Author: Wansteadium

Wansteadium reader Gary writes: Be aware that Waltham Forest have set up a camera on the bus lane on Whipps Cross Road leading into Green Man Roundabout. Also the other end of Whipps X Road has a new camera operating too. Lots of Hospital staff finding out the hard way. My wife got a PCN but I have found a good reason to appeal which I will share when I have confirmed it is a solid reason.”

The Wanstead Guardian has more on the story here, including the remarkable figure of 6,200 penalty charge notices having been issued.

It seems remarkable but in the nearly five years of Wansteadium, the most distinguised Wanstead-based jazz band has so far escaped notice. So as a bit of a weekend cultural diversion, here is a taste of the Clive Fenner Quartet.

Clive is a stalwart frequenter of Wanstead High Street, and incidentally the host of the weekly jazz club at Tommy Flynn’s in Leytonstone. (The club website is here, and there are more details here about the quartet itself including their current CD, Get It.)

The refurbishment works around Nightingale Green, which have included relaying of pavements, new kerbstones, a new faux-cobbled area outside the pub and new lamp-posts, are now pretty much completed after several weeks of work.

The improvements were funded by Transport for London and, as Wansteadium reported last year, came at a cost of £150,000.

However, landlord of the Nightingale, Noel McMahon is not yet impressed – and he’s not happy with the area’s dog owners. He wrote to Wansteadium: “Would be nice to think that they will finish the job & do something with the quagmire of a green & the very very sad flower beds. It really could be so nice with just a little imagination and care. Particularly from the inconsiderate Dog owners who refuse to pick up their Dogs mess that my Staff & myself do on pretty much a daily basis. Disgusting & inconsiderate.”

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “Something I have noticed and often thought about wandering the streets of Wanstead is why do older houses have names, usually carved above the front door. This said, on the above picture they are much nearer the roof line. I think I have resolved the thought. My friend Alex, a fountain of knowledge about all things Wanstead told me that prior to approximately 1906 carving a name above the house was the norm. After that date the post office insisted on numbers. I wonder no more.”

The Underground’s Virgin wifi service has been extended to Wanstead station, it’s been announced. It means that Virgin, EE, O2 and Vodafone customers can now get online while waiting on the crowded westbound platform, particularly for sending emails to the office warning that they’ll be late in. Or for checking Wansteadium.

Service has also been extended to Leyton and Leytonstone, but it’s not immediately clear what the point of that is, since they’re both overground.

Photo: Sunil060903

Suki Orange, Wansteadium’s food blogger, writes

This is worth a watch. Wanstead’s Katie Holderness’s video entry to a Co-op competition. Chili Con Carne is not usually my thing, but Katie does it in style.