The Nest to replace Bardens Boudoir
A new venue from Fabric co-founder Steve Ball is to open on the former site of Bardens Boudoir. Rising phoenix-like from the ashes of the erstwhile Dalston hotspot, The Nest opens in mid-October and promises a progressive mixture of DJs, live acts, art and fashion.
The team behind the venture also run some of the capital’s more well-respected establishments, such as the Old Queens Head, the Westbury and Paradise By Way of Kensal Green. An avant-garde music policy, inexpensive admission and a commitment to new talent – including a monthly £1500 bursary to creative projects – all point towards The Nest being a welcome addition to Stoke Newington Road.
The Nest
36 Stoke Newington Road
London
N16 7XJ
Barden’s wasn’t located in Dalston.
So where is it? What counts as Dalston?
Catch a mini-cab asking to go to “Dalston” (and get a quote to go there) and the drivers moan “It’s gonna cost ya extra, mate!” if you go any further north than Kingsland Waste.
Although ward boundaries have been moving recently 36 – 44 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XJ is, I think, in the Dalston Ward of the London Borough of Hackney.
And anyway, all over London, when you ask where something is, people invariably describe the location of that place’s area by naming the nearest station. Barden’s couldn’t be described as being located near the stations in Stoke Newington, Canonbury, Hackney Downs or Hackney Central. At less than five minutes walk from Dalston Kingsland station, I think it is a pretty safe bet that one could describe Barden’s as being in Dalston … and people knowing exactly what you meant.
Yeah, well I’ve got to give you the ‘Dalston ward’ but b/c I wasn’t really taking that into account. I was thinking it most accurately could be described as being in Shacklewell (or perhaps Shacklewell borders).
That stretch of land between Dalston and Stoke Newington is ill-defined, for sure. I think Dalston today is more centred on Kingsland Road (even though that area used to be Kingsland) and Stoke Newington doesn’t really start until you cross Evering Road.
I have no choice to admit I was being more than a little pedantic. But I don’t like the way estate agents and popular usage ends up obliterating places. Of course, that’s the trend and I suppose it’s a bit silly to try and fight the inevitable. I’m sure what I think of as Stoke Newington wouldn’t necessarily jibe with what someone else would’ve considered Stoke Newington to be 100 years ago.