Description
Church Street Gardens existed as a shrubbery maintained by Stoke Newington Borough Council in the early C20th, but was laid out as a garden in 1953 in celebration of the Queen's Coronation. A small oval garden with grass, circular rose bed and ornamental trees surrounded by low walling, it is situated opposite the ancient parish church of St Mary and adjacent to the newer church, built to accommodate the growing parish.
Practical Information
| Site location | Stoke Newington Church Street/Spensley Walk |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N16 |
| What3Words | ///them.trout.votes |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Manor House (Piccadilly) then bus; Angel (Northern) then bus. Bus 73, 141, 171A. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Listed in the 1928 Report of the Royal Commission on London Squares as a shrubbery maintained by Stoke Newington Borough Council, this small oval 'village green' was later laid out in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, at the same time as the Albion Road/Clissold Crescent Triangle (q.v.). Both are now preserved under The London Squares Act 1931. It is situated adjacent to the new St Mary's Church of Stoke Newington and opposite St Mary's Old Church (q.v.) and Clissold Park (q.v.) and has a Metropolitan Cattle Trough. It is a small oval garden, surrounded by a low wall, with a circular rose bed but otherwise laid to grass, surrounded by flowering cherry trees, some of them purple-leafed variety.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328863 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.036 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hackney |
| Site Management | Parks Department |
| Dates | late C19th/early C20th; 1953 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Hackney |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Clissold Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Priority |
| Other LA Designation | London Square |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Recorded in the Domesday Book, Stoke Newington was an important village by the C16th. The old medieval parish church of St Mary's, also called the Ancient Mother Church, survives today, the building dating from 1563 and sympathetically restored in 1826-29. In the mid 1850s the congregation had grown, and a new, larger parish church was built on the site of the rectory garden, but the old church was preserved. St Mary's Churchyard has many distinguished late C18th tombs, and some fine trees. It was closed to burials following the Burial Grounds Act of 1854. Initially maintained by the Burial Board, the borough council took over responsibility in 1896. Across Church Street St Mary New Church is surrounded by a grassed area, with a war memorial.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Until the late C18th the area was mainly fields, bisected in the early C17th by a bend in the New River in the south-west with common land in the north. In the early 1790s, the land was leased to Jonathan Hoare, son of a prominent Quaker, who built a house called Paradise House and laid out the grounds, planting numerous trees. The daughter of a later owner married the curate of the parish church, Revd Clissold, and when they inherited the house it was re-named Clissold Place. Clissold Park was saved from development when it was purchased by the MBW in 1887 through a special Act of Parliament, and was laid out as a public park, which opened in 1889. It was the first urban park to have an animal enclosure, which was laid out in the 1890s.
Until the late C18th the area was mainly fields, bisected in the early C17th by a bend in the New River in the south-west with common land in the north. In the early 1790s, the land was leased to Jonathan Hoare, son of a prominent Quaker, who built a house called Paradise House and laid out the grounds, planting numerous trees. The daughter of a later owner married the curate of the parish church, Revd Clissold, and when they inherited the house it was re-named Clissold Place. Clissold Park was saved from development when it was purchased by the MBW in 1887 through a special Act of Parliament, and was laid out as a public park, which opened in 1889. It was the first urban park to have an animal enclosure, which was laid out in the 1890s.
Albion Road was built in 1829 to link Church Street and Newington Green. By 1928 the small triangular piece of land at the junction of Albion Road and Clissold Crescent had been acquired for £60 by Stoke Newington Borough Council who maintained it as public open space. In 1953 it was re-landscaped as a garden to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and is now known as Albion Parade. In 2015 the site was again re-landscaped to create a space that could be used for community events, with funding through the Pocket Parks initiative.