Wansteadium

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Good luck to the Currant (@The_CurrantUK on Twitter) – the new entrant on Wanstead High Street which has now opened. As is conventional on these pages, we wish them all the best in their venture.

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About 20 caravans parked on George Green in Wanstead on Wednesday lunchtime, causing some concern that a camp was being set up. However by early afternoon the caravans had departed. The Green is owned by the Corporation of London, rather than Redbridge Council.

UPDATE: The Ilford Recorder is reporting:

Forest Keepers from the City of London Corporation – which manages the land – were supported by the Redbridge Community Police Team in assisting the travellers to move on. “Driving on forest land with the intention to stay overnight is a bylaw offence,” said a spokesman for the corporation.

@MarksLarks @Wansteadium Someone suggested they're Aldersbrook residents that have set up home to avoid the #blakehellroad roadworks!

— Jane Clapton (@janeclapton) June 22, 2016

Three weeks after the death of Basant Lal Sharma in a collision on the pedestrian crossing on Wanstead High Street, his funeral is to be held.

Mr Sharma, who was 91 and had 15 grandchildren and five great-granchildren, had lived in Wanstead for some years after moving from the West Midlands. He would walk around Christ Church Green twice each day.

His family have called for a campaign to move the location of the zebra crossing at the top of Grove Park, saying it is unsafe in its current location.

His funeral will be held at the City of London Crematorium on Thursday 23 June at 3.30pm, and his family say all who knew him are welcome.

*Witnesses to the collision are still being sought, as detailed in the photograph below.

Impressive-looking renovation on this magnificent house on Grosvenor Road. We reported just over a year ago that the very run-down property had been sold with an asking price of £1.2m. It was billed as an “extremely rare opportunity to acquire one of the last remaining mid-Victorian character townhouses in Wanstead”, and from the outside at least it looks like a job well done.

Looks like the gastronomia which is opening soon will be called More Italy (Wansteadium confesses it rather hoped it would be called Gastronomia, but one can’t have everything.)

And further down the High Street, Bombetta is taking shape at Station Approach, apparently with the blessing of Padre Pio. At least one elected official who resides in Wanstead is threatening to move out because of the impending impact on waistline from the approaching Italian delicacies.

Ficu di India – prickly pear. Oh how I have missed you. Hurry up late summer I need this back in my life again! pic.twitter.com/K6GcSFMFKd

— Bombetta London (@bombettaLondon) June 19, 2016

This is just interesting. It’s not in Wansteadium’s nature to add a layer of snark. It’s just interesting, that’s all.

#blakehellroad look what Dutch can do in a weekend!https://t.co/mzWPUv5jgt

— oliver williamson (@ol70) June 21, 2016

(On an iPhone? You’ll need to click here to watch the video.)