Wanstead’s new café/restaurant Bobo & Wild has had a busy first week, and seems to have hit its stride. After a comprehensive refit at the former Larder, the venue has become the fifth in the small chain set up by Bobo (below, left), with other branches in South Woodford, Shoreditch, Clapham Common and Stratford.
The Wanstead branch is being managed by Norbert (below, right), a familiar face thanks to his years working in Costa and more recently in City Place.
As always on Wansteadium we wish the team the best of luck in their venture.
The Nightingale on the Green pub has been given new licence conditions following a review by Redbridge.
It means a tightening of rules for the pub, owned by Frank Lampard Sr, including reduced hours (until 11pm from Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday), the use of security on the door on Friday and Saturday nights, use of CCTV and no music apart from background music. There is also to be a change in management structure.
The new conditions were agreed by the pub following an application by the borough’s Community Protection Task Force which included complaints about noise.
A spokesperson for Redbridge Council said: “We welcome the sub-committee’s decision, following an agreement reached between all parties, as it presents an opportunity to resolve the issues connected to the pub.
“It is hoped with the removal of the old management structure, and the additional conditions and restrictions to the pub’s licence, the Council will be able to work with the venue to ensure it operates within the law, and in harmony with the local community. We won’t tolerate businesses behaving badly in Redbridge, and if the pub fails to adhere to what was agreed, we will push for full licence revocation.”
Councillor Jo Blackman, a member of the sub committee, said: “The new licence conditions agreed with the Nightingale pub are much more appropriate for a residential area. I hope this will address residents’ concerns about noise and anti-social behaviour. Council officers will be monitoring the premise’s compliance with the new rules and I encourage residents to report any issues to the council so they can be followed up.”
Wansteadium has contacted the Nightingale on the Green for comment.
Suffering from sleepless nights worrying about the decline of civilisation? Hours spent doomscrolling with no sign of things getting better?
Here’s something that might help – an opportunity to help build a beautiful, local thing.
The Wanstead Fringe is growing from an annual festival into a larger arts organisation. Getting it together takes cunning and effort from a growing team of wonderful, enthusiastic people who are invigorated by seeing something positive for Wanstead life.
So Fringe organisers want to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in any capacity. Specifically they would like to hear from anyone interested in these roles:
Publicity co-ordinator (across physical, online and social)
Bar co-ordinator (building a team to run the Point Bar, Wanstead’s first alcohol-free bar at the Curtain)
Business operations (research, admin)
Q (looking after kit and equipment)
Safeguarding (writing and implementing policy)
Please get in touch with volunteer co-ordinator Elsa Arnold if you are interested in any of these roles, or if you want to get involved generally. Use this form.
Estate agent Kieran Thomas who is marketing the cottage here said: “This beautiful cottage, rich in history, is one of five homes originally built for the staff of Wanstead House. It is believed to have once housed the saddler, who crafted the leather equipment for the estate’s horses.”
Wanstead features in the new book from England’s greatest living novelist Jonathan Coe – and we can’t help thinking he might have been writing it when he visited for the Wanstead Book Festival in 2023.
The Proof of My Innocence is in some ways strongly in the tradition of much of Coe’s novels, reflecting contemporary politics in personal stories, but it also adds a layer of crime fiction too. The mention of Wanstead is no more than a cameo (the sort of thing we might have won in an auction) but for the record here it is:
And therein is perhaps a slogan for us: Wanstead… for some reason I really like it.
