Author: Wansteadium

Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club in Kingfisher national club finals

Wanstead Cricket Club is taking centre stage on Sunday as they play in the national club finals against York at Derby.

Wansteadium is tweeting live from the event, with updates, wickets, pictures and the atmosphere.  This is the best place to follow the action as it happens, all courtesy of our special cricket correspondent, @nutterlane Dan. Bookmark this page or return on Sunday for updates as they happen.

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Anyone in Wanstead NOT been to Westfield?

Thursday marked the first anniversary of Westfield in Stratford – apparently 47m people have visited in the 12 months. At the time of its launch, some predicted doom for high streets nearby the giant shopping centre, especially since parking is free and uncomplicated there, while steadily less available here.

Yet despite everything that’s gone on in Stratford in the past year, armageddon has not hit. There have been some closures in Wanstead, but some new openings as well. And people seem to value their high streets as much as ever.

Wansteadium idly wonders how many people in Wanstead have held out from sampling Westfield’s delights. Are there even 10 people who are Westfield refuseniks – or perhaps have just not had reason or chance to go there yet? Wansteadium personally doubts it, but would be very interested to hear from any readers who are – tell us your reasons using the form below or via Twitter (@wansteadium). We may draw up a list – and we’ll probably call it the NotYetField Ten. Make your entries now.

Tea for Wanstead

Wanstead’s much loved coffee shops are getting some competition, it seems. From a tea shop.

Time For Tea is currently being fitted out in a shop nextdoor to the Tiffin Tin, opposite Snaresbrook Station. It’s clearly in its early stages, as the photo demonstrates, but the shop’s Twitter account describes the venture as “[t]raditional English Tea Room coming soon to Snaresbrook London E11. Homemade cakes fresh from the oven and proper tea in a teapot!”

The mere fact that the shop has a Twitter account will make some wonder just how traditional a tea room will it be? Are we talking a tea room where Miss Marple would feel at home, one where White Van Man is going to get his cuppa and buttie on the way to work, or something arty and cool?


Still time to get baking and making

There are just 11 days left to prepare for the inaugural Wanstead Village Show. Like something from Ambridge which has been going on for generations, it will pit runner bean against runner bean, jam against jam and cupcake against cupcake. Competition is expected to be tough, especially in the baking categories.Horticultural activities have been somewhat impaired by the weather, of course.

Many will hope this village show, dreamt up by 13-year-old Felicity Hepworth, marks the start of a new tradition within Wanstead.   Sadly, Wansteadium’s suggestion that bakers should compete in a cherry pie category were too late to be included, though if the event is a success, next year is a possibility.

(Our reasoning was simple – the 1752 “Cherry Pie Stone” on the side of the George pub, which celebrates a particularly memorable pie. Though the story behind the stone is not known for sure – some such as historian Winifred Philips think it the result of an unrepetant bit of thieving. Others think it merely celebrated a good feast. But  the inscription – “That day we had good cheer/I hope to do so maney a year”- is tantamount to an exhortation to future generations to respect the tradition. We undertake to play our part – any good tips on cherry pie-making, please do share them for the greater good.)

The show is to be held at Christ Church on 22 September. Full details and competition rules are available from wansteadvillageshow@hotmail.com, or can be picked up from Petty Son & Prestwich, Christ Church or St Mary’s Church, or can be downloaded here. Categories include tomatoes, runner beans, potatoes, corn on the cob, mixed fruits, unusual shaped fruit or vegetable, pot plant in bloom, dahlias, chrysanthemums, flower arrangements, fruit cakes, jam, Victoria sponge, chocolate cake, cup cakes, chutney, photographs of Wanstead, creative writing about Wanstead, drawing of Wanstead and Lego model.  Some of the proceeds will go to the Gulu Blind School in Uganda with the Reverend John Ochola, who is visiting Wanstead this month.

• Entrants in the photography category will be invited by the organisers to have their entry published here at Wansteadium. And if we’re lucky, so will the owners of the unusually shaped vegetables.

Au revoir, Camp Wanstead


Farewell to Wanstead’s tented community. Despite dire warnings, the stream of happy campers – many in pink and puce – up and down Eastern Avenue has been the biggest impact of our own London 2012 campsite.

 
 


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