Author: Giles

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.

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.

Photos – thank you to Andrew Burns

Hundreds of saplings have been planted by volunteers in the Roding Valley Park, just next to the M11 in the area at the end of Elmcroft Avenue.

The tree planting was a project last weekend by Redbridge and the Trees for Cities organisation. It’s near a community orchard which was planted in 2016 and now has dozens of apple trees which are nearly mature.

Gold stars all round.

It never rains but it pours. Suddenly ANOTHER Wanstead profile has come on the scene. And that tells a different story to the happy tale published in MyLondon earlier in the week. Wanstead is apparently being ruined by snobs.

Noel McMahon, well known from his years as landlord at the Nightingale, told the paper: “It’s changed. It has lost its village status for what it used to be. It’s still a great community – but the attitude of some of the new arrivals has changed. They don’t have the same community feel.”

The most damning quotes though come from someone the Sun bravely doesn’t name, who EXCLUSIVELY tells the paper that people are “moving from central out here to get more for their money…. They’re up their own f***ing a***s.”

So it’s quite a controversial read. You can find it here. It’s in the Sun, which according to someone who would rather not be named, is ***** ******** ****, we can exclusively reveal.

We have a long history of picking apart articles written in the news about Wanstead, and the latest example to attract people’s attention was this profile in MyLondon.

It’s rare nowadays for news providers to send reporters out of the office (or away from their dining room table) to actually visit the places they are reporting on, so this is a welcome article, even though it was written by their “SEO Reporter” (ie the person who writes things to attract the attention of Google).

So some key quotes, wilfully taken out of context:

If you buy here, you stay here.

I mean, look at Gail’s, it’s packed the entire time.

The best thing about the area is that is has two stations

In the evening, it’s a ghost town.

But, surprise surprise, people in Wanstead love Wanstead though are anxious about the cost of living, rents, property prices and inequality.

One thing we did learn – the newsagents now known as Krishanco has been there for more than 100 years, well before gentrification. Long may it continue.

H/T Gaynor, and Ray