Second power cut knocks out Wanstead High Street

The second power cut in a week made shops, banks and cafes on Wanstead High Street close for the second time in a week. Faulty electrical equipment led to the cut, and workers from UK Power Network could be seen outside the NatWest trying to fix it.

By early evening the UK Power website had put back its expected time of repair until 7pm, though this had been extended already several times during the day.

A similar outage on Christmas Eve also led to shops closing.

Some shops were helped to keep open by the Nationwide sharing cables with their neighbours.

Wanstead High St, 1963

1963
2018

Wanstead High Street as seen in 1963, thanks to Wansteadium reader (and former resident) Kerry Renshaw who lived here from 1948 until 1967.

Visible are:

  • Furniture shop Edwin Fisher, in the current Churchill’s building.
  • A cafe, sometimes known as the Alhambra, where Petty Son and Prestwich are now
  • Something called Senior Service, now the Kebab shop. Ideas welcome for what Senior Service was…
  • Wanstead Hairdressers, barely changed, which is what people like about it so much. Kerry says it was sometimes known as the Green Saloon.
  • Some Routemasters, destination imperceptible, but even then queuing at Wanstead Place.
  • No pedestrian crossing.
  • In the background, the legendary Andrew’s Builders’ Merchants.
  • On the left, a sign pointing to a car park, but pointing not down Grove Park but rather the other side of the Corner House. ???

If anyone can fill in any of the gaps – what was in these shops after the picture – we’d like to build up a complete list based on Wanstead’s collective memory. Please leave comments using the form below or email to info@wansteadium.com.

  • Apologies that on some devices pictures are appearing the wrong way up. They must have been working out the answer to the Wansteadium Christmas quiz. (That’s a clue.)