From reader Roger Godbold
Shame on you!
The very first line of About Wansteadium reads “Wansteadium is a blog about all sorts of things going on in Wanstead E11”. That’s why I say “shame on you” – for ignoring that part of Wanstead that has the E12 postcode. There are some people here in Aldersbrook who jokingly mention “Independence for Aldersbrook” but I don’t expect someone writing articles about Wanstead to, apparently, encourage this independence.
I’ll put it down to ignorance or a straight-forward mistake but I really don’t expect a simple fact of this type to appear incorrectly in your blog. I first lived in Herongate Road Aldersbrook as a very small child way back in 1940 and I grew up there as a Wanstead resident. For the past 42 years I have lived in Dover Road – the next road to the one I grew up in – so I think my remarks must count for something
Disappointedly,
Roger Godbold
Response from Wansteadium: Thank you Roger for your letter. We apologise for the error – for error it was, rather than bigotry – and as a gesture of our thanks we are happy to offer you a refund on your subscription.
Quite right too Roger. Although we all know Aldersbrook is a far superior area, in every way. 🙂
We in Wanstead Park Avenue, E12, live in Manor Park North, if you don’t mind.
Just be thankful there is an area like Wanstead so near-no where as good going further east and stop being so picky.
Roger, can I suggest you’re being a little over sensitive? Not seeing many people from Leytonstone moaning about Wansteadium ‘claiming’ E11. More importantly, there are a lot of young people targeted for being in the ‘wrong’ postcode in London, to those in adulthood, postcodes really shouldn’t cause such offence.
Wansteadium is always very polite about Aldersbrook – search the site for mentions.
Question for Roger: what have been the highlights? Tell us some stories please, not many have known Aldersbrook/Wanstead for so long!
Everyone seems to be getting very stressed about this. Roger’s a lovely fella and stalwart of the Aldersbrook community. Good on you, Roger. Aldersbrook is a little gem, as is Wanstead. We all agree on that.
Throw us a stalwart bone – what about the days cows munching on the roses? The days before PVC replaced beautiful Edwardian box sashes? Trolleybuses on Aldersbrook Road? The Courtney Hotel before it became a scruffy bail hostel?
WOW! I hadn’t realised that so many people would take my comments so seriously although I admit that they don’t read as light-hearted as they were intended to be. My thanks to Martin for his nice comments, a friendly pint will be coming his way, paid for by the refund of subscription to Wansteadium. Stories, Nick? Far too many to mention – just a few here. How about tea with Lonnie Donegan at his house in St. Margaret’s Road, my Dad being unable to get out of the house to go to work because of the b….. great cow blocking our front path, cycle speedway on Wanstead Flats where the gun emplacements had been ruined, etc., etc. Must go – a wallow in nostalgia is calling.
Brilliant!