1s and two V-2s hit the borough.

Most of the historic buildings at the heart of Stoke Newington survived, at least in a repairable state. Two notable exceptions are the classically grand parish church of West Hackney, St James's, on Stoke Newington Road, which dated from 1824, and St Faith's, a Victorian Gothic church by William Burges. Both were so severely damaged, the former in the October 1940 bombing, and the latter by a flying bomb in 1944, that they were entirely demolished. St James's was replaced after the war by a much more modest structure, St Paul's, which is set well back from the street. Traces of the old church's stonework can still be seen facing Stoke Newington Road.

Postwar developments
During the war a substantial amount of residential housing had been destroyed, and in the armath much was demolished, being considered beyond economic repair. Postwar redevelopment has replaced many of these areas with large estates, some more successful than others. Much of this residential redevelopment was planned by Frederick Gibberd, the designer of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

Political radicalism and terrorism
Communist Party meetings were held in the Town Hall in the post-war years. From the 1970s onwards the area has experienced, or been associated with, a number of terrorist acts. The 'Stoke Newington 8' were arrested on 20 August 1971 at 359 Amhurst Road for suspected involvement in The Angry Brigade bombings.

Stoke Newington residents Patrick Hayes and Jan Taylor (not originally from the area) were convicted of two IRA bombings and had substantial links to lorry bombs in the 1990s. Both were arrested, firing at officers in Walford Road and later sentenced to thirty years imprisonment.

Muktar Said Ibrahim was convicted, as the ring leader, on an indictment of conspiracy to murder. He planted a failed bomb on a 26 bus, which misfired later on the Hackney Road on 21 July 2005. In February 2005, police were seeking Ibrahim on an arrest warrant for an outstanding public order offence. After the attack, Ibrahim was seen on the run in Farleigh Road and was later arrested in Dalgrano Gardens. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of forty years before being considered for release.

21st century
These days, Stoke Newington is a very multicultural area, with large Asian, Irish, Turkish, Jewish and Afro-Caribbean communities. The area continues to be home to many new and emerging communities such as Polish and Somali immigrants.

Stoke Newington has undergone major gentrification, as have neighbouring Newington Green, Canonbury and Dalston. Church Street includes many independent shops, pubs, bars and cafes.

In 2022 traders formed the Stoke Newington Business Association and launched "See you in Stokey" - a website dedicated to the area including event listings, articles, area guides and much more.

Open space
In the north of the district is the extensive West Reservoir, now a non-working facility, but open for leisure and surrounded by green space. At the entrance is the Castle Climbing Centre, once the main Water Board pumping station. It was designed, by William Chadwell Mylne, to look like a towering Scottish castle.

To the south of these facilities is Clissold Park, which contains a small menagerie, aviary and Clissold Mansion, a Grade II listed building, built in the 1790s for Jonathan Hoare, a local Quaker and brother of Samuel Hoare.

East from here and past the two Church of England parish churches, both called St Mary's (Stoke Newington decided to retain the old one, unusual in a London parish), is Abney Park Cemetery, one of the most splendid and enlightened of Victorian London cemeteries. It is the main London burial ground for 19th-century non-conformist ministers and William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, is buried here. It is now a nature reserve. Abney Park was scheduled in 2009 as one of Britain's historic parks and gardens at risk from neglect and decay.

Across the high street to the east is the fragmented Stoke Newington Common, which has had an extensive and diverse programme of tree planting.

Reservoirs
From the 16th century onwards, Stoke Newington has played a prominent role in assuring a water supply to sustain London's rapid growth. The artificial New River runs through the area and still makes a contribution to London's water. It used to terminate at the New River Head in Finsbury, but since 1946 its main flow has ended at Stoke Newington reservoirs. The river bank, the New River Path, can be walked for some distance to the north through Haringey and on to its source near Hertford.

Stoke Newington East and West Reservoirs were constructed in 1833 to hold water prior to treatment in the New River Company's filter beds on the other side of Green Lanes, in the area now known as Brownswood Park. Water is now sent from here to the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain for treatment.

The West Reservoir is now a leisure facility, offering sailing, canoeing and other water sports, plus Royal Yachting Association-approved sailing courses. On its western edge stands the former filter house, now set out as a visitor centre with a café; some of the old hydraulic machinery can be viewed in the main hall. The pumping station at the reservoir gates, converted to a climbing centre in 1995 was designed in a distinctive castellated style by Robert Billings under the supervision of William Chadwell Mylne and built in 1854–56. The site is still used as a pumping station for the Thames Water Ring Main.

Besides the water board facilities and the New River, Clissold Park contains two large ornamental lakes, a home to many water birds and a population of terrapins. These lakes—purportedly the remains of clay pits dug for the bricks used in the building of Clissold House—are all that is left to mark the course of the Hackney Brook, one of London's lost rivers, which once flowed from west to east across Stoke Newington on its way to the River Lea. In flood at this point, the brook was known to span 10 metres. The two lakes are not fed from the brook, which has disappeared into the maze of sewers under London, but from the mains supply.

Demography
At the time of the 2011 census, there were 13,658 residents in Stoke Newington Central ward. Of these, 63.1% were White (44.9% British, 15.2% Other, 2.9% Irish and Gypsy or Irish Traveller, 0.1%). 16.6% was Black (7.3% Caribbean, 6.2% African, 3.1% Other) and 9.9% was Asian (4.2% Indian, 1.3% Pakistani, 1.6% Bangladeshi, 0.8% Chinese and 2% Other).

33.8% of the ward were Christian, 11.1% Muslim, 3.2% Jewish, 39% had no religion and 10% did not state their religion.

Primary schools

 * Benthal Primary
 * Betty Layward Primary
 * Grasmere Primary
 * Grazebrook Primary
 * Holmleigh Primary
 * Princess May Primary
 * Jubilee Primary
 * Simon Marks Jewish Primary School
 * Sir Thomas Abney
 * Saint Mary's Church of England Primary
 * Saint Matthias Church of England Primary
 * William Patten Primary

Secondary schools

 * Stoke Newington School
 * Our Lady's Catholic High School
 * Skinners' Academy
 * Tawhid Boys School

Defunct schools

 * Newington Academy for Girls, a Quaker school established 1824 by William Allen
 * Fleetwood Primary School
 * Palatine School, Palatine Road.
 * William Wordsworth Secondary School, Wordsworth Road (but official address Palatine Road). This was the old Palatine School.
 * Daniel Defoe Secondary School, Ayresome Road. William Wordsworth Secondary School merged with Daniel Defoe Secondary School in 1965 to become Clissold Park School. Both buildings were used until a new school building was built in Clissold Road. The school merged with Woodberry Down Comprehensive to become Stoke Newington School.

Architecture
Although Stoke Newington contains only one Grade I listed building (St Matthias Church), and several Grade II* and Grade II buildings.

 * Grade I
 * St Matthias Church, Wordsworth Road

There are many Grade II listed properties on Stoke Newington Church Street, the historical heart of the district, and two other notable residential streets to the west of the district – Albion Road and Clissold Road – are replete with listed properties.
 * Grade II*
 * 187–191 Stoke Newington High Street
 * 81/83 Stoke Newington Church Street
 * 85/87 Stoke Newington Church Street
 * St Mary's Old Church
 * St Mary's New Church
 * Clissold House, Clissold Park
 * St Andrew's Church, Bethune Road
 * The Castle Climbing Centre, Green Lanes
 * Grade II
 * Stoke Newington Town Hall (restoration in 2010 won the Wood Awards)
 * Abney Park Chapel
 * Newington Green Unitarian Church
 * 113 Stoke Newington Church Street, one-time residence of the poet and writer Anna Laetitia Barbauld
 * Sanford Terrace

Close to the local pub The Lion, local resident and property owner Sofie Attrill gave consent for pop group Blur to create some publicity for their 2003 single "Crazy Beat". The album's cover and single artwork were undertaken by graffiti artist Banksy, with the single featuring a spoof image of the British Royal Family, replicated as a mural on the building. By 2009 it had become a tourist attraction, but Hackney Council had wanted to remove all graffiti from the area and tried to contact the building owner to gain her agreement to remove the artwork. Unable to contact her due to incorrect Land Registry records, they started painting over the artwork with black paint. They were stopped after they had partly covered the mural.

Transport and locale
About 1+1/2 mi away, the nearest London Underground station is Manor House on the Piccadilly line. It is served by bus routes 67, 73, 76, 106, 141, 149, 243, 276, 341, 393 and 476 and Night Buses N73 and N76. 149, 243 and 341 are 24-hour services.
 * Lea Valley Lines (south to north) — from London Liverpool Street
 * Rectory Road railway station
 * Stoke Newington railway station
 * Stamford Hill railway station

Entertainment
Stoke Newington is well known for its pubs and bars, lively music scene, including contemporary jazz, and open mic comedy sessions. The Vortex Jazz Club used to be on Church Street but has now moved to Dalston.

Since 2010, Stoke Newington has also had its own literary festival, created to celebrate the area's literary and radical history. It takes place in early June in venues across the area and was described in 2011 by Time Out magazine as 'Just like Hay-on-Wye, but in Hackney', by The Times as one of its 'Top 5 Summer of Books' and by Londonist.com as 'a literary festival that's thrown its pretensions in a skip'.

A Stoke Newington music festival was instituted in 2015, taking place at various venues around town in late October. The 2016 festival saw a performance by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth at the Mascara Bar stage on Sunday 23 October and by Hank Wangford that same evening at the main stage at St Paul's Church Hall. For the 2017 festival, the main St Paul's stage was headlined on Friday 20 to Sunday 22 October by The Cesarians, The Featherz and The Frank Chickens respectively on each night. In 2018 the St Paul's stage was used only on the Sunday with the Mascara Bar serving as main stage, headlined on Friday 19 to Sunday 21 October by the Cesarians again, Dodgy and Urban Voodoo Machine frontman Paul-Ronney Angel. Mediæval Bæbes also appeared on the Friday at the Abney Public Hall.

Historic

 * Lady Mary Abney (1676–1750), inherited the manor and commissioned the first map-based survey.
 * William Allen (1770–1843), Quaker, philanthropist, scientist, abolitionist, and pioneer of girls' education – lived most of his life in Stoke Newington.
 * Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), writer and poet, lived at 113 Stoke Newington Church Street
 * Wynne Edwin Baxter (1844–1920), coroner for several of the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888, died at his home in Church Street in 1920.
 * John Bransby (1784–1857), educator, minister, and headmaster of the Manor School on Church Street which included Edgar Allan Poe among its pupils.
 * Catherine Mary Buckton (1826-1904), campaigner and writer.
 * Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), author of Heart of Darkness, lived in Stoke Newington.
 * Susanna Corder (1787–1864), educationist and Quaker biographer
 * Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731), writer—born and lived on Church Street.
 * Charles Fleetwood (1618–1692), Parliamentary General during the English Civil War, later Lord Deputy of Ireland and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces lived in Stoke Newington.
 * Joseph Jackson Fuller (1825–1908), Jamaican missionary to precolonial West Africa.
 * Leopold George Hill (1866-1922), English medical missionary to South China
 * Samuel Hoare (1751–1825), Quaker and abolitionist lived in Paradise Row, Stoke Newington.
 * John Howard (1726–1790), founding father of the prison reform movement, lived in Stoke Newington.
 * Joseph John Jefferson (1795–1882), pacifist, minister for Abney Park Chapel and cemetery.
 * Joseph Jackson Lister (1786–1869), Quaker, amateur opticist and physicist, inventor of the modern microscope and the father of Joseph Lister; spent his early married life in Stoke Newington.
 * Thomas Manton (1620–1677), appointed minister of St Mary's Church 1644/5; a forthright defender of Reformed principles and one of Oliver Cromwell's chaplains.
 * Marguerite Merington (1857–1951), writer, was born in Stoke Newington.
 * Samuel Morley MP (1809–1886), businessman, statesman, philanthropist and abolitionist—lived in Stoke Newington.
 * Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), American writer – attended Rev’d. John Bransby's Manor School on Church Street about 1818 while his Scottish-born foster parents visited the United Kingdom.
 * John Scott (1757–1832), evangelical pacifist, one of the founders of the Peace Society moved to Stoke Newington in 1826.
 * James Richardson Spensley (1867–1915), doctor, Genoa CFC footballer, manager, Scout Leader and medic was born in 1867 in Stoke Newington.
 * James Stephen (1758–1832), slavery abolitionist—his father moved the family home to Stoke Newington in 1774.
 * Isaac Watts (1674–1748), theologian, logician and hymnwriter—lived and died at Abney House.
 * Joseph Woods (1776–1864), Quaker, botanist and architect, son of a founding abolitionist by the same name.
 * John Young (architect) (1797–1877), a Suffolk man who settled in the area and moved in lofty professional circles, but retained his link with the earth through highly creative brickwork.

20th and 21st centuries

 * Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and first black, woman MP, lived in Palatine Avenue.
 * George Maxwell Alagiah, Ceylonese-born British newsreader, journalist and television presenter.
 * Bad Manners come from Stoke Newington. The band were formed at Woodberry Down comprehensive school in 1976.
 * Richard Bebb, actor, theatre historian, music archivist—lived in St Mary's Lodge, Lordship Road, as a child.
 * Mark 'Bedders' Bedford, bass player with Madness—lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Ronan Bennett, writer of BBC Dramas Hidden and C4's Top Boy, born in Ireland, lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Violet Berlin, television presenter and script writer for interactive/immersive experiences —lives in Stoke Newington
 * Buster Bloodvessel, 1980s pop star, lived on Batley Road.
 * Marc Bolan (born, Mark Feld), musician—lived at 25a Stoke Newington Common until age 15 and went to William Wordsworth Secondary School.
 * Richard Boon, the former manager of Buzzcocks, lives in Stoke Newington and formerly worked at Stoke Newington Library.
 * Eric Bristow, five times world professional darts champion—born in Stoke Newington and lived at 97 Milton Grove.
 * Saffron Burrows, actress, grew up in Stoke Newington and attended Stoke Newington School.
 * Asa Butterfield, actor, attended Stoke Newington School, lives in Islington.
 * Clem Cattini, musician—born in Stoke Newington.
 * Ralph Cooperman (1927–2009), Olympic fencer born in Stoke Newington.
 * Sir Horace Cutler, politician—born in the district.
 * Fyfe Dangerfield, lead singer of Guillemots lives in Stoke Newington.
 * John Diamond, journalist and radio presenter—born in Stoke Newington.
 * Elton Dean, experimental jazz saxophonist from Bluesology lived in Stoke Newington.
 * DJ Dextrous, Ivor Novello and BAFTA awards winning Producer/DJ—born in Stoke Newington.
 * Rupert Evans, film and theatre actor, lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Paloma Faith, singer and actress, raised in Stoke Newington.
 * Caroline Flack, TV presenter, died in Stoke Newington
 * Paul Foot, political activist and writer—born in Palestine, lived in Stoke Newington.
 * Reginald Fox, actor, was born in Stoke Newington on 22 December.
 * Jonathan Freedland, journalist and author—lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Rebecca Front, actress, was born in Stoke Newington.
 * Nick Grimshaw, Radio and Television personality lives in Clissold Crescent, Stoke Newington.
 * Maurice Hope, professional boxer, went to William Wordsworth Secondary School, Stoke Newington.
 * Gareth Jones, aka Gaz Top, TV presenter and producer—lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Paul Jones, lead singer with Manfred Mann (now solo) lived at 110 Milton Grove.
 * Hugh Gater Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Putney, representative 1958–1965 of the Stoke Newington & Hackney constituency on the London County Council.
 * Labrinth, singer, went to Stoke Newington School.
 * Led by Donkeys founders James Sadri, Oliver Knowles, Will Rose and Ben Stewart came up with their idea in Stoke Newington.
 * Stewart Lee, comedian and writer – lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Michael Levy, Baron Levy, impresario and political fundraiser—born in Stoke Newington.
 * Bernard Lewis, historian of Islam and the Middle East, born in Stoke Newington.
 * Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, was the representative for Stoke Newington on the Greater London Council between 1977 and 1981.
 * Zöe Lucker, actress in Holbyblue & Footballers Wives lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Jean Marsh, actress and writer, was born in Stoke Newington.
 * Sheila MacLeod, novelist and reviewer, and ex-Wife of singer Paul Jones, lived at 110 Milton Grove, Stoke Newington.
 * Malcolm McLaren, manager of The Sex Pistols, brought up at 49 Carysfort Road, Stoke Newington.
 * Warren Mitchell, actor—born in the district.
 * Kevin MacNeil, Hebridean-born novelist, poet and playwright, lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Rodney Marsh, footballer Queen's Park Rangers FC lived in Palatine Road, Stoke Newington as a child.
 * John Matthews, footballer – joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old apprentice, lived at 51 Church Walk.
 * Thurston Moore, musician—lives in Stoke Newington.
 * David O'Leary, football manager and Arsenal appearance record holder—born in Stoke Newington.
 * Roy Pack, footballer – Arsenal and Portsmouth, born in Stoke Newington and lived at 9 Shelley House, Shakespeare Walk, Stoke Newington.
 * Professor Green, (real name Stephen Manderson), rapper, went to Stoke Newington Secondary School.
 * Pauline Quirke, actress, born in Hackney, brought up at 79 Gibson Gardens, Stoke Newington.
 * Andrew Ranken, drummer in The Pogues lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Maverick Sabre, singer-songwriter, was born in Stoke Newington.
 * Tjinder Singh, lead singer of Cornershop, lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Chris Singleton, Irish singer-songwriter, lives in Stoke Newington.
 * Felix Swinstead, pianist and composer, was born in Stoke Newington.
 * Barbara Windsor, actress in EastEnders and the Carry On films—born in Shoreditch but grew up in Stoke Newington living in Yoakley Road and Bouverie Road.

title: Stoke Newington


text:
Stratford, London

Stratford is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Newham. Part of the Lower Lea Valley, Stratford is situated 6 mi east-northeast of Charing Cross, and includes the localities of Maryland and East Village.

Historically, part of the parish of West Ham, which formed an ancient parish in the hundred of Becontree in Essex. Following reform of local government in London in 1965, the parish and borough of West Ham was abolished, becoming part of the borough of Newham in the newly formed Greater London.

Stratford grew rapidly in the 19th century following the introduction of the railway to the area in 1839, forming part of the conurbation of London, similar to much of south-west Essex. The late 20th century was a period of severe economic decline in the area, eventually reversed by ongoing regeneration associated with the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, part of the large, multi-purpose Stratford City development, was the principal venue. The Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, one of the largest urban shopping centres in Europe, opened in 2011. Stratford is east London's primary retail, cultural and leisure centre, and has also become the second most significant business location in east London after Canary Wharf.

History
Stratford's early significance was due to a Roman road (later known as the Great Essex Road) running from Aldgate in the City, across the River Lea, to Romford, Chelmsford and Colchester. At that time the various branches of the river were tidal and without channels, while the marshes surrounding them had yet to be drained. The Lea Valley formed a natural boundary between Essex on the eastern bank and Middlesex on the west, and was a formidable obstacle to overland trade and travel.

Original ford and place name origin
The name is first recorded in 1067 as Strætforda and means 'ford on a Roman road'. It is formed from Old English 'stræt' (in modern English 'street') and 'ford'. The former river crossing lay at an uncertain location north of Stratford High Street.

The district of Old Ford in northern Bow – west of the Lea – is named after the former crossing, while Bow itself was also initially named Stratford, after the same ford, and a variety of suffixes were used to distinguish the two distinct settlements, including Stratford-le-Bow. The settlement to the east of the Lea was also known as Estratford (recorded in 1291), referring to the location east of the other Stratford, Statford Hamme (recorded in 1312) alluding to the location within the parish of West Ham, Abbei Stratford, referring to the presence of Stratford Langthorne Abbey, and Stretford Langthorne (recorded in 1366) after a distinctive thorn tree (possibly a pollarded Hawthorn) which stood in the area. The thorn tree itself, was mentioned much earlier, in a charter of the Manor of Ham, in 958 AD. The tree is thought to have stood in the vicinity of the modern Channel Sea rail junction, around 200 metres north-north-west of the London Aquatics Centre.

Bow Bridge
In 1110 Matilda, wife of Henry I, ordered a distinctively bow-shaped (arched) bridge to be built over the River Lea, together with a causeway across the marshes along the line now occupied by Stratford High Street. Reports state she (or her retinue) encountered problems crossing the river to get to Barking Abbey.

The western Stratford then become suffixed by "-atte-Bow" (at the Bow), eventually became known simply as Bow, while over time the eastern Stratford lost its "Langthorne" suffix.

The bridge was repaired and upgraded many times over the centuries until eventually demolished and replaced in the 19th century.

Stratford Langthorne Abbey
In 1135 the Cistercian Order founded Stratford Langthorne Abbey, also known as West Ham Abbey. This became one of the largest and most wealthy monasteries in England, owning 1500 acres in the immediate area and 20 manors throughout Essex.

The Abbey lay between the Channelsea River and Marsh Lane (Manor Road). Nothing visible remains on the site, as after it dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538, local landowners took away much of the stone for their own buildings and the land was subsequently urbanised.

A stone window and a carving featuring skulls – thought to have been over the door to the charnel house – remain in All Saints Church, West Ham (dating from about 1180). The Great Gate of the abbey survived in Baker's Row until 1825.

The doorway to the Old Court House, in Tramway Avenue (Stratford), displays the Abbey's coat of arms. The chevrons from this device, originally from the arms of the Mountfitchet family, together with an abbot's crozier were incorporated into the arms of the former County Borough of West Ham in 1887. The new London Borough of Newham adopted the same arms in 1965.

Industrialisation
The industrialisation of Stratford started slowly and accelerated rapidly in the early Victorian era.

The Stratford and national experience of the Industrial Revolution inspired scenes in the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony covering the traumatic transition from a 'Green and Pleasant Land' to the 'Pandemonium' of the revolution and the huge social and economic changes it brought. The level of industrialisation experienced by the parish and borough of West Ham led to it becoming known as the Factory centre of the south of England. Stratford was the base the greatest concentration of manufacturing activity within West Ham.

Pre-industrial economy
Stratford was originally an agricultural community, whose proximity to London provided a ready market for its produce. By the 18th century, the area around Stratford was noted for potato growing, a business that continued into the mid-1800s. Stratford also became a desirable country retreat for wealthy merchants and financiers, within an easy ride of the City. When Daniel Defoe visited Stratford in 1722, he reported it had "...increased in buildings to a strange degree, within the compass of about 20 or 30 years past at the most". He continues that "...this increase is, generally speaking, of hansom large houses... being chiefly for the habitations of the richest citizens, such as either are able to keep two houses, one in the country, and one in the city; or for such citizens as being rich, and having left off trade, live altogether in these neighbouring villages, for the pleasure and health of the latter part of their days".

Early developments
An early industrial undertaking at Stratford was the Bow porcelain factory, which despite the name, was on the Essex side of the River Lea. Using a process that was patented in 1744, Edward Heylin and Thomas Frye operated a factory near Bow Bridge called "New Canton" to produce some of the first soft-paste porcelain to be made in the country. The site of the factory was to the north of Stratford High Street near the modern Bow Flyover; it was the subject of archaeological excavations in 1921 and 1969.

Victorian acceleration
The Victorian era saw growth hugely accelerated by three major factors: the Metropolitan Building Act, the arrival of the railway and the creation of the nearby Royal Docks.

Rapid growth followed the Metropolitan Building Act of 1844, which restricted dangerous and noxious industries from operating in the metropolitan area, the eastern boundary of which was the River Lea. Consequently, many of these activities were relocated to the banks of the river, and West Ham became one of Victorian Britain's major manufacturing centres for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and processed foods. This rapid growth earned it the name "London over the border". The growth of the town was summarised by The Times in 1886:

"'Factory after factory was erected on the marshy wastes of Stratford and Plaistow, and it only required the construction at Canning Town of the Victoria and Albert Docks to make the once desolate parish of West Ham a manufacturing and commercial centre of the first importance and to bring upon it a teeming and an industrious population.'"

By the early 19th century, Stratford was an important transport hub, with omnibuses and coaches running into London four times every hour and coaches from East Anglia passing through hourly. The route into London was plied by Walter Hancock's steam coaches for a period during the 1830s. A small dock and a number of wharves were operating on the River Lea at Stratford by the 1820s, serving the needs of local industries. The opening of the Victoria Dock (later Royal Victoria Dock) nearby on the Thames in 1855, and the subsequent construction of the Royal Group of Docks (at one time the largest area of impounded water in the world), increased Stratford's importance as a transport and manufacturing centre. Rising population levels led to two major new Anglican churches in the area, St John's Church in 1834 and Christ Church in 1851.

Stratford station was opened on 20 June 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR). The Northern and Eastern Railway opened a section of its authorised line from Broxbourne to join the ECR at Stratford on 15 September 1840. A railway works and depot for engines and rolling stock was established by Great Eastern in 1847 to the north of Stratford. At its peak, the works employed over 2,500, many of whom had homes, along with other railway workers, in the town that developed nearby. It was originally called Hudson Town, after George Hudson, the "Railway King", but after his involvement in bribery and fraud was revealed in 1849, the settlement quickly became better known as Stratford New Town, which by 1862 had a population of 20,000. During the lifetime of the Stratford works, 1,682 locomotives, 5,500 passenger coaches and 33,000 goods wagons were built. The last part of the works closed in March 1991.

20th century
Stratford, like many areas of London, particularly in the East End, suffered significant de-industrialisation in the 20th century. This was compounded by the closing of the London Docks in the 1960s. Around this time, the Stratford Shopping Centre was built, beginning efforts to guide the area through the process of transformation from a working-class industrial and transport hub to a retail and leisure destination for the contemporary age. These efforts continued with the Olympic bid for Stratford, and the ongoing urban regeneration work going on there.

Geography
Stratford began as a hamlet in the northwest part of the ancient parish of West Ham, as the area urbanised it expanded, increased in population and merged with neighbouring districts.

Except as a ward, Stratford has never been a unit of administration and so, like many London districts, lacks formally defined boundaries. As described however, Stratford occupies the north-west part of West Ham and so takes the northwest boundaries of that area; boundaries which have subsequently become the northwest boundary of the modern London Borough of Newham.

In this way the River Lea and the complex network of the Bow Back Rivers mark the western limits of the area, which also extends north as far as the boundary of the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Most of Stratford is in the E15 postal area, however the Royal Mail has given the new E20 postcode to the Olympic Park and Stratford City developments; this was previously only used by the BBC TV soap EastEnders for its fictional East London setting of Walford. The name "Walford" is a portmanteau of the names of nearby Walthamstow and Stratford itself.

Administrative history
Stratford was one of three ancient wards in the large ancient parish of West Ham, in the Becontree hundred of Essex. It came within the Metropolitan Police District in 1840.

Despite forming part of the built up area of London the parish remained outside the statutory metropolitan area established in 1855 and the County of London established in 1889. Instead, administrative reform was undertaken in the area in much the same way as a large provincial town. A local board was formed in 1856 under the Public Health Act 1848 and subsequently the parish was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1886. In 1889 the borough was large enough in terms of population to become a county borough and was outside the area of responsibility of Essex County Council. Stratford formed the centre of administration of the county borough and was the location of the town hall.

Following reform of local government in London in 1965, West Ham was reunited with East Ham (Ham is believed to have formed a single unit until the late 12th century) and small areas of neighbouring districts, to form the London Borough of Newham, part of the new Greater London.

Representation
Stratford is in the constituency of West Ham, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Lyn Brown of the Labour Party.

Stratford is part of the mayorship under the Mayor of Newham which is a directly elected mayor and is held by Rokhsana Fiaz since 4 May 2018. In 2018, previous incumbent Sir Robin Wales was de-selected by the Newham Labour Party to be their candidate in the mayoral election, losing to Custom House councillor Rokhsana Fiaz by 861 votes to Wales who had 503.

The modern borough has an electoral ward named 'Stratford and New Town'.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Most of the 560-acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is located within Stratford, with other parts of the park in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The park was prepared as the main venue of the 2012 Summer Olympics and permanently opened to the public in 2014.

As part of the games and its legacy, the park included a number of sporting venues as well as extensive open spaces. Since the games many of the open parts of the park have been built on, replaced by cultural and commercial premises, as well as new housing.

Stratford Park
Stratford Park on West Ham Lane was laid out, in stages, by the County Borough of West Ham between 1899 and 1912. It was originally called West Ham Recreation Ground and is still known to many as West Ham Rec. The name was changed in 1999 to avoid confusion with nearby West Ham Park.

In 1892–93, before the land was acquired by the local council, the open plot opposite West Ham Police Station, was let to Castle Swifts F.C. for use as their home ground. This was the works team of the Castle Shipping Line which had an repair yard at Leamouth in Blackwall. The Castle Swifts named the ground Dunottar Park in honour of the company's ship RMS Dunottar Castle. The club were only based in Stratford in that, their first year, moving to Temple Meadows in East Ham after a dispute with the landlord. The club would merge with Thames Ironworks F.C., the forerunner of West Ham United F.C., in 1895.

Gurney memorial drinking fountain
Directly to the south of the churchyard stands a 12.80-metre tall granite obelisk, which was erected in 1861 as a memorial to the Quaker philanthropist and abolitionist, Samuel Gurney (1766 to 1856). The plinth carries two brass drinking fountain heads on opposite sides, with the inscription: IN REMEMBRANCE OF SAMUEL GURNEY / WHO DIED 5 June 1856 / ERECTED BY HIS FELLOW PARISHIONERS AND FRIENDS / 1861 / "When the ear heard him then it blessed him" (a paraphrase from the Book of Job, Chapter 29 verse 11).

Old Town Hall
Designed by Lewis Angell and John Giles in the Italianate style with a 100 ft tall domed tower, Stratford Town Hall opened in 1869 as the public offices for the West Ham Local board of health. It later became the town hall for the county borough and was enlarged in 1881 to accommodate a courthouse and cells. On 26 June 1982, the main part of the building was badly damaged by fire; after a painstaking reconstruction of the original features and refurbishment as a conference centre, it was reopened by the Queen in July 1986. It is a Grade II listed building. The balcony of the Old Town Hall has provided the climax of victory celebrations for West Ham United FC, winning major trophies such as the FA Cup in 1980 and the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023.

King Edward VII public house
Opposite St John's Church stands an early 19th-century pub, the King Edward VII, with original pedimented doors and early 19th-century bay windows; it is a Grade II listed building.

It was originally called "The King of Prussia", either in honour of Frederick the Great or else after King Frederick William IV who visited the area in 1842 to meet Elizabeth Fry, the prison reformer.

In 1914, the first year of World War One, the pub was renamed in honour of the preceding king, Edward VII who had died in 1910. The old name was problematic as 'The King of Prussia' was one of the titles of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II. More than a hundred years later, the King Edward VII pub is still locally nicknamed 'The Prussian'.

Robert the tank engine
A 38 tonne 0-6-0 saddle-tank steam locomotive named Robert is displayed in Meridian Square, the forecourt of Stratford Station. It was built in 1933 by the Avonside Engine Company of Bristol for use at the Lamport Ironstone mines railway near Brixworth, Northamptonshire. It was previously an exhibit at the North Woolwich Old Station Museum, but moved to Stratford in 1999. In 2008, it was moved on to the East Anglia Railway Museum at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station near Colchester; there it was cleaned and repainted at the expense of the Olympic Delivery Authority and returned to Stratford in 2011.

ArcelorMittal orbit

A 114 m sculpture and observation tower in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is Britain's largest piece of public art and is intended to be a permanent legacy of the 2012 Summer Olympics. It closed after the end of the Games, but was reopened to the public in April 2014.

Abbey Mills Pumping Stations

Built in 1868, as part of the new London sewerage system by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the building originally housed steam pumps and is a notable example of Italian style Gothic Revival architecture. It is opened to the public on an occasional basis, when the "flamboyant interior of enriched cast ironwork" can be seen. It was used to portray a lunatic asylum in the 2005 film Batman Begins and is a Grade II* listed building.

Churches

The Church of England parish church of Stratford is the 1830s church called St John's on Stratford Broadway, a major thoroughfare, and The Grove and is part of Diocese of Chelmsford, itself part of the Province of Canterbury. It is a Grade II listed building. In its churchyard is a memorial to the Stratford Martyrs, who were burned at the stake in 1556 (possibly at Stratford, but more likely at Bow) during the reign of Queen Mary. The memorial itself is octagonal with terracotta plaques on each face, surmounted by a twelve sided spire. It was unveiled in 1878.

St Francis of Assisi Church, Stratford is the Roman Catholic church in Stratford. It was built in 1868 and is served by Franciscan Friars.

Ethnicity
As of the 2011 census, White British is the largest ethnic group in the Stratford and New Town ward, at 21% of the population, followed by Other White at 19% and Black African at 13%; other ethnic groups comprised the remaining 47%.

Religion
The two main faiths of the people are Christianity and Islam, with 8,106 Christians and 3,643 Muslims.

Economy
Stratford's shopping centres, the Stratford Centre and the recently opened (2011) Westfield Stratford City, are on either side of Stratford station. Westfield Stratford City, home to 350 stores, is one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. The older centre has a range of accessibly-priced stores, its indoor and outdoor market stalls, and the 'inshops' network of small retail outlets. The centre occupies much of the 'island site' created in the 1960s by the surrounding gyratory traffic system.

Regeneration
Stratford has been a focus of regeneration for some years as the local economy has grown, and is the location of a number of major projects. Developments:
 * Westfield Stratford City is a multibillion-pound scheme to regenerate the 73-hectare brownfield railway lands to the north of the existing town centre. The vast shopping centre reported to be bigger in size than Bluewater was opened in September 2011. It has anchor stores for John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer, in addition to other household names like Apple and Primark. The centre boasts a range of restaurant outlets, a cinema and casino, making it a leisure destination in itself, as well as its shopping facilities. Nearby will be a new purpose-built community of 5,000 homes, offices, schools, public spaces, municipal and other facilities destined to become a major metropolitan centre for East London, all to coincide with the opening of the Olympics in July 2012.
 * The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games had their main base at the Olympic Park, which contained a significant number of venues including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, and London Velopark. What was the athletes' Olympic Village is to be restructured as the new East Village development, providing 3,500 homes, half affordable and half private. The post-Olympics legacy plans include the largest new urban park in Europe for over a century, and the new Chobham Academy.
 * Improving Stratford station with new platforms, walkways and entrances
 * Rebuilding of Pudding Mill Lane DLR station as part of the Crossrail project
 * 150 High Street, Stratford, a 41-storey 133 m high residential tower
 * A 26-acre development called Sugar House Island at Mill Meads is expected to see 2,500 jobs brought to the area, along with 1,200 homes (over 40% three bed or more), a new school, 350-bed hotel and new amenities for local people. This is a relatively low-rise scheme, with Dane's Yard, its first phase, regenerating a Conservation Area to form a new hub for creative businesses, by European developer Vastint.
 * Redevelopment of Morgan House and the southern end of the Stratford Centre into a new office, hotel, and 42- and 21-storey residential towers.

Olympic Park developments:
 * Construction of East Wick & Sweetwater neighbourhoods will see up to 1,500 homes built
 * Olympicopolis, a plan in the Olympic Park to see the Victoria & Albert Museum and University College London to have facilities by 2018.
 * International Quarter London; will see 13 office and 2 residential buildings as well as a hotel.

Entertainment
Stratford's Cultural Quarter, adjacent to the shopping centre, is home to several arts venues, bars and cafes. The Theatre Royal Stratford East was designed by architect James George Buckle, who was commissioned by the actor-manager Charles Dillon in 1884. 'Stratford East' however is not a location; the 'East' is used to differentiate between Stratford (east London) and Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratford Circus is a contemporary performing arts venue that was designed by Levitt Bernstein architects and built with funding from the National Lottery which opened in 2001.

The Discover Children's Story Centre is a partner in the Cultural Quarter which is a purpose-built Story World and Story Garden are creative play spaces, it works with schools, libraries and the local community.

 * Filmography

Stratford has been used as a shooting location for numerous films, notably Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) and Bronco Bullfrog (1970), Batman Begins (2005) and Attack the Block (2011). The promotional film for the Beatles' "Penny Lane" single was filmed in and around the southern part of Angel Lane, demolished in the late 1960s to build the Stratford Centre.

Sport
Stratford is home to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a sporting complex built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics; it is named after Elizabeth II to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee.

The first annual Invictus Games were held between 10 and 14 September 2014 in the park; events were held at many of the venues used during the 2012 Olympics, including the Copper Box and the Lee Valley Athletics Centre which had 300 competitors from 13 countries which have fought alongside the United Kingdom in recent military campaigns participated.

The Premier League football club West Ham United F.C. is based in Stratford Queen Elizabeth Olympics Park. From 1904 until 2016, the club's home ground was Boleyn Ground in Upton Park. In 2016, West Ham moved to a new multi-purpose ground, the London Stadium, which is also home to UK Athletics (known as British Athletics) who ground share with West Ham. The stadium has hosted a few 2015 Rugby World Cup and English rugby union matches, and also both the 2017 IAAF World Championships and the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships.

The London Aquatics Centre is also in the park; it has an indoor facility with two 50 m swimming pools and a 25 m diving pool.

Education
The University of East London (UEL) has a major campus in Stratford, whose main building, University House, is a historic listed building dating from the 19th century. The adjacent Passmore Edwards Building is also one of the area's most historic and beautiful buildings, with colourful frescoes and domed roof. In addition, Birkbeck College, part of the University of London, has launched courses in the area, initially using space provided by UEL, with a view to constructing its own campus in Stratford. In 2023, two universities opened new campuses on the Olympic park, with the London College of Fashion, part of University of the Arts London, relocating to Stratford, and University College London opening its new UCL East campus.

Newham College of Further Education is a further education college that has a campus in Stratford which opened in 1993 with Stratford as it secondary educational teaching site. In April 2016 the college announced a strategic alliance with University of East London.

The Chobham Academy is an academy in the Stratford neighbourhood of East Village and is run by the Harris Federation which opened in September 2013. It is classed as an education campus and comprises a nursery, primary and secondary school, sixth form and adult learning facility.

Sarah Bonnell School is one of the oldest girls schools in England and currently a girls only secondary school. It had moved to its present site in Deanery Road from Forest Gate. It took over the buildings that had previously been called Deanery High School for Girls and Stratford Green Secondary School.

The Carpenters Primary School is a state school in the Carpenters Estate, the livery company of the City of London Worshipful Company of Carpenters has close links with the school who make regular grants. The school is built on a site next to the original Carpenters' Institute.

Other schools in Stratford include Colegrave, John F Kennedy and also St Francis and Maryland in the locality of Maryland.

National Rail
Stratford is a major National Rail interchange on the Great Eastern Main Line, North London Line, Elizabeth Line and Lea Valley Lines. According to 2017–18 figures, 40.08 million passengers entered or exited the station, making it the UK's 7th busiest station. The station is managed by Elizabeth Line.

The station is served by several train operating companies:

 * Greater Anglia provides services to destinations in East Anglia, including Southend Victoria, Colchester Town, Harwich, Ipswich and Norwich. The Lea Valley Lines take a route towards Tottenham Hale and Bishop's Stortford.

 * Elizabeth Line run services between Shenfield, Romford, Liverpool Street, Bond Street, Paddington, and Heathrow Terminal 4/Heathrow Terminal 5.

 * London Overground services follow the North London Line towards Highbury & Islington, travelling through Gospel Oak and Willesden Junction towards Richmond or Clapham Junction.

Stratford International, sited to the north-west, is on the High Speed 1 line from St Pancras to Kent. It is served by Southeastern's domestic high speed services. The international and national rail stations are linked by a branch of the Docklands Light Railway, opened in August 2011.

Maryland railway station is located in the eastern part of Stratford town centre. It is a stop on the Elizabeth Line.

London Underground
Stratford is served by two London Underground lines:

 * The Central line runs east-west through the centre of London; it links Stratford with Epping, Liverpool Street, Oxford Circus and Ealing Broadway.

 * The Jubilee line was extended to Stratford in 1999. It provides services to Stanmore, Wembley Park, Bond Street and Canary Wharf.

Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) was extended to Stratford in 1987 and to Stratford International in 2011. Services link Stratford to Poplar, Canary Wharf, Lewisham, London City Airport, the Excel Centre, Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal.

Pudding Mill Lane is located to the south of the Olympic Park (though it closed during the Olympics for safety reasons due to its size) and west of Stratford town centre; it normally provides transport to the local factories. It was re-sited south as part of the Crossrail project.

Stratford High Street is sited to the south of Stratford Regional, situated on the site of the former Stratford Market railway station.

Buses and coaches
Stratford bus station is adjacent to Stratford Regional and the Stratford Centre, served by London Buses.

London Buses travel to destinations in the West and East End, northeast and south London, served by London Bus routes 69, 86, 104, 158, 238, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8 and by the 25 and N8 to Central London.

A newer bus station, Stratford City bus station, opened in 2011 as part of the Westfield Stratford City regeneration project to the north of Stratford Regional. London Bus routes 97, 241, 308, 339, 388, 108 and N205 call here. National Express run coaches from Stratford City bus station to Stansted Airport and destinations in East Anglia. Megabus coaches also call at Stratford City bus station with a direct service to Norwich.

Road
Stratford is connected to the National Road Network by several major routes.

The A12 passes through Stratford between Bow and Leyton, carrying eastbound traffic from London towards the North Circular, the M25, the M11 and East Anglia. The A11 (Bow Road) meets the A12 at the Bow Interchange to Stratford's south-west. The A11 carries traffic between the City and Stratford, whilst the A12 to the south carries traffic to the A13 and Canary Wharf. Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for the A11 and A12 roads.

Stratford High Street is numbered the A118, which runs from Bow Interchange to Ilford and Romford. The A112 is a north–south route through Stratford, which ultimately terminates near Chingford in the north (via Leyton and Walthamstow) and London City Airport in the south.

All roads in Stratford are part of London's Low Emission Zone.

Air quality
Newham Council partake in roadside pollution monitoring. In a 2018 report, Leytonstone Road in Stratford recorded the highest percentage of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in roadside air of all monitoring sites in Newham, with an annual mean of 60%. Temple Mills Lane in Stratford recorded an annual mean of 40%. It is thought that Nitrogen Dioxide is linked to respiratory conditions, can decrease lung function and increase response to allergens.

Cycling
Stratford is linked to London's cycle network, with cycling infrastructure provided by both Transport for London (TfL) and Newham Council.

The eastern terminus of Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2) is on Stratford High Street. CS2 follows Stratford High Street southwest on segregated cycle track towards Bow Interchange. Signal controls at Bow Interchange give priority to cyclists, who can also use cycle lanes to cross the junction. CS2 then follows Bow Road (the A11) to Aldgate on cycle track. CS2 was the first fully segregated Cycle Superhighway to open in London.

Quietway 6 passes through the north of Stratford between Victoria Park and Wanstead, running non-stop to Barkingside in the northeast. Quietway 22 runs from Victoria Park, over Stratford High Street (CS2), towards Plaistow and Beckton. Quietways are signposted routes on quieter roads.

National Cycle Route 1 (NCN1) skirts around Stratford on its northwestern edge, running along the Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation towpaths. NCN1 is a long cycle route between Dover, Kent, and the Shetland Islands, running in north London non-stop between the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and Waltham Abbey. Cycling is permitted on the Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation towpaths around Stratford, which are shared-use paths maintained by the Canal and River Trust.

The Santander Cycles sharing scheme operates in Stratford.

Between 2010 and 2014, the A118 (Stratford High Street) saw 153 pedal cycle casualties, constituting a 31% share of cycle casualties in Newham. By 2016, however, there were only 79 serious cyclist injuries across the whole borough, with no deaths. The borough council has launched a "cycling strategy" to improve cycling provisions between 2018 and 2025.

Media
The Newham Recorder provides local news.

People from Stratford

 * See Category:People from Stratford, London

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Stratford, London


text:
London Borough of Haringey

The London Borough of Haringey (, same as Harringay) is a London borough in north London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs. Clockwise from the north, they are: Enfield, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Islington, Camden, and Barnet.

Haringey covers an area of more than 11 sqmi. Some of the more familiar local landmarks include Alexandra Palace, Bruce Castle, Jacksons Lane, Highpoint I and II, and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The borough has extreme contrasts: areas in the west, such as Highgate, Muswell Hill and Crouch End are among the most prosperous in the country; in the east of the borough, such as in Tottenham or Wood Green, some wards are classified as being among the most deprived 10% in the country. Haringey is also a borough of contrasts geographically. From the wooded high ground around Highgate and Muswell Hill, at 426.5 ft, the land falls sharply away to the flat, open low-lying land beside the River Lea in the east. The borough includes large areas of green space, which make up more than 25% of its total area.

Toponymy
The names Haringey, Harringay and Hornsey in use today are all different variations of the same Old English: Hæringeshege. Hæring was a Saxon chief who lived probably in the area around Hornsey. Hæringeshege meant Hæring's enclosure and evolved into Haringey, Harringay and Hornsey. In the Last Glacial Maximum, Haringey was at the edge of a huge glacial mass that reached as far south as Muswell Hill. There is evidence of both Stone Age and Bronze Age activity.

Background
In the Iron Age and Roman periods, Haringey was peopled by a Celtic tribe called the Catuvellauni, whose extensive lands centred on Hertfordshire and Middlesex. The Romans' presence is evidenced chiefly by the roads they built through the area. Tottenham High Road was part of the main Roman thoroughfare of Ermine Street. There have also been Roman finds in the borough which suggests possible Roman settlement.

In the 5th and 6th centuries after the Saxon invasions the settlement of Haeringehaia was founded; its name coming from the Old English haeringe meaning a "meadow of hares".

Haringey remained a rural area until the 18th century when large country houses close to London became increasingly common. The coming of the railways from the mid-nineteenth century onwards led to rapid urbanisation; by the turn of the century much of Haringey had been transformed from a rural to an urbanised environment.

Administrative history
The area of the modern borough broadly corresponds to the two ancient parishes of Tottenham (which covered most of the area) and Hornsey in the south-west. Both parishes were historically in the county of Middlesex, with Tottenham being in Edmonton Hundred and Hornsey in Ossulstone Hundred. Ossulstone was later split into divisions for certain administrative functions, and Hornsey was included in its Finsbury division.

The ancient parishes provided a framework for both civil (administrative) and ecclesiastical (church) functions, but during the 19th century there was a divergence into distinct civil and ecclesiastical parish systems. The ecclesiastical parishes were gradually sub-divided to better serve the needs of a growing population, while the civil parishes continued to be based on the ancient parishes. The civil parish of Tottenham was made a local board district in 1850, with an elected board overseeing public health and responsible for the provision of infrastructure.

Similar local government districts were created for South Hornsey in 1865, and for the rest of Hornsey parish in 1867. The boundary between the Hornsey and South Hornsey districts was adjusted in 1874 to follow the Seven Sisters Road. The Tottenham district was divided in 1888, when its western part was made a separate district called Wood Green.

The four districts of Hornsey, South Hornsey, Tottenham and Wood Green were each reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894. South Hornsey Urban District was abolished in 1900 when it was absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington. Hornsey Urban District was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1903, as were Wood Green in 1933, and Tottenham in 1934.

The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the three municipal boroughs of Hornsey, Tottenham and Wood Green. The area was transferred from Middlesex to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs. The new borough was given the name Haringey, which was an old name for Hornsey.

Governance
The local authority is Haringey Council. It is usually based at the Haringey Civic Centre on High Road in Wood Green, although the building is closed pending refurbishment as at 2024.

Greater London representation
Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly, the borough forms part of the Enfield and Haringey constituency.

Geography
See also List of districts in Haringey.

Physical geography
Haringey is a borough of contrasts geographically. From the wooded high ground around Highgate and Muswell Hill, at 426.5 ft, the land falls sharply away to the flat, open low-lying land beside the River Lea in the east. 60 hectares within the borough are designated as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Haringey shares borders with six other London boroughs. Clockwise from the north, they are: Enfield, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Islington, Camden, and Barnet. It covers an area of more than 11 sqmi. Some of the more familiar local landmarks include Alexandra Palace, Bruce Castle and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Haringey has 600 acre of parks, recreation grounds and open spaces which make up more than 25% of its total area. They include both smaller local areas and large green areas which provide an amenity for Londoners beyond the borough's boundaries. Local Nature Reserves and a number of conservation areas can also be found in the borough. The borough is also home to five distinct ancient woods. These are Highgate Woods, Queen's Wood, Coldfall Wood, Bluebell Wood and North Wood.

The borough has achieved Green Flag status for 25 of its parks, meaning they are judged to be welcoming, safe and well-managed, with active community involvement.

Amongst the larger open spaces are: Finsbury Park, Alexandra Park, Highgate Wood, Coldfall Wood and the Lee Valley Park.

There are three rivers of note still flowing above ground in the borough. These are:
 * River Moselle
 * The New River
 * River Lea

Demographics

According to the GLA's population projections for 2018, the current population of Haringey is 282,904 residents.

Haringey is the 6th most deprived borough in London, and the 30th most deprived local authority in England (out of 326). Within the borough there are extreme contrasts: neighbourhoods in some of the western wards, such as Highgate, Muswell Hill and Crouch End are among the most prosperous in the country; in the east of the borough, many neighbourhoods are classified as being among the most deprived in the country.

The population grew by 17.7% between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses, and is projected to have grown by a further 11% between 2011 and 2018.

The male to female ratio in Haringey is 50:50. While the age structure is similar to that of London, the borough has a slightly larger proportion of residents aged 20–44, and a slightly smaller proportion of residents aged 65+.

According to the GLA Population Estimate for 2018, 33.6% of the borough's population are White British, 25.9% are "Other White", 8.2% are of Black African heritage, and 5.8% are of Black Caribbean heritage. Haringey is also home to several smaller Asian communities.

44% of the population are Christian, 12% are Muslim and 3% Jewish. The Muslim population is centred in the middle of the borough around Harringay, while the Jewish community is largest on the western edges of the borough in Highgate, Crouch End and Muswell Hill (where members are predominately Orthodox, Reform and Liberal), and in the Seven Sisters ward in the east of the borough which is home to South Tottenham's largest Jewish community, who make up 18.1% of the population of the ward.

Religion
Haringey is a religiously diverse borough, with large populations of all major world religions. 2021 census results were as follows:
 * Christianity - 39.3%
 * Islam - 12.6%
 * Judaism - 3.6%
 * Hinduism - 1.3%
 * Buddhism - 0.9%
 * Sikhism - 0.3%
 * Other Religions - 2.3%
 * No religion - 31.6%
 * Not Stated - 8.0%

Housing
There are approximately 114,313 dwellings in Haringey. Of those: 43% are owner occupied; 29% are rented from the local authority or a housing association; and 24% are rented from a private landlord.

The local council and housing associations provide just over 27,000 affordable homes. As of Q4 2017 there were 3,002 households living in temporary accommodation in Haringey.

Education
Haringey has 64 primary (including infant and junior) schools, 11 secondary schools, a City Academy, 5 special schools and a pupil support centre. In addition, there are off site provision and study support centres for children and young people with additional needs.

The number of pupils in Haringey Schools as at January 2017 was 41,550 (including nursery age children). This total was made up as follows:
 * Primary (state-funded) 23,735 (pupils of compulsory school age).
 * Secondary (state-funded) 13,377 (including sixth form students).
 * Special School pupils and students 485 (including post 16 children).

Health & Social Care
NHS services provide healthcare for all residents of Haringey. There are 52 General Practices across the borough as of 2022. These are grouped into eight Primary Care Networks with Haringey GP Federation covering the entire borough. In addition to Primary Care the population is cared for by several hospitals including the North Middlesex University Hospital, Homerton Hospital, Whittington Hospital and St Ann's Hospital. In addition, there are numerous Health & Social Care providers across the borough.

Economy
In 2016, there were 12,150 businesses in Haringey employing a total of 66,000 people. This accounted for 1.3% of all employment in London.

Haringey's economy is dominated by small businesses with 93.9% of businesses employing fewer than 10 people.

The main sectors of employment in Haringey are:

 * Wholesale and Retail tradeRetail and wholesale distribution – 18.2%
 * Health and social work - 19.0%
 * Real estate, renting and business activities - 15.3%
 * Education - 12.18%
 * Manufacturing - 8.3%
 * Public administration - 6.8%
 * Health and social work – 10.6%
 * Accommodation & Food Service activities -– 9.1%
 * Professional, Scientific & Technical activities - 7.6%
 * Administrative and Support Service activities - 6.8%
 * Transportation & Storage – 6.1%
 * Manufacturing – 4.5%
 * Public administration & Defence; Compulsory Social Security – 4.5%
 * Construction - 4.5%
 * Manufacturing - 4.5%
 * Arts, Entertainment and Recreation – 4.5%
 * Information & Communication – 3.8%
 * Real estate activities - 3%
 * Financial & Insurance activities – 1.1%
 * Water supply, Sewerage, Waste management & Remediation activities – 0.6%
 * Other Service activities – 3%

 * Source

The principal shopping areas in the borough are Wood Green and Turnpike Lane, Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Harringay and Tottenham Hale.

Haringey is situated within the growth corridor connecting London with Stansted, Cambridge and Peterborough.

Culture
The borough has a number of facilities offering a wide range of cultural activity

Performing arts
Haringey's theatres include:
 * Haringey Shed - an outreach theatre group of Chicken Shed Theatre.
 * Jacksons Lane - a multi-arts centre with a full-time programme of theatre and participatory events.
 * New London Performing Arts Centre provides affordable, accessible drama, dance, singing and music classes to children of all ages
 * Bernie Grant Arts Centre.
 * Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate
 * Downstairs at the King's Head
 * The Intimate Space, a fringe venue in St Mary's Tower, Hornsey Village
 * A wide range of small live music venues together with the bigger venues of Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace.

Visual arts

 * Furtherfield
 * The Chocolate Factory

Sport
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, currently in the FA Premier League, play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which is located in the borough on Tottenham High Road. The borough also has two Non-League football clubs, Haringey Borough F.C. and Greenhouse London F.C., who both play at Coles Park.

London Skolars are a rugby league team that compete in Kingstone Press League 1. They play at New River Stadium in Wood Green, Haringey. The annual Middlesex 9s rugby league tournament also takes place at the New River Stadium.

The borough's ice hockey team, the Haringey Huskies, currently play at Alexandra Palace. Alexandra Palace has also hosted other events including the PDC World Darts Championship and a number of Boxing events.

During the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the Haringey Athletic Club were at the forefront of a new generation of inner city athletes producing many Olympians. They have since been amalgamated into the Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club. London Heathside, formed in 2000 following the merger of North London AC and Muswell Hill Runners, are also based at the London Marathon Athletics Track at Finsbury Park.

Transport
The 16 National Rail, London Overground and London Underground stations in the borough are:
 * Alexandra Palace (National Rail, ECML serviced by Great Northern services)
 * Bounds Green (London Underground, Piccadilly Line)
 * Bowes Park (National Rail, Hertford Branch, services by Great Northern services)
 * Bruce Grove (London Overground, Lea Valley Lines, Cheshunt Branch)
 * Harringay Green Lanes (London Overground, Gospel Oak - Barking Line)
 * Harringay (National Rail, ECML serviced by Great Northern services)
 * Highgate (London Underground, Northern Line)
 * Hornsey (National Rail, ECML serviced by Great Northern services)
 * Manor House (London Underground, Piccadilly Line)
 * Northumberland Park (National Rail, Lea Valley Main Line serviced by Greater Anglia services)
 * Seven Sisters (London Underground, Victoria Line and London Overground, Lea Valley Lines, Cheshunt Branch)
 * South Tottenham (London Overground, Gospel Oak - Barking Line)
 * Tottenham Hale (London Underground, Victoria Line and National Rail, Lea Valley Main Line serviced by Greater Anglia services)
 * Turnpike Lane (London Underground, Piccadilly Line)
 * White Hart Lane (London Overground, Lea Valley Lines, Cheshunt Branch)
 * Wood Green (London Underground, Piccadilly Line)

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: underground, metro, light rail, tram, 23.5% of all residents aged 16–74; driving a car or van, 11.3%; bus, minibus or coach, 11.3%; train, 4.7%; on foot, 4.1%; work mainly at or from home, 3.6%; bicycle, 3.2%.

Twin towns
Haringey has been twinned with Koblenz, Germany since 1969. It has also twinned with the towns of:
 * Arima in Trinidad and Tobago,
 * Clarendon in Jamaica,
 * Holetown in St. James, Barbados,
 * Larnaca in Cyprus,
 * Livry-Gargan in the suburbs of Paris, France,
 * Sundbyberg in Sweden and
 * Jalasjärvi in Finland

Coat of arms
The official heraldic arms were granted on 10 May 1965, after the mergers of the former Municipal Borough of Hornsey, the Municipal Borough of Wood Green and the Municipal Borough of Tottenham. Unlike most other London boroughs, it was decided not to create arms based on the charges in the coats of arms of the former boroughs. The coat of arms contains black and gold, representing stability, a cogwheel for industry and a rising sun for the new borough.

The borough has a simple badge described as "Eight Rays" [as in the arms]. A flag is used which looks like a banner of arms but with the tinctures reversed, so that it has eight black rays on a yellow field. The rays are also a symbol of the world's first regular high-definition television transmissions in 1936 from the mast of Alexandra Palace, one of the landmarks in the Borough of Haringey.

The arms is used in the mayoral regalia of the borough. The mayoral chain has the heraldic achievement hanging in a badge made out of 18 k gold and enamel, with the text "The London Borough of Haringey MCMLXV". The chain has stylized H's and hares sitting within laurel wreaths. The hares represent the name of the borough, since Haringey is believed to mean "a meadow of Hares".

title: London Borough of Haringey


text:
Streatham

Streatham is a district in south London, England. Centred 5 mi south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.

Streatham was in Surrey before becoming part of the County of London in 1889, and then Greater London in 1965. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.

History
Streatham means "the hamlet on the street". The street in question, the London to Brighton Way, was the Roman road from the capital Londinium to the south coast near Portslade, today within Brighton and Hove. It is likely that the destination was a Roman port now lost to coastal erosion, which has been tentatively identified with 'Novus Portus' mentioned in Ptolemy's Geographia. The road is confusingly referred to as Stane Street (Stone Street) in some sources and diverges from the main London-Chichester road at Kennington.

Streatham's first parish church, St Leonard's, was founded in Saxon times but an early Tudor tower is the only remaining structure pre-dating 1831 when the body of the church was rebuilt. The medieval parish covered a wider area including Balham and Tooting Bec. The southern portion of what is now Streatham formed part of Tooting Graveney ancient parish.

A charter states that in the late seventh century, land in Streatham and Tooting Graveney was granted by Erkenwald and Frithwald to Chertsey Abbey, a grant which was later confirmed in the time of Athelstan in 933.

Streatham appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Estreham. It was held by Bec-Hellouin Abbey (in Normandy) from Richard de Tonbrige. Its domesday assets were: 2 hides, 1 virgate and 6½ ploughlands of cultivated land and 4 acre of meadow and herbage (mixed grass and bracken). Annually it was assessed to render £4 5s 0d to its overlords.

After the departure of the Romans, the main road through Streatham remained an important trackway. From the 17th century it was adopted as the main coach road to Croydon and East Grinstead, and then on to Newhaven and Lewes. In 1780 it then became the route of the turnpike road from London to Brighton, and subsequently became the basis for the modern A23. This road (and its traffic) have shaped Streatham's development.

Streatham Village and Streatham Wells
The village remained largely unchanged until the 18th century, when its natural springs, known as Streatham Wells, were first celebrated for their health-giving properties. The reputation of the spa, and improved turnpike roads, attracted wealthy City of London merchants and others to build their country residences in Streatham.

In spite of London's expansion, a limited number of developments took place in the village in the second half of the nineteenth century, Streatham Vale sprung up to the South later still and the small parade of shops by Streatham Common Station has become known colloquially as Streatham Village.

Wellfield Road, which had previously been known as Leigham Lane, was renamed to reflect its role as the main route from the centre of Streatham to one of the well locations. Another mineral well was located on the south side of Streatham Common, in an area that now forms part of The Rookery, where it can still be seen and visited within the formal gardens.

Streatham Park or Streatham Place
In the 1730s, Streatham Park, a Georgian country mansion, was built by the brewer Ralph Thrale on land he bought from the Lord of the Manor - the fourth Duke of Bedford. Streatham Park later passed to Ralph's son Henry Thrale, who with his wife Hester Thrale entertained many of the leading literary and artistic characters of the day, most notably the lexicographer Samuel Johnson. The dining room contained 12 portraits of Henry's guests painted by his friend Joshua Reynolds. These pictures were wittily labelled by Fanny Burney as the Streatham Worthies.

Streatham Park was later leased to Prime Minister Lord Shelburne, and was the venue for early negotiations with France that led to the Peace Treaty of 1783. Streatham Park was demolished in 1863.

Park Hill
One large house that survives is Park Hill, on the north side of Streatham Common, rebuilt in the early 19th century for the Leaf family. It was latterly the home of Sir Henry Tate, sugar refiner, benefactor of local libraries across south London, including Streatham Library, and founder of the Tate Gallery at Millbank.

Urbanisation
Development accelerated after the opening of Streatham Hill railway station on the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway in 1856. The other two railway stations followed within fifteen years. Some estates, such as Telford Park to the west of Streatham Hill, were spaciously planned with facilities like tennis clubs. Despite the local connections to the Dukes of Bedford, there is no link to the contemporary Bedford Park in west London. Another generously sized development was Roupell Park, the area near Christchurch Road promoted by the Roupell family. Other streets adopted more conventional suburban layouts. Three more parish churches were built to serve the growing area, including Immanuel and St Andrew's (1854), St Peter's (1870) and St Margaret the Queen's (1889). There is now a mixture of buildings from all architectural eras of the past 200 years.

The inter-war period
After the First World War Streatham developed as a location for entertainment, with the Streatham Hill Theatre, three cinemas, the Locarno ballroom and Streatham Ice Rink all adding to its reputation as "the West End of South London". With the advent of electric tram services, it also grew as a shopping centre serving a wide area to the south. In the 1930s large numbers of blocks of flats were constructed along the High Road. These speculative developments were not initially successful. They were only filled when émigré communities began to arrive in London after leaving countries under the domination of Hitler's Germany. In 1932 the parish church of the Holy Redeemer was built in Streatham Vale to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce.

Retail decline and recovery
In the 1950s Streatham had the longest and busiest shopping street in south London. Streatham became the site of the UK's first supermarket, when Express Dairies Premier Supermarkets opened its first 2500 ft2 store in 1951; Waitrose subsequently opened its first supermarket in Streatham in 1955, but it closed down in 1963.

However, a combination of factors led to a gradual decline through the 1970s and a more rapid decline in the 1980s. These included long term population movements out to Croydon, Kingston and Sutton; the growth of heavy traffic on the A23 (main road from central London to Gatwick Airport and Brighton); and a lack of redevelopment sites in the town centre. This culminated in 1990 when the closure of Pratts, which had grown from a Victorian draper's shop to a department store operated since the 1940s by the John Lewis Partnership, coincided with the opening of a large Sainsbury's supermarket half a mile south of the town centre, replacing an existing, smaller Sainbury's store opposite Streatham Hill railway station.

Several recent additions, such as Argos, Lidl and Peacocks, are located in new retail spaces on the site of Pratt's but, in common with other high streets, retail recovery has been slow, and a substantial proportion of vacant space has been taken by a growing number of restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

In August 2011, Streatham was selected as one of the areas to benefit from Round 1 of the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund, gaining £300,000. Later, Streatham was awarded a further £1.6 million, matched by another £1 million by Lambeth. The money from this fund was spent on improving streets and public spaces in Streatham. This includes the smartening up of shop fronts through painting and cleaning, replacing shutters and signage as well as helping to reveal facilities behind the high street such as The Stables Community Centre. Streatham Library has also undergone a £1.2 million refurbishment. The Tudor Hall behind the library was brought back into public use as The Mark Bennett Centre providing a meeting and performance space. Streatham Skyline introduced new lighting to highlight some of Streatham's more attractive buildings and monuments with the aim of improving safety and the overall attractiveness of the area.

Contemporary Streatham
In September 2002, Streatham High Road was voted the "Worst Street in Britain" in a poll organised by the BBC Today programme and CABE. This largely reflected the dominance of through traffic along High Road.

Plans for investment and regeneration had begun before the poll, with local amenity group the Streatham Society leading a successful partnership bid for funding from central government for environmental improvements. Work started in winter 2003–04 with the refurbishment of Streatham Green and repaving and relighting of the High Road between St Leonard's Church and the Odeon Cinema. In 2005 Streatham Green won the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association 'London Spade' award for best public open space scheme in the capital.

The poll was a catalyst for Lambeth London Borough Council and Transport for London's Street Management to co-operate on a joint funding arrangement for further streetscape improvements, which benefited the section of the High Road between St Leonard's and Streatham station, and the stretch north of the Odeon as far as Woodbourne Avenue. The section between Woodbourne Avenue and Streatham Hill station was not completed until 2015. Any further improvements north of Streatham Hill have been halted because of TfL's budgetary shortfall.

Streatham Festival was established in 2002. It has grown to a festival with over 50 events held in an array of locations, from bars to churches and parks to youth centres, attracting over 3,000 people.

After several years of delay and controversy over phasing, construction started in the autumn of 2011 on the Streatham Hub - a major redevelopment next to Streatham railway station. The project was a joint development by Lambeth Council and Tesco. The project involved the demolition of Streatham Ice Arena, Streatham Leisure Centre and the former Streatham Bus Garage, and their replacement with a new leisure centre and a Tesco store with 250 flats above it. Streatham Leisure Centre closed in November 2009 due to health and safety concerns when part of the pool hall ceiling collapsed. Streatham Ice Arena closed on 18 December 2011, having celebrated eighty years of operation in February 2011. For two years a temporary ice rink was provided at Popes Road, Brixton.

In November 2013, the new Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre opened to the public. The leisure centre houses a 60 m x 30 m indoor ice rink with 1,000 rink-side seats on the upper floors, a six-lane 25 m swimming pool, 13 m teaching pool, four-court sports hall and a gym with 100 stations.

The jazz venue Hideaway continues Streatham's long entertainment tradition. It features live performances of jazz, funk, swing and soul music as well as stand-up comedy nights. It won the Jazz Venue/Promoter of the Year category in the 2011 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.

On 2 February 2020 at around 14:00 GMT, Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman attacked and injured two people using a machete on Streatham High Street in what police declared a terrorist incident. Alongside the machete, Amman was also wearing a vest with components made to look like improvised explosive devices. He was pursued by armed police and was fatally shot outside a Boots pharmacy.

Streatham High Road also was host to Cat's Whiskers which later became Caesar's nightclub in the early 1990s through to 2005, which closed to become the site of the newly developed block of flats with a Marks and Spencer supermarket and Starbucks.

Administration
Streatham is covered by Lambeth London Borough Council and lies within the parliamentary constituency of the same name.

Demography
In the 2011 census, Streatham, comprising the wards of Streatham Hill, Streatham South and Streatham Wells, was White or White British (55.3%), Black or Black British (24.1%), Asian or Asian British (10%), Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (7.5%), and Other ethnic group (2.2%). The largest single ethnicity is White British (35.5%).

Education

 * Bishop Thomas Grant School
 * Dunraven School
 * Woodmansterne School
 * Streatham & Clapham High School
 * London Steiner School
 * Sunnyhill Primary School
 * Hitherfield Primary School
 * Streatham Wells Primary School
 * St Andrews RC Primary School
 * Goldfinch Primary School
 * Penwortham Primary School (Wandsworth)
 * St Leonard's Primary School
 * Broomwood Hall Lower School
 * Henry Cavendish Primary School (Streatham campus)

Sport

 * Streatham RedHawks (ice hockey)
 * Streatham-Croydon RFC
 * Streatham Rovers FC

Places of worship

 * St Leonard's Church (Church of England) - the historic parish church
 * English Martyrs' Church (Roman Catholic) - located opposite St Leonard's - it is the second of Streatham's "twin spires"
 * Christ Church, Streatham Hill (Church of England)
 * Holy Redeemer Church, Streatham Vale (Church of England)
 * Immanuel and St Andrew Church, Streatham (Church of England)
 * St Margaret the Queen, Cricklade Avenue, Streatham Hill (Church of England)
 * St Peter's Church, Streatham (Church of England)
 * St Simon and St Jude, Hillside Road, Streatham Hill (Roman Catholic)
 * Streatham Baptist Church, Lewin Road
 * Hambro Road Baptist Church
 * Streatham Methodist Church, Riggindale Road
 * New Covenant Church, Pendennis Road
 * Islamic Centre, Estreham Road (Shi’a)
 * Streatham Friends Meeting House, Roupell Park Estate (Religious Society of Friends (Quakers))
 * Streatham Mosque, Mitcham Lane (Sunni)
 * Streatham Hill Mosque, Norfolk House Road (Sunni)
 * South London Synagogue, Leigham Court Road (United Synagogue)
 * South London Liberal Synagogue, Prentis Road (Liberal Judaism)
 * Hitherfield Road Baptist Church Streatham {SW16 2LN}
 * St James' Streatham, Mitcham Lane (SW16 6NT)
 * Mitcham Lane Baptist Church, Mitcham Lane (SW16 6NT)
 * St Albans - Evangelical, Pretoria Road (SW16 6RR)
 * Streatham Central Church, Wellfield Road (SW16 2BP)

Notable residents
Among the people who were born, lived or worked in Streatham, or are otherwise associated with the area are:

 * Arthur Anderson, P&O founder, and Liberal Radical MP
 * Lynda Baron, actor
 * Jonathan Bartley, former co-leader of the Green Party
 * Giuseppe Baretti, linguist
 * Arnold Bax, composer
 * Sarah Beeny, television presenter
 * Floella Benjamin, actress and TV presenter
 * Hywel Bennett, actor
 * Ian Bostridge, Tenor
 * Mark Bostridge, Writer
 * Bernard Braden, Actor and TV personality
 * Druce Brandt, cricketer
 * Henry Robertson Bowers, explorer
 * Alexander Petersson, artist
 * Edmund Burke, philosopher
 * Charles Burney, composer and music historian
 * Frances Burney, novelist and playwright
 * Simon Callow, actor
 * Naomi Campbell, model
 * Geoffrey Cather, Victoria Cross-winning soldier
 * Christopher Chessun, bishop of Southwalk- official residence in Streatham
 * Nicholas Clay, actor
 * Lionel Crabb, George Medal recipient
 * Aleister Crowley
 * Dave, rapper
 * Carl Davis, composer
 * Peter Davison, actor
 * Kevin Day, comedian
 * Henry Doulton, Founder Royal Doulton
 * Siobhan Dowd, author
 * William Dring, Portrait Artist, RA
 * William Dyce, artist, professor
 * Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith, literary correspondent
 * Paul England, actor, director, and author, born in Streatham
 * Edward Foster, Victoria Cross
 * John Galliano, fashion designer
 * George Galloway, former MP
 * David Garrick, actor
 * Edward Stanley Gibbons, philatelist
 * Oliver Goldsmith, novelist, playwright and poet
 * Grooverider, DJ
 * Isidore Gunsberg, Chess master
 * David Gurr, author
 * Derek Guyler, actor
 * Jeremy Hardy, comedian
 * David Harewood, actor
 * Sir Norman Hartnell, royal dressmaker
 * Patricia Hayes, actor
 * Hy Hazell, actress
 * Sir Arthur Helps, Writer
 * Benjamin Hoadley, Bishop
 * Glyn Hodges, professional footballer and manager
 * Roy Hudd, comedian and TV personality
 * Rachel Hurd-Wood, actor
 * Eddie Izzard, comedian and actor
 * David Jacobs, TV and radio presenter
 * Alan Johnson, MP
 * Frederick Henry Johnson, Victoria Cross
 * Dr Samuel Johnson, author and lexicographer
 * Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
 * Zardad Khan, Afghan warlord
 * Mark King, musician
 * Winifred Knights, artist
 * Arthur Moore Lascelles, Victoria Cross
 * Benny Lee, entertainer
 * Ken Livingstone, former MP and former Mayor of London
 * Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, interior designer
 * John Major, Prime Minister 1990–97, lived at Primrose Court 1969-74
 * Horace Brooks Marshall, Lord Mayor of London
 * Ken Mackintosh, dance band leader
 * Donald McGill, seaside postcard artist
 * Cathy McGowan, television presenter
 * Paul Merton, comedian
 * Roger Moore, actor
 * Naga Munchetty, TV Presenter
 * VS Naipaul, nobel prizewinner literature
 * Rudy Narayan, barrister and civil rights activist
 * Belgrave Ninnis, Explorer, Doctor
 * Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, Explorer, Royal Fusiliers
 * David Nixon, TV magician
 * Steven Norris, former MP and London Mayoral Candidate
 * Daphne Park, Baroness and British Spy
 * Cynthia Payne, celebrity madame
 * Horatio Frederick Phillips, aviation pioneer
 * Alistair Pirrie, TV presenter
 * Patricia Plunkett, actor
 * Steve Reed, MP
 * Sir Joshua Reynolds, artist
 * Geoffrey Rimbault, first-class cricketer and British Army officer
 * Catherine Russell, actor
 * Arthur Sanders, WW2 RAF Commander, Air Chief Marshal
 * Duncan Sandys, Lord, MP
 * Leslie Scarman, Baron Scarman, Law Lord
 * Lord Shelburne, prime minister
 * Alan Simpson, Comedy script writer
 * Arnold Spencer-Smith, explorer
 * Michaela Strachan, TV presenter and actress
 * Graham Sutherland, artist
 * Henry Tate, sugar merchant and philanthropist
 * Shaw Taylor, actor and TV presenter
 * Hester Thrale, author and patron of the arts
 * Henry Thrale, MP and brewer
 * Nina Toussaint-White, actress
 * John Torode, chef and TV presenter
 * Stan Tracey, jazz musician
 * Tommy Trinder, comedian
 * Leonora Tyson, suffragist
 * Chuka Umunna, former Labour and Liberal Democrat MP
 * Dennis Wheatley, author
 * June Whitfield, actress
 * W. P. D. Wightman FRSE (1899-1983), scientific author
 * John Lewis Wolfe (1798-1881), architect, artist and stockbroker
 * Bill Wyman, musician
 * Andy Zaltzman, comedian

Nearest places

 * Balham
 * Brixton
 * Colliers Wood
 * Clapham Park
 * Crystal Palace
 * Furzedown
 * Herne Hill
 * Mitcham
 * Norbury
 * Pollards Hill
 * Thornton Heath
 * Tooting
 * Upper Norwood
 * West Norwood
 * Wimbledon

Railway stations
Streatham has three railway stations: Streatham, Streatham Common, and Streatham Hill. There are also stations at nearby Balham and Norbury.

Tube stations
The nearest tube stations are at, on the Victoria line, and , on the Northern line.

title: Streatham