Things you didn't know about... Clapton

The first plastic in the world was invented in Clapton
"Parkesine" was invented by (and named after) Clapton-based Alexander Parkes in 1862. However, the substance never really caught on.

Hollywood star Jessica Tandy was born in Clapton
Tandy, the star of 1980s blockbusters Cocoon and Driving Miss Daisy, was born on Geldeston Road in Clapton. She went on to win a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and an Oscar.

Clapton takes its name from a farm that once stood in this corner of north-east London
Roman burial remains have been found in the area that is now Clapton. But the name is actually derived from a farm on a hillock—known as a "clopton"—that existed here in the Saxon era.

Clapton: London's baker
In the 1700s, Clapton was a largely agricultural area. Most of the bread that fed Londoners was produced here.

Clapton once had its own cult—and messiah
In 1892, the Agapemonite cult built the Church of the Ark of the Covenant in Clapton. Its leader (who claimed to be immortal) died in 1899 but was succeeded by the equally outlandish John Hugh Smyth-Pigott, who declared himself the Messiah of Clapton. After being challenged to walk across Clapton Pond to prove his immortality, he refused and moved to Somerset, where he died in 1956.

The Clapton Cinematograph Theatre is a local treasure
Now known as the Palace Pavillion, the Clapton Cinematograph Theatre was built in 1910 as a response to the 1909 Cinematograph Act. This said that safe places needed to be created for screening the highly flammable nitrate films. It once staged both live music and silent movies.

The Artful Dodger was born in Clapton
Movie star and pop singer Anthony Newley, who played the Artful Dodger in David Lean's adaptation of Oliver Twist, was born on Oswald Street in Clapton in 1931. He was evacuated from London during World War II. Newley was once married to screen siren Joan Collins.

Clapton Pond is a favourite with bird watchers
The pond in Upper Clapton provides a home for ducks, geese and swans, as well as some more rare occupants such as the notoriously shy grebe.