Stoke Newington Common is dissected by this railway cutting and two busy roads. (November 2005)

Stoke Newington Common is an open space in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney. It is east of Stoke Newington High Street, with Northwold Road to the north, and it straddles the busy Rectory Road. Stoke Newington is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. ... Hackney Town Hall was built in the 1930s for the old Metropolitan Borough. ...

This is old common land that came under public ownership in 1872. It was originally known as Shacklewell Common, but Shacklewell's contracting sphere of influence led to it being named for a time 'Newington Common' (not to be confused with Newington Green) until finally in the early 20th century it acquired its present name. Common land, or just common, is frequently used to describe a parcel of land, usually near the centre of towns and villages, which is thought to be owned in common by all the members of the community. ... A district within the London Borough of Hackney, roughly between Dalston and Hackney Central. ... Newington Green is a neighbourhood located in Islington, London. ...

Not merely the common's name has been mangled by time. Unlike its near neighbour, Hackney Downs, this land has been cruelly dissected by London's burgeoning transport links. The deep cutting of the railway line between Stoke Newington and Rectory Road railway stations cuts straight through the common from north to south, and the parallel Rectory Road slices off another strip to the west. Finally a busy bus route chops off a section to the south. It should also be noted that the now lost Hackney Brook once ran across the north of the common, but this has long been replaced by the busy Northwold Road and the brook runs somewhere underground.

Plaque at 25 Stoke Newington Common commemorating Marc Bolan's childhood. (November 2005)

But, even sliced as it is into four small pieces, it's safe to say that Stoke Newington Common would be sorely missed if it weren't there. It provides a breathing space at a point where several transport links converge and, in recent years, there has been extensive new tree planting on the common with an eye to providing a wide range of species, not just the ubiquitous London maple and plane trees. As the first stop on the 'Green Route' that extends west to the grandeur of Abney Park Cemetery and Clissold Park, it forms a pleasant little intro. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Marc_bolan_plaque. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Marc_bolan_plaque. ... Jump to: navigation, search Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ... Clissold Park is a popular community park located in Stoke Newington within the London Borough of Hackney. ...

The common can claim one internationally famous resident, Marc Bolan, who lived at 25 Stoke Newington Common, on the south side, from birth until the age of 15. Jump to: navigation, search Marc Bolan Plaque marking Marc Bolans childhood home, 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney. ...

Nearest stations

• Rectory Road railway station
• Stoke Newington railway station