I live minutes from the best high street in the UK — it’s unmissable

Living in London, it’s easy to feel anonymous. The hustle of the city has a tendency to whip past, carrying people along on a relentless tide of things to do and people to see. However, there are a few pockets of the city that are holding out against the endless bustle of development – and I am lucky enough to live just minutes from one of them.

Stoke Newington Church Street is only a kilometre long, but it is jam-packed with independent businesses. In fact, independent retailers make up 90% of the shops that line this street so even though walking it end to end only takes around 10 minutes, in reality you’re going to want to meander along at a much slower pace.

Abney Park Cemetery

It’s book-ended by two of the most spectacular green spaces in London. You can start your walk, as I often do, at Abney Park Cemetery which sprawls across the eastern end of the street by Stoke Newington High Street.

This is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ garden cemeteries in London – and it is indeed magnificent. It first opened in 1840 and spreads over 31 acres. Today, the maintained paths wind through the wildly overgrown cemetery with headstones leaning at improbable angles as towering trees throw dappled shade across the ivy-covered mausoleums. It was the first entirely non-denominational garden cemetery in the UK, and a large chapel stands in the centre of it so that people of all religions could farewell their dead.

It’s a great starting point for a wander, and when I walked through the impressive white gates yesterday afternoon the paths were already littered with young mums out with babies, and dog walkers taking their pets out for some fresh air.

Take whichever path you like, but once you want to head to the high street, you’ll want to turn left and head out.

You’ll notice a lack of vehicles – that’s due to a low traffic initiative by the council which bans most cars from the road making it peaceful to walk along. There is also a lack of underground station – that’s what makes Stoke Newington Church Street feel so quiet and village like in comparison to the neighbouring areas of Dalston and Finsbury Park.

Homeware shops and pubs

On the right hand side of the street you’ll find PREP Cookshop – probably my favourite retailer on the strip.

This gorgeous place was opened in 2015, and stocks all manner of things from homewares, to high quality baking and cooking equipment, as well as ceramics from local artists.

When I popped in yesterday, I chatted with Christiana, who has been working at PREP for the last year and a bit and lived in Stoke Newington for 12 years.

She told me her favourite thing about the area was the community.

She said: “It’s all familiar faces – like a village for everyone. There’s a good amount of hustle and bustle, but it’s still cosy and cute and people remember you.”

I asked her if she’d ever leave Stoke Newington and she laughed. “Only against my will!”

From PREP I continued my wander up towards the second of the area’s magnificent green spaces – Clissold Park. However, between the two, there’s plenty more to see.

If you like Guiness, you need to stop into The Auld Shillelagh – a classic Irish tavern that is renowned for having the best pour in London. This is actually where I tried my first ever pint of Guinness – but make sure you get in early, as this narrow pub can get packed in the evenings and over the weekends.

If it’s not yet time for a pint, then you can head into a bit of a hidden gem of Stoke Newington Church Street. Tucked away off the main drag you’ll find Retro Hub.

From the outside, you’ll see mirrors and paintings lining the street – the perfect selfie opportunity.

Inside, narrow corridors have been furrowed through the towers of vintage furniture. There’s midcentury dressers, a vintage Street Fighter arcade machine and all manner of tables, desks, and chairs. If you can leave this place without buying something, you’re better than I am.

From here, head along to Search and Rescue. Often name dropped in lists of trendy boutiques, and shopping guides this lifestyle boutique stocks curated vintage furniture, fragrances, ceramics, stationary, jewellery and more. If you’re looking for a gift for a friend, or to treat yourself, then Search and Rescue is the place to go.

The manager Lauren told me the shop has been a mainstay on the street for more than a decade. She has lived in the area for six years, and like Christiana, said her favourite thing is the sense of community.

She said: “All of the independent [shops] all have quite a nice community. We all help each other out, and there’s lots of events held. We’re all looking forward to whatever new things are going to open in the future.”

Bakeries and parks

I managed to resist spending my pay check in Search and Rescue, and continued my mooch along the street to yet another mainstay of the street – Spence Bakery.

This independent bakery has been a pillar of the community since 2002. Although it was quiet when I visited on Thursday afternoon, do not be fooled. On the weekends there is a line out the door for their fresh baked pastries, breads and coffees.

Inside, Ellen took time out from making coffees to chat to me about what people love in the bakery.

“Our best sellers are the seasonal things, but lemon drizzle is always popular. For pastries, it’s got to be the pain au chocolat.”

For Ellen, she’s partial to their cinnamon danish – and along the high street, she said her favourite shop along the street was Search and Rescue – particularly their candles. But of course, with so much to choose from it’s hard to pick a favourite. Ellen said: “I just love all the independent shops.”

Once you’ve hit Spence Bakery, you’re a hop skip and a jump away from the other park which frames Stoke Newington Church Street. Clissold Park is a gorgeous, beautifully preserved historical green space which stretches for 54 acres. It’s crisscrossed by bridges over the man made aqueduct which winds through the park.

However, my favourite thing in the park is their herd of fallow deer. They’re homed inside an enclosure in the park and completely free to visit. They’re most active at dusk and dawn, and when I visited the buck was following the females around, bellowing at them in an attempt to seduce them. However, they were having absolutely none of it.

In autumn, the park is nothing short of spectacular. The winding paths are lined by trees turning gold, and wide open green spaces are the perfect place to kick a football, give the dog a run or simply sit and people watch.

My favourite pub

I wandered a lap of the park, through the deer enclosure and past Clissold House, before heading back to Stoke Newington Church Street for a quick pint before my walk home.

Close to the park you’ll find The Mary Wollstonecraft – an independent freehouse which took over from Ryan’s Bar in July 2026. From the outside it looks unassuming – a small green shopfront with charming hanging baskets but head inside to its cosy dark interior and see what’s hiding out the back.

The pub interior is a celebration of female writers – of course, it’s namesake Mary Wollstonecraft who was a legendary writer, philosopher, and Stoke Newington local, but also an installation tiles which depict other famous female writers spanning right from Sappho in Ancient Greece to Sally Rooney.

You won’t find Guinness here – but you will find 10 cask hand pumps and 12 rotating keg lines focused entirely on smaller British and classic German breweries. I chose a cider, and headed outside to the gigantic beer garden which stretches out behind the pub. It’s covered, heated and packed with lush greenery as well as wrought iron patio furniture covered by squashy cushions.

The beer garden is a real oasis off the high street – you could easily forget you were in a pub and think you were sitting out the back of your friend’s house in the garden. A trickling water fountain was the only thing I could hear as I sipped my pint and reflected on just how lucky I am to have this place as my local.