Author: Wansteadium

Renovated under-bridge pavement lights at Snaresbrook station plus creative late-night use of traffic cones almost made for an art installation. As spotted by Wansteadium reader Dave Burpitt.

Here’s a new thing. Wanstead now has its own range of greetings cards. They’re being produced by Geoff Wilkinson, the photographer behind Wanstead Daily Photo and Wansteadium’s own Wanstead Weekend Photo feature.

Geoff writes:

We are now selling both greetings cards and prints of the Wanstead Daily Photo blog.

The cards are A5 size, printed on textured photographic paper and come complete with envelope and wrapped in a cellophane bag. The inside of the card, on the reverse of the photograph is printed as a postcard so it can be detached and posted to friends etc. Alternatively the card can be mounted and framed as a keepsake. They make great reasonably priced gifts. We are pricing them at £3.25 and they are available from either the gallery or my website www.geoffwilkinsonphotography.com via the sales page.

The prints, which we are selling in two sizes framed, are either a 15 x 12 inch print, in a black 20 x 16 frame or an A4 sized print in a 15 x 12 inch frame. The prints are embossed with my name and signed on the mount. The 20 x 16 size is £49 and the 15 x 12 size is £39. At the moment the framed prints are only available from the gallery.

We can supply almost any of the Wanstead Daily Photo pictures as either a card or print. Plus everything is printed and produced at the Gallery in Wanstead !

Our man walking round the boundary of the Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club tells us that it was the women’s team which led the way this weekend, winning narrowly at Chesham thanks to thrifty bowling. The result of the weekend however was the tie between the Under 15s of Wanstead and those of Buckhurst Hill.

Saturday’s men’s second XI game saw Nikunj Velani vacate the crease when on the verge of a century – on 95 –  thus ensuring defeat to Bromley.  But it is reported that he did fulfil his obligation by returning to the Overton Drive Clubhouse to buy a jug of beer. The etiquette goes like this, our man says. If you score a century, you celebrate with a jug.  If you get out in the 90s, you get accused of avoiding having to buy the beer, so not only do you feel bad about missing a hundred but your team mates abuse you too for being tight. “Nikunj avoided the century but did buy the jug,” we’re told.

Rumours that restaurant chain Prezzo was interested in opening a branch at the former Conservative headquarters on Wanstead High Street, which we reported in February, seem not to be coming true, though confusingly they may be.

A source with knowledge of the company’s plans told Wansteadium that while the company is in fact keen to open a branch in Wanstead, the ‘Churchill building’ did not meet its requirements.

However a conflicting report comes from another source told us the deal was still on, saying: “Someone in the know told me ….watch that space.”

So to be honest we’re none the wiser. We did ask Prezzo themselves, but they didn’t answer, and who can blame them for that? We’re just a local blog with 555 e-mail subscribers (thanks, everyone).

It was always going to be a challenge to build on the hugely successful Olympic campsite that was held at Wanstead’s Eton Manor rugby club ground last summer. But the club members seem to be rising to it.

Club member and Wansteadium reader Andy Morton writes:

“On the playing field the 1st Team are, this Saturday, 27 April, going head to head with Basingstoke RFC in a playoff, the prize for the winner being a place in the National Leagues. Large numbers of Club members are expected to travel to support the team.

“Success has not been limited only to the 1st Team however. The 2s were crowned Champions of their division and gained promotion, with their youthful team, aided by a handful of more experienced players to guide when needed, triumphing with a record of 17 wins from 18 games. The 3rd team followed suit finishing a close second in their League and also winning promotion.

“The increase in the number of Club members and a positive mood throughout has led to the formation of a 4th senior side this season giving ample opportunity for new and existing members alike to find a team to play in and enjoy their Rugby. And if all that wasn’t enough, the Under 15s were crowned Champions of their League and the Under 13s won the Essex Cup Final against Chelmsford.”

Congratulations from Wansteadium to all those who have been involved this season, and good luck to the first team on Saturday.