Wansteadium

A dozen former George staff will be returning to the pub when it re-opens as the George & Dragon in the third week in January. They will be among 40 full-time and 20 part-time positions at the pub, which is now nearing the end of its refurbishment. External decoration looks excellent, and the bar has re-relocated to the middle of the pub where it used to be.

The pub was saved from oblivion after Wetherspoons decided to shut it. It was acquired by Urban Pubs and Bars, the largest independent pub chain in London, which has 52 pubs, bars and restaurants.

Santa Claus’s annual early trip to Wanstead on the back of Steve Hayden’s milk float takes place on Thursday afternoon/evening. Full details of streets and times are below.

Santa Drive-by in Wanstead

A few remaining tickets for Wanstead’s only pantomime are available. Peter’s Pan – A kitchen sink panto is being staged at the Wanstead Curtain on the afternoon of Monday 23 December. Staged by Maps, Myths and Monsters, a duo who spent the summer at the Edinburgh Fringe, it promises to be unlike any panto you might have been to before.

Fascinating bit of local knowledge in this week’s Private Eye.

Here is a news update from the Wanstead Fringe Association following a momentous year.

The celebrity of Wanstead milkman Steve Hayden continues next week with the publication of a book, Two Pints Please, by Wanstead-based writer Maxine Beuret. It’s a beautifully produced edition which celebrates the heritage of doorstep milk delivery, and which is the culmination of a 20-year project.

Maxine’s project, a partnership with the Transport Museum Wythall and six working dairies including Steve’s Parker Dairies, presents a portrait of the lives and work of milkmen, mechanics and managers.

Maxine describes herself as a “creative cultural historian” and says she is drawn to ‘unchanged places and objects that offer a portal into the history and cultural heritage of overlooked parts of our world’. Her approach starts with the desire to respond photographically to the beauty in the everyday built environment with an emphasis on design history.

The book will be launched at City Place Coffee on Wednesday 27 November from 6pm to 8pm when Maxine will be in conversation with Steve. The book will be available to buy at the event, priced £10.