Just when you think that roadworks on Church Street have come to an end and that things have settled down, they announce more of them. Hackney Council and Transport for London intend to scrap the existing Zebra crossings and replace them with three Puffin crossings, outside Traymans, Church Street Supermarket and Abi Ruchi. They are also proposing to extend the bus stops outside Ryan’s Bar and William Patten School and adding new bus stops outside the Library and Firefly (part of the plan for introducing the ‘bendy bus’ (see opposite page). Two sets of bus stops opposite each other on such a narrow street – hardly designed for such large vehicles – is not exactly going to help traffic flow.

They acknowledge ‘the adverse effects of these longer bus stops ’(something of an understatement) by suggesting the establishment of small loading bays in some of the side streets. They are also proposing no parking whatsoever on the Street, a proposal which is not exactly going down well with local businesses and those concerned about the potential problem of speeding. Follow developments on our website.

You read it here first. The cover picture and profile in our Autumn 2003 issue featured Stoke Newington actor Brendan Mackey and previewed his role as mountaineer Joe Simpson in what we described as the ‘eagerly awaited’ film Touching the Void. Eagerly received the film certainly was as, on top of picking up glowing reviews on its release, it gained the Bafta award for Best British Film at the Odeon, Leicester Square, last month. Ain’t no mountain high enough.

N16 regular contributor Ken Worpole (see article on page 3) has had an excellent critical reception for his latest book Last Landscapes: The Architecture of the Cemetery in the West (Reaktion Books), with the Independent describing it as ‘one of the most thought-provoking books of the year’ and Building Design weighing in with ‘richly human and engrossing’. You can order it at the Stoke Newington Bookshop. While on the subject of plugs, N16 Publisher Rab MacWilliam’s recently published The Essential History of Arsenal (Headline) is still available for purchase exclusively through branches of WH Smith. Buy now while stocks last during this amazing season for Arsene’s boys.

Growing Communities, who operate the popular organic Farmers Market every Saturday at the old Fire Station, are continuing to grow. The Hackney-based organisation will have an Open Day from midday to 5pm on the first Sunday of every month at their new Allens Gardens site. Near the junction of Manor Road and Bethune Road, N16, the site is the walled area in the right hand corner of the gardens behind the houses. They will explain how to grow vegetables and fruit in the city organically and demonstrate how to sow, grow and harvest food. There are also children’s activities and growers available to demonstrate different seasonal growing practices.

Laissez les bon temps roulez. The good times roll at a new licensed café/restaurant ‘Chez Ma Rose,’ 3 Balls Pond Road, Dalston, E8. The sounds of West Africa - Makossa, Zouk, Zaiko and Bikudsi music – provide a lively background to spicy Cameroonian dishes, including fiery Pepper Soup, Baked Chicken and Fried Fish. All welcome. 8pm till late Wednesday-Sunday. Ring Rose on 07950 249 105 for more details.

The great and the good of Stoke Newington gathered on the morning of Saturday 6 March to watch local MP Diane Abbott open the new Abney Public Hall opposite the cemetery entrance on Church Street. This splendid new venue, brainchild of Hassan, owner of Booth’s Bar, and Emily Ovenden, Hall Manager, is a complete refurbishment of the old church hall which had stood on the site for over 150 years. The interior is now spacious and bright and the opening day played host to a Flea Market which was packed all afternoon with people buying jewellery, books, clothing, paintings, perfumes and assorted bric-a-brac from a number of stalls, much of which was of a very high standard of workmanship.

It appears that Hassan and Emily have a success on their hands and the Hall is certainly a welcome addition to local community life. Indeed, the N16 Fringe Festival (see page 19) intends to book it for a day in the middle of June and stage a variety of performance arts, film and acoustic music. The Hall is available for hire. Contact Emily on 07903 755004 or emily@abneypublichall.com.

Regular users of Stoke Newington Library will be missing a familiar face behind the counter from this month, as Odoligie Ogiemwonyi (better known – by his choice – as Fred) returns to his native Nigeria, to assume his hereditary title of Enogie (Chief) of Oben. 
After working for the Hackney Library Service for 14 years, Fred had a duty to return to his people after the death of his father, to oversee (with a Council of Elders) an area the size of Hackney. His priority on arrival is water. Makes a change from stamping books. 
His colleagues and the piles of books awaiting his usual careful attention will also miss him. He would have liked to have taken the Benin bronzes in the British Museum back home too, but that’s another story. His coronation is in July. 
Hail to the Chief!

It’s all change in Stoke Newington these days. Not only have Murat and Ali from the Blue Legume taken over ownership of Clissold Wines and Alex from Spence assumed control of what was Newington Studios (Colin having departed after 33 uninterrupted years in the same premises), but also Emmanuel Oti is the new patron at Mesclun and Red have doubled their size by taking over the premises of the departed Junk and Disorderly. The Vortex is about to depart to Dalston, The Stoke Tup has suddenly become The Lion (homage to its original title, The Red Lion), two new restaurants, La Sera and Motherland, have opened on the High Street and Cazenove Road respectively and Bar 98 has sprung up to bring Hoxton to Church Street. Meanwhile, The Prince is now under the managership of John (ex-manager at the Tup) and his partner Lucy. The couple have reopened the kitchen and intend to bring back the feel of the old Prince of Wales (a fine old pub) and will close down for a week or so to bring back the original wood furnishings and refurbish the interior. It’s a bit difficult to keep up with all this. Must be something in the air.