Gibson Gardens
Encyclopedia
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
in London, England
The flats were built by the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes
Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes
The Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes was a Victorian-era, philanthropically-motivated Model Dwellings Company, a fore-runner of the modern housing association which sought to provide affordable housing for the working classes on a privately-run basis,...
in 1880 and originally comprised 3 brick blocks of flats and a row of 'cottages' which originally housed older relations of people living in the blocks. A further block (the 'paddlesteamer' block) was built later. They were originally called Gibson Buildings and were some of the first quality dwellings for working and lower middle class families in London.
The buildings are located near the corner of Northwold Road and Stoke Newington High Street (A10), close to Stoke Newington Common
Stoke Newington Common
Stoke Newington Common is an open space in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney. It is east of Stoke Newington High Street, with Northwold Road to the north, and it straddles the busy Rectory Road....
.
They were renovated in 1975 but many period features survive, including the rare cobblestone
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
street surfaces.
Gibson Gardens was a location for shooting the video of the 2007 single Back to Black
Back to Black (song)
"Back to Black" is a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse. It was released on April 30, 2007 as the third single from her second studio album, Back to Black. It was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson...
by Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
.
The alleged Russian spy Anna Chapman
Anna Chapman
Anna Vasil’yevna Chapman is a Russian national, who was living in New York, United States when she was arrested along with nine others on 27 June 2010, on suspicion of working for the Illegals Program spy ring under the Russian Federation's external intelligence agency, the SVR...
and her husband lived in Gibson Gardens for a period around 2002.