Wansteadium

A weird muffled banging noise which could be heard in Wanstead houses on Wednesday evening led residents to check with London Underground if people were trapped in a Tube.

The noise could be heard for three seconds every three minutes in houses in Reydon Avenue, one of those roads which is pretty close to the Central Line as it goes from Wanstead to Redbridge station.

While some residents, including @janeclapton, took to social media, one went to ask London Undergound what was causing the noises which was making people think their boilers were about to pack up. They were told that rails on that stretch of the line had been replaced early on Wednesday morning and that they could take some time to bed in.

Various areas around the UK have been identifying their own unexplained noises this week following reports of complaints of a hum being heard in Bristol.

People are pretty cross that Wanstead’s HSBC is closing on 15 April, as we revealed yesterday.  Letters arrived with customers around Wanstead on Wednesday. The bank confirmed the closure in a series of tweets to Wansteadium.

@Wansteadium The Wanstead branch will be closing on the 15 April. We never take the decision to close a branch lightly and we 1/4 ^LB

— HSBC UK Help (@HSBC_UK_Help) January 20, 2016

@Wansteadium understand that it's unsettling for the local community. Unfortunately, with an increase in the use of online and 2/2 ^LB

— HSBC UK Help (@HSBC_UK_Help) January 20, 2016

@Wansteadium telephone banking in recent years we have seen the use of the Wanstead branch fall significantly. 3/4 ^LB

— HSBC UK Help (@HSBC_UK_Help) January 20, 2016

@Wansteadium Customers can use local post offices for their day to day banking and there are also free ATM’s in the area. 4/4 ^LB

— HSBC UK Help (@HSBC_UK_Help) January 20, 2016

Reader Steve Hunt disputed the bank’s claim of reduced customer numbers though. “It is not as if the branch is quiet. It is permanently busy. Utter madness,” he wrote on our Facebook page.

Dede Sposti wrote: “Bad news! 🙁 I now have no branch nearby work or home… and I am a business owner often working with cash..I will have to change bank.”

Saqib Khan said: “I had my business account with HSBC and the branch was of very little use. Counter service is no more than the post office option. We lost HSBC in 2014. That’s Woolwich, Barclays and HSBC gone since 2001. Next up will be either NatWest or Santander given they share back office processing where some NatWest customers are serviced by the Santander branch on the corner of the High St.

“The smart thing for personal customers would be to open a Nationwide account. For Business customers like me, take a pick from the other two, I chose Santander a few months back and it’s OK so far, better than HSBC anyway.”

As for what will take the bank’s place, there was consensus. A nailbar, coffee shop or estate agent.

• Anyone know how long the HSBC/Midland has been in Wanstead? Even better, anyone got any old photos? Let us know at info@wansteadium.com

HSBC customers in Wanstead have been told the branch is to shut its doors permanently in April. The fifteenth, at 2.30pm to be precise.

The closure follows Barclays shutting in 2014 and leaves just the NatWest, Nationwide and Santander with a presence in Wanstead.

The HSBC branch was downgraded to “counter service only” in 2014, with full facilities being provided at the branch in George Lane.

This newly-released video is a beauty, and it comes very happily just as we are celebrating things which make Wanstead.

The little garage at the top of Grosvenor Road which has all those cool cars outside is featured in the video which will give passers-by the glimpse of what’s going on inside that they have long wanted to see.

The garage is Figaro Cars. The cars are Nissan Figaros (as driven by Andrew Marr, Sarah-Jane Smith and Vanessa Feltz). The video is made by Moritz Schmittat. Enjoy.

(iPhone users might need to click here to see the video. Apparently there is a problem with YouTube videos.)

Wansteadium is running a campaign to highlight people the shops and traders who help make Wanstead. And in doing so, we hope to give readers the opportunity to make local choices and thus play a part in making Wanstead.

Next up is upholsterer Alix Senior, who writes:
“I re-upholster old pieces of furniture including dining chairs, armchairs and stools as well as making soft furnishings. I studied textiles at university and wanted to find a career where I could put my insane love of fabrics and vintage furniture into practice. I love that my job allows me to take old relics, often with sentimental value, and make them last longer by putting in new fillings and covering them with beautiful fabrics. Reupholstering means that we get to use things that normally end up on the side of the road, and also allows clients to be more individual with their style choices and have something unique in their home that they can treasure for many more years to come.

“I set up Blanket Upholstery on my own after moving to our home near Wanstead Flats where I live with my husband and two daughters. Wanstead and the surrounding areas are great as I work part-time and spend the rest of my days with the kids getting out to the playground or, more recently now the weather has turned, we love a visit to Wanstead Library. I’ve got all sorts of clients from people who have lived in the area for decades, to people like me who have moved to E11 more recently to get a better quality of life or starting a family without having to leave London.”

Alix can be contacted at her website. And if you’d like to be featured in Wanstead is made in Wanstead – or you’d like to offer help – get in touch with us via info@wansteadium.com

   
   
The snow wasn’t around for long, and there wasn’t much of it in the first place, but it does look pretty. These pics from Jenny Baptist, an early for the new all-comers Wanstead Weekly Photo.