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A boundary stone in a Dalston railway station

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WE VISIT KINGSLAND Road in London’s Dalston district frequently for several reasons: to eat Turkish food, to watch films at the Rio Cinema, and to enjoy plays at the Arcola Theatre. Using the Overground is quite a convenient way for us to reach the area. We use trains to and from Dalston Kingsland station. The station, close to the colourful Ridley Road market, was opened in 1850 as part of The North London Railway. Today, it is a busy station on the Overground Network.

Today (20th of July 2023), whilst walking along the westbound platform, I noticed something for the first time. It was a small white object a bit like a milestone standing a few feet east of the bridge that carries Boleyn Road over the western part of the station. It bears the date 1863. And below that there are the letters:

“St M. 1”

And at the bottom of the object is the following:

“JOSEPH SURR JUNr

WILLIAM HARVEY

CHARLES SAWBRIDGE”

They are all described as “Church wardens.”

I suspect that the stone is or was a parish boundary marker. On a map surveyed in 1870, there is a line marked “Parliamentary Boundary”, rather than ‘Parish Boundary’, running through the very spot where the marker stone stands today. The “St M” might refer to the local parish Church of St Marks. Although I cannot yet be certain, it is possible that the parish and parliamentary boundaries were in the same place where the stone stands today.  Oddly, various searches of the Internet produced hardly any information about the stone except that one person, writing on Twitter, wondered if it had been moved to its present position from another place. This is unlikely because I have discovered that a boundary marker in exactly the same position as that which I saw today is marked on a detailed map surveyed in 1893-94.

The date “1863” is curious because the present Church of St Marks in Dalston was only constructed between 1864 and 1866. Maybe, there was an earlier parish church, or possibly the parish was only established in 1863. Who knows?

It is interesting that one small item, the boundary stone at Dalston Kingsland, can give rise to so many mysteries.

A Turkish delight in London’s Dalston

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KINGSLAND ROAD AND nearby in London’s Dalston area is rich in restaurants and other eateries serving Turkish food. Early in this century, “Time Out” magazine rated the Mangal Ocakbasi (now called ‘Mangal 1’) restaurant at number 10 Arcola Street as being one of London’s best Turkish restaurants. For those who do not know, ‘ocakbasi’ means ‘fireside’ and ‘mangal’ means ‘barbecue’ or ‘grill’. When we first went to Mangal, and for many years after that, there were tables alongside the long rectangular pit filled hot charcoal, upon which meat and vegetables are grilled. Recently, the restaurant has been redesigned and the grilling area is no longer alongside the tables.

Lokma

The meat served is top quality. It seems far better than that served in the many other Turkish restaurants we have tried in London. Although there is a wide variety of main courses on offer, the range of ‘starter’ dishes on the menu is not as great as at some other restaurants. If it is starters and meze that you are after, the nearby Umut 2000 (on Crossway) is worth visiting. However, their main meat dishes are not nearly as tasty as those at Mangal in Arcola Street. Having said that, Mangal does serve an excellent freshly grilled aubergine hors d’oeuvre. Desserts are not available, but there are plenty of places along Kingsland Road offering a wide range of very sweet but tasty confectionery.

Our favourite dishes at Mangal are lokma, which is grilled rolled fillet of lamb, and yorgutlu Adana, which is pieces of semi-spicy Adana kebab in a yogurt and tomato sauce with lumps of Turkish bread. The lokma and other kebab dishes are served with generous quantities of fresh mixed salad containing many ingredients. As for drinks, you can bring your own alcohol or buy it from the restaurant. If I order a drink apart from water, I always go for Şalgam, which is a purple-coloured drink containing fermented turnip. This has a deliciously sour taste.

We first ate at Mangal in the early 2000s, when we attended a play in which one of my dental patients was acting. The theatre, The Arcola, was across the road from the restaurant, but has now shifted to larger premises on nearby Ashwin Street (close to Dalston Junction station). We loved the food at Mangal from the very first bite. We have been eating there occasionally ever since then, and the quality of the food has never once faltered. We have been there so often that the older members of its staff recognise us, welcome us warmly, and remember what we like eating. Even though this Turkish delight, frequently patronised by the artists Gilbert and George, is far from where we live in Kensington, it is well worth ‘trekking’ across London to get there.