Category: Wansteadium

Authors coming to Wanstead

Writers of all stripes are heading back to Wanstead in the first week of the Fringe as the Wanstead Book Festival returns.

Kicking things off is local author Joanna Pocock, author of Greyhound, who is in conversation with local hero John Rogers. (More info)

Next is celebrated author and broadcaster Tom Shakespeare, known for his work in disability policy and ethics, who is winning admiration for a series of feelgood comic novels. (More info)

And also in the first week is the co-founder of Byline Times – the independent media outlet which is building a following away from traditional papers and broadcasters – Stephen Colegrave, who will be in conversation with Victor Adebowale. (More info)

The full line-up of authors visiting throughout the three week festival is available here: Wanstead Book Festival.

Feelgood moment

A note left under a stone on a wall in central Wanstead thanks an “anonymous Good Samaritan” who helped a resident out of a difficult situation. The resident is asking the person to get in touch so everything can be explained, but even without knowing the backstory this is the kind of thing to make you love where you live.

Wanstead Fringe 2025 – see what’s in store

The moment has arrived – the programme for this year’s Wanstead Fringe is now live, and tickets are available for nearly all events.

Physical copies of the programme will be distributed door-to-door in Wanstead, Snaresbrook, Aldersbrook and Lakehouse over the next 10 days, but the online programme is available now at the Fringe site here.

More than 100 events will take place at 13 venues across Wanstead in September. Particular highlights this year include:

  • House of Scandal – a special event to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Catherine, the heiress of Wanstead House, with script written by Geraldine Roberts, author of The Angel and the Cad, and with music by Anastasia Nikki Forova, who has composed and arranged for Bridgerton. (House of Scandal)
  • More than a dozen plays staged both at the Wanstead Curtain and upstairs at the Bull, including productions by visiting and Wanstead-based theatre companies. (All theatre productions)

  • Open-air Kinema, again in Christ Church gardens: this year’s production being Paddington in Peru. (Open-air Kinema)

  • The Wanstead Book Festival, featuring authors Rory Cellan-Jones, Joanna Pocock, and Tom Shakespeare, plus the Wanstead Family Book Day. (Wanstead Book Festival)

  • Music of nearly every genre – starting with the popular eve-of-Fringe Charivari, hosted by Joe Walters. (Charivari)

    We’ll be highlighting key events here as ever, and you can also follow the Fringe directly – either by receiving their email newsletter or by their Whatsapp group which you can follow by clicking this link

Wanstead market stall plan updates

A public meeting is to be held on Saturday 27 September at 4pm at Christ Church to which councillors and the Redbridge leader have been invited as frustration continues with the council’s decision to introduce nine ‘permanent’ market stalls on Wanstead High Street. The meeting has been arranged by former councillor Colin Cronin.

Meanwhile the consultation period on the first application, for a seven-day-a-week fruit and veg stall outside the George and Dragon, is nearing its end (29 August). There have been reports of council staff visiting to measure up the space where the stall might go.

As yet there has not, to our knowledge, been any council response beyond what was reported two weeks ago; letters to residents have been taking the same position. Whether councillors are listening to the tumult of public opinion is yet to be seen: the petition latest count is more than 1,700 signatures.

Update: Wanstead councillor Paul Donovan writes: “We understand concern about impact on local businesses and the high street. There was a consultation on the council’s street trading policy last year. Our position is to oppose any application that competes with existing businesses. There has been one application for a fruit and veg stall so far, that we have opposed. Those with concerns can contact us or the Licensing authority.”