Wanstead Magazine Club, the re-up

photo (9)Wanstead Magazine Club, which aims to share and giveaway interesting magazines among the reading classes of Wanstead, has had what they call in certain circles a “re-up“. Fresh stocks are now available in the Larder, and also for the first time in a new venue, the beautifully renovated Wanstead Barber Shop.

photo (8)This is a not-for profit scheme, naturally. You are welcome to take any of the magazines away with you if you feel they’re interesting enough. And if you’d like to take part in the scheme by donating interesting reads to your fellows, then please do. If you would like some stickers to put on your magazines, email us at wansteadium@gmail.com.

We think it’s a rather civilised idea, and it was nice to have the endorsement of former Guardian journalist Paul Nettleton recently

And incidentally, in case anyone is wondering, we have found Bennett’s newsagents on Wanstead High Street and Cafe Voyage at Snaresbrook station to be excellent places to buy new magazines (though of course other stockists are available).

Wanstead cricket: Revision fails to stop play

While the England cricket team has a promising start to a challenging year, our man with a whiff of linseed oil tells us about a team of just six chasing a run target of 160.

He writes: “The first league games of the season saw all Wanstead’s senior sides unbeaten.  However, this weekend it was very much a different story; only the 4th and 5th XIs were victorious.  The 4s were thankful to Dev Patel (4-29) and Abhay Bygott (71*) whilst Asif Khan impressed with 4 wickets for the 5th team.

The 1st and 3rd Teams were on the receiving end of tough defeats against Brentwood and Upminster.  The 2nd XI drew once again, with David Richardson the star performer with a fifty and 5 wickets.

Sunday saw the U13s and U15s in cup action.  The U13s defeated Harlow by 7 wickets in the Peter Coe Cup with Aman Ali scoring 57* whilst the U15s started their Cox & Kings Cup campaign with a win against Barking.

The most remarkable performance of the weekend was saved for the Wanstead U16 Team at Newham CC.  Despite playing with only 6 players because of GCSEs the team not only managed to restrict Newham to 160 but then chased it down!  Admirable mentions go to the 6 players who were Reece Cooper, Nicholas Baker, Louis Hanley, Ryan La Croix, Bilal Patel and Dieonte George.

This coming Saturday sees the Wanstead 1st XI in league action against South Woodford CC at Overton Drive and then travelling to Sawbridgeworth CC on Sunday for the next round of the CCC Club Knockout Cup.”

Wanstead property: Spare any change?

georgecparker200x212Wansteadium property blogger George C Parker writes:

* What does half a mill get you these days in Wanstead?

According to Zoopla, five hundred bags gets you half of a 6-bed, 3-bath Seagry Road “period, detached, gated” house – a most noble location. Or it might bag you a pair of flats in the Herons, on New Wanstead, which have been changing hands for around 250k. The leftfield suggestion – one could also choose to put the money out to grass by purchasing the ‘Evergreen Field’ from its current owners. This week the Wanstead Guardian reported that Dalco Developments are willing to forgo their dreams of improving an eyesore on behalf of an ingracious populace. We wish them well in divesting themselves of this particular asset, and hope that if it works, the 250% return on their purchase price will be some compensation. (Thanks also to reader Diana who spotted the said property on Rightmove – feast your eyes on this, Wanstead.)

* Some people can’t resist a challenge. These cavaliers – these doers of derring, er do , are a different breed to the average Joe. They are the visionaries, a mega-motivated cadre of high fliers who’d climb Everest in the morning only to get bored five minutes after lunch. No doubt they’d head off to solve 300 Rubik’s cubes with the stickers removed, while smeared in sardine paste and weighted to the bottom of the orca enclosure at feeding time at Sea World. No limits, except those we set ourselves, say these people (they’re mostly estate agents). Like the guys who try to market a so-called “Unsellable House” down near the park gates in Aldersbrook. It’s been empty a decade, bought for 106k, and has been sorely messed with. What’s wrong with it? You’d have to remove the concrete foundations of a clandestine attempt at a garden house, and make good a stab at undermining the front garden, like the toffs do in Eaton Square. The poor old house is now a broken tooth in the middle of an otherwise respectable, English smile, to the infuriation of neighbours. Most of the local agencies have had a crack over the years, with the same result every time – there’s currently a three-month old Foxtons sign outside. Say no more.

* Here’s what I’d be tempted to do with the field fund – a very handsome, immaculately modernised Mansfield Road terrace with 3 bedrooms which has just come to the market with Douglas Allen. A couple of minutes stroll into the village where one can wander past the old Evergreen Field whenever one’s fancy is tickled.

*I’m afraid that the eyewatering rent being asked for certain vacant High Street units is stifling the process of replacing such stalwarts as Santa Fe and Rio (who we are very sorry to see leaving the High Street). One beautifully renovated, but as yet unfilled shop is being offered for a modest bounty of 25k per annum. Parker’s Glorious Emporium for the Ideal Wanstead home (my ambitious project for November) would be hard pressed clearing five hundred quid a week just for rent – tough times indeed in the brass knocker trade. Perhaps next year.

You can contact George at georgecparker@wansteadium.com