Situated in the north-west corner of the London Borough of Hackney, Stoke Newington is an area with a long and fascinating history of non-conformism and Bohemianism. From the Quakers and Dissenters to the Angry Brigade, Stoke Newington has been home to a radical, anti-authoritarian tradition and has always attracted people from all cultures, classes and walks of life.

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Today, this raffish, slightly down-at-heel community continues to reflect its cosmopolitan history, with newly-arrived merchant bankers, writers, academics and actors sharing the narrow streets with the original working-class inhabitants and the many immigrant communities. In short, the area has become gentrified, as can be seen from a glance at Stoke Newington Church Street with its pubs, cafes and restaurants serving menus from India, Thailand, China, Italy, Turkey and contemporary Europe, and the range of boutiques, delicatessens, clothes shops and specialist, expensive designer outlets. The 'Church Street effect' has moved outward and the middle classes have moved in, attracted by Stokey's proximity to the City and the West End and its air of 'community'. They are buying up properties in the increasing numbers of apartment blocks, and the house and flat prices demonstrate Stokey's popularity. Meanwhile, much of the area remains a relatively poor, typically inner-city deprived neighbourhood.