IN PRAISE OF CAZENOVE
By Nick MacWilliam
My friends and I sometimes while away those endless summer evenings, at the same time indulging our ruthless capitalist fantasies, by playing 'Stokopoly', the game where you buy up various parts of Stoke Newington so as to build houses, hotels and supermarkets and get stinking rich (this is just make-believe, of course: to see it played for real, witness Tesco and Hackney Council).
As ludicrously exciting as it is, there is one aspect of the game where things tend to fall apart. Arguments invariably break out over which particular Stokey street is the equivalent of the streets in the original, called MON-opoly, of which you may or may not have heard, where N16 is substituted for Central London. These squabbles usually follow the pattern of each player claiming that the street they happen to live on is the closest thing to Mayfair, while all other players live on the local version of Old Kent Road. A typical exchange is as follows: ‘Evering Road is obviously the plushest street in the area’, ‘What? That's rubbish, how about Nevill Road?’, ‘You two are idiots, you know it's Allerton Road’, ‘Shut up, you live in Manor House!’, and so on until a punch-up ensues or someone goes to the shop for more Special Brew. Anyway, the moral of the story is never play this game with an estate agent.
A few months ago I left the tranquillity of Martaban Road (a previous top-ender) and emigrated to Alkham Road (easily makes the fourth side of the board). This has resulted in my re-discovering a slumbering giant, a road I've always known about, passed daily, even lived off, but never before paid much attention to. This road is of such strategic importance, representing a vital artery into the heart of downtown Stokey, that it even has a bus drive down it. Sometimes twice an hour. It may not be quite as elegant as Park Lane, but it easily warrants a place among the yellow properties of Stokopoly. Cazenove Road stretches from opposite the cemetery gates on the High Street to the wilds of Upper Clapton Road. For those of you who aren't sure where that is, it's in a place called 'E5' or 'Hackney'. If you're still not sure, just turn left as you exit Fresh & Wild and keep going.
So, why am I a recent convert to the temple of Cazenove? Firstly, all the usual adjectives of 'clean', 'quiet', 'pretty' and '(relatively) safe' apply. A peaceful thoroughfare with little traffic and tall horse chestnut trees lining either side of its entire length, on a summer's day you could almost be strolling along a Parisian avenue, if it weren't for the inter-ethnic harmony which is abundant here. Secondly, it's an interesting street, as a short walk will prove. But I understand you're busy people, so let me be your guide.
Cazenove Road begins with a small and scruffy parade of shops and such, catering for several needs and whims. As well as the Turkish supermarket, there are shops selling health food, second-hand furniture and computers, and a dainty Brazilian shop, selling food and drink to the local community which hopefully alleviates a little of the misery which I imagine comes with swapping Brazil for London. For the culture vultures, a small gallery recently opened, while Blush offers Sunday roasts and a decent beer garden, and Motherland serves up excellent West African cuisine at low prices (check out the Ampesi with grilled Tilapia fish). At this rate Church Street will soon have a serious 'jewel-in-the-crown' rival, and there's not a CPZ in site.
It is also notable for the establishment of numerous Islamic and Jewish centres. This magazine has covered these before so I won't dwell too long, but in a time when mainstream media presents these two ancient and peaceful religions as sworn enemies, life round here firmly disproves this. If most of your knowledge of these matters comes from the BBC or Rupert Murdoch, a walk along Cazenove Road can open your eyes. The mosque sits opposite the Jewish school and it becomes clear that so-called 'religious' conflicts are more likely to be rooted in oppression and poverty than inherent hatred. There's nothing startling about what you see, yet the suburban normality of it all speaks volumes about what London is.
As you progress eastwards you pass another school, before, on the corner of Fountanye Road, you come to what could be N16's largest house – a colossal white Georgian building that looms proudly over its neighbours. Beyond that you go by numerous houses and courts until, just before the junction with Upper Clapton Road, you find an actual working red telephone box. Right on the edge of N16. Are there even any others within the postcode? Anyone still mourning the passing of the routemaster should come down with their camera: this is one for the grandkids. This would bring your tour to an end if it weren't for the lack of any kind of drinking hole on Upper Clapton Road, giving you the chance to turn around and retrace your steps the half-mile back to the High Street.
Whilst Cazenove may not be the prettiest street in Stoke Newington, it is representative of that aspect of the area that isn't all about gastropubs and baby-boutiques and laptops-in-cafes and glossy magazines. If, like me, it's one of those streets you've neglected, why don't you give it half an hour of your Saturday afternoon, or, for that matter, any other local street that you've never been inclined to tread. Cazenove is just one of a number of unsung roads which exist in Stoke Newington and which help to give the area its unique appeal. There's a whole world beyond Church Street. |
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