Wansteadium

The Nightingale on the Green pub has been given new licence conditions following a review by Redbridge.

It means a tightening of rules for the pub, owned by Frank Lampard Sr, including reduced hours (until 11pm from Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday), the use of security on the door on Friday and Saturday nights, use of CCTV and no music apart from background music. There is also to be a change in management structure.

The new conditions were agreed by the pub following an application by the borough’s Community Protection Task Force which included complaints about noise.

 A spokesperson for Redbridge Council said: “We welcome the sub-committee’s decision, following an agreement reached between all parties, as it presents an opportunity to resolve the issues connected to the pub.

“It is hoped with the removal of the old management structure, and the additional conditions and restrictions to the pub’s licence, the Council will be able to work with the venue to ensure it operates within the law, and in harmony with the local community. We won’t tolerate businesses behaving badly in Redbridge, and if the pub fails to adhere to what was agreed, we will push for full licence revocation.”

Councillor Jo Blackman, a member of the sub committee, said: “The new licence conditions agreed with the Nightingale pub are much more appropriate for a residential area. I hope this will address residents’ concerns about noise and anti-social behaviour. Council officers will be monitoring the premise’s compliance with the new rules and I encourage residents to report any issues to the council so they can be followed up.”

Wansteadium has contacted the Nightingale on the Green for comment.

Suffering from sleepless nights worrying about the decline of civilisation? Hours spent doomscrolling with no sign of things getting better?

Here’s something that might help – an opportunity to help build a beautiful, local thing.

The Wanstead Fringe is growing from an annual festival into a larger arts organisation. Getting it together takes cunning and effort from a growing team of wonderful, enthusiastic people who are invigorated by seeing something positive for Wanstead life.

So Fringe organisers want to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in any capacity. Specifically they would like to hear from anyone interested in these roles:

• Publicity co-ordinator (across physical, online and social)
• Bar co-ordinator (building a team to run the Point Bar, Wanstead’s first alcohol-free bar at the Curtain)
• Business operations (research, admin)
• Q (looking after kit and equipment)
• Safeguarding (writing and implementing policy)

Please get in touch with volunteer co-ordinator Elsa Arnold if you are interested in any of these roles, or if you want to get involved generally. Use this form.

Name

Email

Message

Submit

Your form submitted successfully!

Sorry! your form was not submitted properly, Please check the errors above.

One of the cottages on Wanstead High Street which was formerly an antiques shop is up for sale for a million pounds.

The 18th Century Grade II-listed cottage was renovated 10 years ago (see this report from Wansteadium at the time) and is now rather good looking.

Estate agent Kieran Thomas who is marketing the cottage here said: “This beautiful cottage, rich in history, is one of five homes originally built for the staff of Wanstead House. It is believed to have once housed the saddler, who crafted the leather equipment for the estate’s horses.”

Here’s the 2015 picture:

This is what it looks like on the inside:

Wanstead features in the new book from England’s greatest living novelist Jonathan Coe – and we can’t help thinking he might have been writing it when he visited for the Wanstead Book Festival in 2023.

The Proof of My Innocence is in some ways strongly in the tradition of much of Coe’s novels, reflecting contemporary politics in personal stories, but it also adds a layer of crime fiction too. The mention of Wanstead is no more than a cameo (the sort of thing we might have won in an auction) but for the record here it is:

And therein is perhaps a slogan for us: Wanstead… for some reason I really like it.

• The Proof of My Innocence is available online from Wanstead Bookshop with free delivery here.

A plan to redevelop the large Holy Trinity church site on Hermon Hill has reached a key stage as it moves from public consultation to consideration by planners.

The ambitious scheme involves demolishing two halls on the site along with a vicarage, and replacing them with a new church hall, 19 residential flats in a three-storey apartment building, nine town houses, a children’s play area and new landscaping.

An earlier project was given planning permission in 2013 but did not go ahead. The new planning application states:

The development is being bought forward by the Holy Trinity South Woodford PCC as a not- for-profit development of the site, to ensure the longevity and continuity of the Holy Trinity church and the associated community uses through the provision of a purpose built community hall and public play space and improvements to the existing church building, funded through the provision of residential dwellings on the site.

The vicar at Holy Trinity, the Reverend Abi Todd, said in a statement on the project website there had been a process of community involvement during which questions about the scheme had been raised, and that she hoped construction would start in Spring 2026. She added:

[T]he proposal includes 28 new homes (9 townhouses and 19 apartments). It is hoped that the sale of these residential units will fund the majority of the new church & community facilities. The church is not actively seeking to make a profit from the scheme; indeed, members of the church family have already given around £500k and some further fundraising is likely to be required.

The plan is not without its opposers, though. Wanstead architecture blogger Ray Weekes has objected to the demolition of the old church hall, saying the building is a “fine example of the turn of the century Arts and Crafts architecture”, adding:

Arts and Crafts buildings such as this are unusual in the area and should be preserved for their heritage value. Particularly in this type of suburban residential environment which has little in the way of buildings of
architectural or historic value. The building has a striking aesthetic value and can be singled out as a landmark within the local street scene. The current building relates to the church and presents a public face, whilst the setting of the two buildings together represents the spiritual origins of the parish.

The application, available here, will now be considered by Redbridge planners with a decision anticipated for March.

The industrial dispute by teachers belonging to the NEU at Wanstead High ended last week following agreement with the school and Redbridge on. most of the union’s outstanding issues.

So in case you’re wondering, that was the sound of a massive sigh of relief by parents who were facing having children at home for an additional nine strike days.