The hole truth

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Three full months after it appeared, the mysterious and alarmingly deep hole in Nightingale Lane has now been fixed. Or perhaps enough stuff has just fallen into it to fill it up. No, it’s definitely been fixed.

What with this and Wansteadium reaching another landmark in the numbers of e-mail subscribers – now 700! – it seems celebrations are in order. (You too can get our e-mails – use the form here.)

Perhaps an evening at Wanstead Comedy Night tonight, Thursday? Here is the full billing for what is becoming Wanstead’s top night out. Especially when they keep shutting the Central Line at weekends.
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Snaresbrook Primary: The verdict

Wanstead weekend photo XLIX

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “I thought this photograph of the sky was an appropriate picture for today as we wait for the promised high winds and gales tonight. This was taken earlier this week, clouds are always fascinating. It was the three layers in the sky that drew my attention, the warm colours at the bottom, then the grey clouds in the centre and finally a little blue sky on top. Let’s see what tonight brings.”

Three ways restaurants in Wanstead may be changing

In an innovation for Wansteadium, here is a listicle about what’s apparently on the menu for Wanstead restaurants.

20131023-091819.jpg1. Cinnamon – the former Indian restaurant which Domino’s tried to convert into a takeaway – may be about to become an upmarket burger joint. Local councillor and active tweeter Paul Canal suggests a branch of GFK, but we do not have confirmation of this.

2. Canal also suggests stalwart Italian restaurant Gioberti’s is about to change hands.

3. While attention has been paid to the application to build a shopping arcade on Wanstead High Street, another unrelated application to convert the former Allied Irish Bank into a restaurant has mostly passed under the radar. The application is from a local man, Mr M Foster, and was to be considered by the Conservation Area Committee on Thursday night. As has been remarked before, this could be an amazing opportunity.

 

So what’s the deal with the Duke of Edinburgh?

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Nearly always occupied, with thriving outdoor smoking area (ie on the pavement), the Duke of Edinburgh on Nightingale Lane is now strangely empty with no sign to indicate what’s going on. There is some old carpet stacked up outside so it may be a simple refurbishment – anyone who knows what’s happening please leave a comment.

Psst! Wanna buy Belgique? Yup, the whole thing…

Belgique is up for sale, according to Wansteadium’s favourite weekend read, Bakeryinfo.co.uk.

The site reports that the cafe chain, which now has 10 branches in Woodford Green, Bishops Stortford, Loughton, Epping and others, served by its patisserie chefs from the Wanstead HQ, is being offered for an undisclosed sum. Full story is here.

It’s just a few weeks since its founder and boss Igor Bekaert won a battle with Redbridge planners over the terrace which he installed at the front of the Cambridge Park branch. He collected more than 1,000 signatures opposing an order that the £120,000 terrace be removed, and the decision was overturned by a planning inspector.