About

Newington Green Now & Then is an arts and heritage project for young people aged 13–19 managed by Mildmay Community Partnership – a community regeneration organisation that works primarily in the ward of Mildmay, in the London Borough of Islington.

From September 2008 to June 2009, over 100 young people from Islington, Hackney and surrounding boroughs explored the diverse and lively history of Newington Green through drama, creative writing, digital imaging, architecture, interior design sound and music production, photography and magazine design.

Participants were inspired by Newington Green's history, which was a home for radical thinkers and dissenting voices in the 17th and 18th century and groups worked with professional artists to create an exciting range of original artworks reflecting both historical and contemporary themes.

As part of the project, 60 young people also achieved a Bronze Arts Award – a national qualification which supports young people in their development as artists and arts leaders.

The project culminated in a multi media exhibition of all the work on Newington Green and inside the Unitarian Church on 20th June 2009. The event was part of the Story of London Festival organised by the Mayor of London.

All the project work can be viewed through this website so it permanently accessible for future generations. Copies of the book, sound trail and artwork from the project have also been stored at Mildmay library and Islington local History Centre.

The project was funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund and organised by Mildmay Community Partnership and Islington Youth Service in partnership with local arts organisations All Change, The Young Actors Theatre, Social Spider, The Building Exploratory and the Geffrye Museum.

MCP also manages the Mayville Community Centre and other community projects such as Football4estates, Mayville Community Garden Project and Mildmay Table Tennis Club.