… and hello to – well, something new. The recently renovated cafe (which Wansteadium saw as blatant and rather nice gentrification) will be renamed on Friday. The decision by new owner Jay Singh to keep the Mario’s name after the cafe was reopened did raise some eyebrows, but it was just a temporary measure.
We will post a picture of the new signs once they are revealed to the High Street.
In a move which Sir Humphrey Appleby might have described as “brave”, Redbridge Council has launched a borough-wide consultation on parking – an issue on which nearly everyone has strong feelings one way or another.
The online consultation, which runs until the end of August, has been launched with the goal of making the council’s approach to parking “consistent and fair”, though those who were involved in the Wanstead Parking Wars (a longstanding Wansteadium subject) will remember the case being made against the same rules applying in Wanstead as in other parts of the borough.
Council officers may well suspect that they will end up pleasing no-one – and one question in the consultation appears to recognise the often polar divisions on the subject. Participants are asked to select up to three of the following as priorities:
The full consultation can be found here, along with a list of FAQs.
Yes… The long empty former pet shop is to become a hair and beauty boutique, making at least six such shops on the High Street. Presumably the demand is there, so it’s hard to argue with.
A developer who is renovating a house is asking a favour of Wansteadium readers.
HM writes: “We are involved in the renovation of a house on Spratt Hall Road, roughly opposite the library. The owners would like to put things back to as original a state as possible so we are wondering if anyone has any old photos of that stretch of the road.”
Wansteadium can’t help but applaud such attention to detail. Any photos can be sent to us at info@wansteadium.com and directly to the developer at hm33q33@gmail.com.
Meanwhile a newly-released archive of old video has been released by the BFI. Wanstead features in it, thanks to lots of men in top hats, some soldiers, some firemen and nurses. The film was made in 1916 and is titled “the Demonstration of the Churches”; the event was held to honour Wanstead men and women’s contribution to the war effort. The George appears to be in the background. You can watch it on the BFI site here.
@NewhamBookshop @TheWansteadtap thanks for making this possible #GoSetAWatchman pic.twitter.com/Oy5MAvmNzs
— Neil Walsh (@Fr_Chalky) July 13, 2015
And here is the first person with their copy! @GSAWatchmanBook @NewhamBookshop pic.twitter.com/4O8FeF10xH
— The Wanstead Tap (@TheWansteadtap) July 13, 2015
Literary event of the moment took place on Monday evening at the Wanstead Tap, with a showing of To Kill A Mockingbird and then, at one minute past midnight, the selling of Harper Lee’s sequel, Go Set A Watchman. (Congratulations to Dan Clapton and the Newham Bookshop for teaming up in such a Wanstead-based highbrow way.)
Sealed boxes of #GoSetaWatchman being taken to @thewansteadtap. Can't open till 00.01. Meanwhile watch the film of TKMockingbird at 9.45.
— Newham Bookshop (@NewhamBookshop) July 13, 2015
