South Hornsey: The Lost Local Authority that Merged with Stoke Newington by Tom Hilverkus

Presented at the 24th Stoke Newington History Talks event on 27th Feb 2025
https://stokenewingtonhistory.com/stoke-newington-history-talks/

1. South Hornsey
The forgotten town that merged
with Stoke Newington
Tom Hilverkus

2. Hello!

3. What this
session covers
•Where is (or was) South Hornsey?
•What’s it got to do with Stoke Newington?
•What’s left of South Hornsey?
•What was life like in South Hornsey?
•What happened to South Hornsey?
•What do expect: Maps, Maps, Maps. And boundary
markers.

4. In the beginning…

5. County of Middlesex
Stoke Newington & Hornsey,
parishes in the Ossulstonehundred of
the county of Middlesex

6. St Mary Stoke Newington
St Mary Islington
St John at Hackney
St Pancras
St Leonard’s
Shoreditch
Hornsey
Essex
Surrey

7. A short history history of South Hornsey
13
th
century – Parish boundaries fixed across England (Taxatio Ecclesiastica survey). Hornsey parish.
15
th
century – More and more ‘civil responsibility’ moved to parishes and the Vestry, e.g.
poor relief, road maintenance
19
th
century – Seven Sisters Road build and Finsbury Park developed
1850s – development of Albert Town
1865 – South Hornsey Local Board is formed
1889 – County of London formed. South Hornsey remains in Middlesex
1894 – South Hornsey Urban District council is formed
1900 – South Hornsey ceases to exist, merged into Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington.

1965 – Formation of Greater London. MB SN abolished, merged into London Borough of Hackney

9. “Hornsey
enclosure”,
1815
Newington
Green

14. County of London Make 1

17. First takeover attempt 1890
LCC proposal to absorb South Hornsey into Stoke Newington with Crouch Hill watershed as boundary

22. Stoke Newington
South Hornsey
South Hornsey
Islington
County of London
County of Middlesex
County of Middlesex
Newington Green, 1890

23. South Hornsey (1865 – 1900)
Local government
district: South
Hornsey Local
Board (1865—1894)
Urban district
(1894—1900)
Civil parish (1895—
1900)

25. Traces of South Hornsey

29. Over in SN…

30. South Hornsey Town Hall

31. South Hornsey Town Hall

38. More from the Hornsey report to show every day life in SHc

41. Librabry

42. Hackney History, Volume 5

44. London Government Act 1899:
The End of South Hornsey
1.Creation of Metropolitan Boroughs in the County of London
2.Tidying up boundaries and detached parts
”Where the County of London surrounds a detached part of a parish in another
country, the detached part shall become part of the County of London”
London Government Act 1899, Section 18

45. North London Guardian, 21.4.1899

47. •Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington
1900 – 1965, incorporating South Hornsey UDC
•Despite its low population or rateable value SN
became its own brough because the ancient
parish of Hackney couldn’t be broken up, the
North/South divide within Hackney itself as
well as the feud with SN
•Read the debate:
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons
/1899/may/18/london-government-bell

49. London Government Act 1899
17 May 1899 – debate in parliament. At 7.45pm
Councillor Runtz sent a telegram to inform the
council that South Hornsey will be absorbed into
Stoke Newington
October 1899 – official enquiry at Town Hall,
Milton Road
1 November 1900 – Act effective
7 November 1900 – Final meeting of the council

51. Today
•LB of Hackney
wards covering the
former borough of
SN
Shacklewell
Brownswood
Stoke Newington
Stamford Hill
Woodberry Down
Clissold

53. Thank you!
•Email
[email protected]