Author: Wansteadium

Wanstead bird poisoners’ jailed

Two men who poisoned birds and a dog at Alexandra Lake on Wanstead Flats in March this year were jailed for four months each and fined £7,000 at Snaresbrook Crown Court today.  Terrance Webb, 28, of Ilford and Mark Page, 35, of Romford, were both pest control officers for Newham Council.

They stole pesticide normally used to control fleas and cockroaches, put it into some bread and laid it around the lake during their lunch-hours, then, according to reports, laughed and joked that crows had eaten the bread and died.

Among the dead were geese, moorhen, crows and pigeons, and an Alsation.  Pamela Rowe, 69, the owner of the dog, told the Evening Standard today:

“It was a twisted, evil thing they did. They were not teenagers, they were pest control officers. My dog died a violent horrible death, and he was completely innocent.”

UPDATE, TUESDAY: The Evening Standard today published a fuller account of Mrs Rowe’s anger, and published for the first time a picture of the ill-fated dog, a German Shepherd-setter cross, named Russett.

Happy birthday to us

The arrival of the 100th follower of Wansteadium on Facebook, who joins the 220 followers on Twitter and 40 people who receive new posts by e-mail, seems an appropriate juncture to mark Wansteadium’s first birthday.

From very humble beginnings to – let’s face it – a still-pretty-humble infanthood, this little blog has nevertheless had some great fun. From the cars parked next to each other which had registrations FAAK and ORF, to the sexy escort with full MOT, from the moving film about a life lived in Wanstead to the Central Line reorganization avoiding Leytonstone, this corner of E11 has proved a rewarding subject.

So thank you to everyone who has read and contributed to Wansteadium so far. Let’s hope the next 12 months live up to the first.

Wansteadium Blitz project, 14 Oct 1940: Elmcroft Ave, Southview Drive

On this night in 1940 at 8.19pm, incendiaries dropped by German planes caused many small fires on Elmcroft Avenue and Southview Drive in Wanstead. Then at 10.58pm, high explosives injured three people in Woodlands Avenue. At 11.15pm, three houses were damaged, also by high explosives, on Aldersbrook Road between Blake Hall Road and Park Road.

Pie and smash: It WAS arson

Police have confirmed the rumours which have been circulating Wanstead that the attack on Robins Pie and Mash shop was arson, which may well mean that it wasn’t a brick but a petrol bomb thrown through the window. They have also said, according to the Wanstead Guardian, that there were attacks on three consecutive nights – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.