In Anglo-Saxon Stoke Newington means “New town in the wood”. It grew up along the old Roman road from London to York called Ermine Street. In the 18th century it became a centre for religious Dissenters who were not allowed to live within the borders of London. Many Nonconformist chapels and eating houses were established in Stoke Newington. Daniel Defoe, for example, lived there at one time. In the 18th century it was already popular for country houses. In 1830 Thomas Cubit, the creator of Belgravia and Pimlico, started a development in the area, creating large villas. From 1860 onwards more run-of-the-mill houses were created in the final large-scale development of the area.

There are some residential areas north of Lordship Park towards the reservoir taking in the streets off Bethune Road and Lordship Road. They include Fairholt Road and Dunsmore Road with large family houses. Queen Elizabeth’s Walk contains earlier Victorian terraces. It crosses Lordship Park, where its houses look out over Clissold Park. The streets to the west including Yoakley Road and Bouverie Road are similarly attractive. The central area of Stoke Newington lies to the south below Church Street. Albion Road runs down through the area and itself contains large Victorian blocks of flats. On the Clissold Park side of the road there are attractive streets. Carysfort Road and Clissold Crescent have large Victorian houses, and the roads off it such as Burma Road and Springdale Road have smaller Victorian and later houses. East of Albion Road there are attractive residential streets down to Barbauld Road and Dynevor Road. South of here there are larger houses in the grid of streets from Beatty Road down to Barrett’s Grove. The Textile Building and Button Court are former industrial buildings converted into flats. Between these streets and Albion Road there are residential streets, of which Shakespeare Walk is the most sought-after. South of Albion Road there tends to be more council estates.

The Mildmay area leads to Balls Pond Road. There are some older houses in this area, such as houses in Mildmay Grove, but there are also converted flats and council blocks. Pellerin Road, on the east contains some attractive Victorian houses. On the other side of Newington Green, up to Petherton Road there are streets such as Ferntower Road and Beresford Road with houses with gardens. Northampton Park contains Victorian detached houses. St Paul’s Place contains some of the most attractive Victorian houses. Stoke Newington East is on the east side of Stoke Newington Road and Stamford Hill. At the Stamford Hill end, Leweston Place and Darenth Road have Victorian terraced houses. Other roads towards Clacton Common contain large Victorian houses. Amhurst Road and surrounding streets have large Victorian houses. Then there are the council estates of Somerford Grove and The Beckers.