The Story of De Beauvoir Town

De Beauvoir lies in today’s London Borough of Hackney and is still sometimes called ‘Kingsland’ because Henry VIII hunted here. It is distinct from but nestled up close to Dalston, London Fields, the Regent’s Canal, Shoreditch, south east Islington and Mildmay. 

This walk explores the origins of the area, including a grand manor house from the 1600s which eventually became a ‘mad house’, then legal wrangles leading to extensive 19C residential development of pretty streets and a stunning square. We will also hear of lost churches, a canal basin with wharves that supplied much of the building material for today’s houses, a factory powered by tall windmills, the significance of horse stabling and much more.

Numbers are limited, so please pre-book only, and be aware that Covid-related requirements may still change at short notice.

The walk will last 2 – 2 1/4 hours and end near the canal and Southgate Road.