White cheeks in Wanstead

[GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
White-cheeked turaco, as photographed by I, Chrumps
Wansteadium rarely ventures into the world of our feathered friends. (Visits from a swarm of parakeets are an exception.) But longtime reader Gavin Bell has uncovered an interesting tale.

Spotting an unusual-looking bird in Aldersbrook some years ago, he made a mental note. He’s seen it again a few times over the past few years, and again this week. Thanks to @wansteadbirder, it’s been identified as a white-cheeked turaco.

According to Wikipedia, the bird is native to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea. But it records that a single bird was recorded “living wild in east London (Leytonstone and South Woodford)… in October 2009”.

It continues:  “It has survived the climate and potential predators for at least four years and appears to be living in harmony with native species. It’s believed to be an escaped or released pet. Sightings in gardens have continued to delight Londoners into late May 2014. In 2014 another bird (or the same one who fancied a change of scenery perhaps?) has been sighted in Langton Green, Kent and has caused much interest to the residents, being featured in the village magazine.”

Special treat

Just for old time’s sake, and since we’re in the mood, here is our video from the summer of 2014 of the Wanstead Parakeet Club in full throat. It’s not strictly relevant.

(If you’re looking on an iPhone, you’ll need to click here to watch the video.)

Wanstead butcher: The Ginger Pig is talking…

agdThe Ginger Pig, a much admired and very trendy butcher’s, is one of the firms which is in negotiations to take over the recently vacated site of AG Dennis on Wanstead High Street.

An advert listing the site has been published which announces the rent at £40,000 p.a. – which is believed to be some way above the rents charged elsewhere on the High Street. The shop is however one of the prime positions in Wanstead, and the advert lists other chains which are present, including Nationwide, Costa, Tesco and Boots.

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Lawyer Jim Moloney posted earlier this week on the Wansteadium Facebook page the following message:

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A reminder of Wanstead, 12,000 miles away

img_0205-2JamesLongy1, from Wanstead but now in New Zealand, found a wonderful reminder of home: the coin-operation mechanism on the machine in the laundrette was made in Wanstead. As part of our series celebrating things which help make Wanstead, we’re delighted to include Essex Engineering and Coin-Op Controls Ltd, Manufacturers of Coin-operated Control Mechanisms.

Very long-standing readers of this blog might remember that Wansteadium has a mild fascination with the Essex Engineering factory on Nelson Road. We were delighted in 2010 when a miniature sewing machine it had manufactured (and become almost celebrated for) was nominated for inclusion in Radio 4’s A History of the World in 100 Objects.

What makes the company so interesting – apart from its inscrutability and lack of PR – is its simplicity. Take this line from their website:

The company is small, employing around 35, a number which has remained constant for 50 years. It is 100% family owned and run, as near as is possible, as a family. The average length of employment is around 14 years and has stayed at this level since the late 1950’s.

That would be charming enough. But their focus on simple, precision engineering also allows them to say things like this:

Essex Engineering has manufactured coin slide mechanisms for over 50 years. The coin slide has proved itself highly reliable and easily repairable, resulting in over 1 million finding their way onto coin slide operated machines throughout the world. Coin slides will work in the Namibian desert just as well as in a rain forest or an Eskimo’s igloo. Coin slides are also, of course, totally free from any wiring problems allowing the device to operate anywhere – and use only the energy supplied (quite freely) by the customer!

No glamour, nothing flash, just getting on with things, from 7am every weekday.

Farewell to rector

Members of Christ Church in Wanstead have said farewell to their rector, the Reverend Liz Horwell, who has retired after nine years at the church.

Inside the Cuckfield renovations

Major work going on at the Cuckfield to renovate the building, including a new straight bar, heated private booths outside, and new awnings and signage among other things. The pub is reopening on 4 Feb, and is keeping its regulars updated with progress via Twitter at @CuckfieldE11.

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Before work started…

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The new straight bar
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An original feature which is staying