Walks, talks, research. Books on ghosts, hidden objects, house histories and forgotten residents. Cultural geographer who loves getting lost in familiar places
Stoke Newington
Joined May 2020
- Tweets797
- Following693
- Followers494
- Likes993
Pinned Tweet
Two of my academic books are on offer (so slightly less overpriced than normal) - if you're interested in how people relate to their homes' pasts: what objects they find, how they imagine past residents' lives, what uncanny encounters they experience, and why these things matter.
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
Reasons recorded for worker absence on this 3,200 year-old ancient Egyptian attendance register include ‘brewing beer’, ‘stung by a scorpion’, and ‘embalming brother’! 🤯
From Deir el-Medina worker’s village. Written in Hieratic script.
📷 by me
#Archaeology
ALT My photo shows a fragment of limestone measuring 38.5 cm in height and 33 cm max width, from Deir el- Medina worker’s Village, Thebes, ancient Egypt. The fragment, known as an ostracon, was used to record the attendance of 40 workers over a period of 280 days. It is written in black hieratic script, with reasons for absence written in red. Dated 1250 BC, 19th Dynasty, Year 40 of Ramses II.
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
Myths aren't historical records.
But, says Emily Hauser, for centuries, (mostly male) archaeologists have got this wrong, searching for the “reality” behind legendary sites like Troy.
Yet there is history to discover behind the myths, as she explains at historiamag.com/real-women-g…
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
It’s now confirmed that Toby Carvery did indeed fell the Whitewebbs Oak, on the same day that evidence is emerging the tree may have been 500 years old. The lame excuse they gave that the tree was “dead” is not only false (ecologists have found green buds on the felled branches) but in any case inadequate: ancient oaks host many unique species in their dying phase, which can take a century or more.
@tobycarvery now need to apologise for this desecration of our natural heritage & reassure us all that trees elsewhere on their estate are safe; if not, customers should boycott them as a company.
The fact that a company like Tony Carvery can apparently just decide to fell a tree older than the United Kingdom without consulting the authorities, arboriculturalists or ecologists shows that our current tree protection regime is clearly inadequate. In this comment piece for the Evening Standard, I look deeper at the problems with legal tree protections, & some potential solutions.
standard.co.uk/comment/oak-t…
Very disturbing reports today that a nationally significant ancient oak (over 6 metres in circumference) was felled in Whitewebbs Park in Tottenham. The facts are still not clear about who did it & why, but it appears to be on land owned by LB Enfield who did not give permission, so has been reported to the police as criminal damage.
Despite its age & size the tree did not have a Tree Protection Order (TPO) on it because the Council does not consider that trees on land it owns do not need TPO protection too. They have now put a TPO on the remains of the tree, but it’s too soon to say whether the tree might produce fresh pollard growth or be killed by the shock.
This shows the desperate need for better protections for our veteran and ancient trees. A building the same age as this tree would almost certainly be listed (council owned or not), & we should have an equivalent system for trees, with equivalent enforcement & punishment.
In the meantime, @EnfieldCouncil need to:
- Properly investigate who felled this tree & demand prosecution.
- Practically & legally protect the remains of this ancient tree.
-Put TPO’s on all remaining trees at Whitewebbs Park to stop anything like this happening again.
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
You HAVE to watch this... an eccentric tour of London oddities from the mid-1970s. It's just brilliant londonist.com/london/videos/…
People keep asking for more, so here they are - two atmospheric guided tours exploring local history with a twist #StokeNewington #uncanny #ghosts #tours
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
I very much look forward to Tony Rich's Hackney History Festival talk, Stoke Newington at War: Hidden Stories of Resistance and Survival, about Stoke Newington during WW2.
One of London’s smallest boroughs, Stoke Newington played a vital role in Britain’s home defence, with its Town Hall still bearing wartime camouflage. Tony will explore how and why it was painted that way, alongside the efforts of volunteers in the Air Raid Precautions and Civil Defence Services.
Sunday 11 May 2025, 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM, Sutton House, E9 6JQ
Tickets: tickettailor.com/events/hack…?
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
Our Milton Keynes field team recently discovered a rare 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗱-𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 in the topsoil during excavations near Northampton! While barbed and tanged arrowheads of flint are typically linked to the 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲 (𝗰. 𝟮𝟰𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗕𝗖), this metal one may be from the 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲 (𝗰. 𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗕𝗖)—a period when use of bows and arrows apparently became much rarer in Britain.
How did it end up here? Was it lost during a hunt or kept as a keepsake, being lost much later during Iron Age (c. 700 BC – AD 43) occupation of the site? Similar finds suggest some of these arrowheads could have been produced in the UK, challenging old theories that they were imports from the continent or foreign finds lost by rambling antiquarians. With 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟯𝟬 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 from England, each new find helps us unravel the mystery of these intriguing objects.
Read more about this unusual find: cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/ge…
@BloorHomes #Archaeology #BronzeAge #prehistory #Northamptonshire
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
Artemisia Gentileschi, The Birth of Saint John the Baptist c. 1635. (Museo Nacional del Prado)
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
Finally, remains of Roman London's basilica! At least it was where we thought it would be... bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2j…
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
Adele has been accused of sabotaging the sale of a £6m mansion she used to live in by its owners, who claim she once said it was haunted. Adele said [in an interview], 'It gives me the creeps' [but did not use the word 'haunted'].
⬇️👻🏡MORE DETAILS🏡👻⬇️
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy48…
Just on - join me for the final two ghost walks of the year! #StokeNewington #Stokey #NewingtonGreen #ButterfieldGreen
As a quietly-spoken young journalist amidst the loud press throng, John Prescott used to shout at me: 'Speak up, Caron!' He once signalled for me to walk around a corridor, where he gave me a story everyone else had missed. I liked him very much.
“Why is it millionaires like yourself always get uptight about £2 an hour?”
#bbcqt veterans @johnprescott and Michael Heseltine clashed in 1994 over the introduction of the minimum wage. #QTat40
This Friday evening, join me for the last Angel Ghost Walk of the year! From Islington Green, meandering to the ancient Canonbury Tower, this area crackles with weirdness👻Click on QR code in poster to book #ghostwalk #uncanny #islington #canonbury #LondonFortean #ghosts
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
What a thing!
A 1903 Suffragette defaced penny, in the collection of the British Museum.
Oh no! Just catching up on the news of the death of one of my favourite writers - Phil Rickman. I loved his Merrily Watkins series of novels which drew on local folklore, conjuring an atmospheric sense of place in and around the English-Welsh borders. RIP Phil.
Very sorry to hear that @philrickman has passed away. A very fine writer and a very nice man. I was lucky enough to appear on "Phil the Shelf" on Radio Wales a couple of times and was so grateful for all his support in the early days of my career. RIP Phil, and thank you.
Aerial photo of prefabs built after WW2 in Clissold Crescent, Stoke Newington - other local sites included Queen Elizabeth Walk and Bouverie Rd. I’d love to see some close-up local pics eg family photos, if any one can help? #StokeNewington @HistoryOfStokey
Dr Caron Lipman retweeted
From silkworkers and ale-sellers to bookmakers, agricultural labourers and medical practitioners, women had employment in a variety of roles across medieval society.
Learn more in today's blogpost! #MedievalWomen
blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscr…
ALT A miniature from the Golf Book, showing a group of male and female labourers.