Danai Dana

On the border of Hackney and Islington, on the line where the two boroughs connect, lies Blackstock Road, arguably London’s most interesting street. A short walk from the Arsenal Emirates Stadium and home to all the food options and pubs you could ever need – from Kurdish naan bread at Baban’s Naan, to about a dozen sports pubs, and chilled reds at Top Cuvée – Blackstock Road is a magnetic field to tote bag hoarders, Paul Mescal dupes, Matty Matheson wannabes, and Arsenal fans alike. RECOMMENDED: The 8 best places to visit on Blackstock Road– chosen by Time Out editors But it wasn’t always a cult food destination. The road once had the subterranean Hackney Brook – one of London’s lost rivers – flowing through it, and was a prime location for fishing. The river was built over in the 19th century, and Blackstock Road took the form it has today: a hub for local businesses like bookers, pharmacies, printers, pubs and even a tin box factory according to one blog. In the 20th century it became home to a range of migrant communities, including Algerian immigrants, who opened up shop at the top of the street and gave the area the moniker of Little Algiers. It was also on this humble road that designer Gerald Holtom first introduced the peace sign. In 1958, Holtom created the symbol for the Aldermaston March to protest nuclear weapons, and presented it to the offices of Peace News magazine at 3 Blackstock Road. There’s a plaque commemorating this moment above Fish & Cook stationers to