Tag: wansteadhighstreet

Surprise new occupant of old Churchill’s office in Wanstead is…

… wait for it… Churchill’s. Yes, Wansteadium can exclusively reveal that the East London estate agent which seemed to be a fixture in the office on the corner of Wanstead High Street and Woodbine Place – and which shut up shop during the credit crunch -  will be making a comeback over the summer. It is expected to return at the end of August.

And though another estate agent is hardly going to add to the diversity of Wanstead High Street, which has taken a battering in recent weeks, it is at least an indication that the housing market is picking up and that despite having offices in South Woodford, Leytonstone, Walthamstow and other nearby spots, Wanstead is still worth treating as an entity in its own right.

Wanstead news roundup, 29.05.10; A gun, some trousers, and a flag

• There was a nasty-sounding van-jacking in Snaresbrook when a driver was threatened with a gun. According to the Wanstead Guardian, though, the driver, a former doorman, seems to have been more traumatised by being made to take off his trousers by his attacker.

    It’s hard to stay calm when you’ve got a gun held at your head. But you’ve got to do it. It’s when you panic that you get problems. At the time I just kept as calm as I could. I’ve had knives waved at me before when I used to do the doors – but a gun is different altogether. I was a bit confused when he asked me to take my trousers off. I thought ‘if he tries anything funny here he’s going to have to start shooting.

    • Wansteadium noted two weeks ago that the Redbridge council elections had turned out to be a mirror-image of the national election result. To make the parallel even more apt, the Tories and Lib Dems have formed a coalition in Redbridge too. Wanstead councillor Thomas Chan, who was the first Chinese mayor in Britain, has now finished his term as mayor.
    •
    The Wanstead Society     has decided to oppose new plans to demolish the historic Kinema building. Its owner wants to build eight flats and a restaurant, but says the plans would be sympathetic to the style of the High Street.
    • There’s another flag on a tree.

    Wanstead Boots in Top of the Pops re-run


    It looks dramatic – smoke billowing out of the Boots shopfront on Wanstead High Street, while people huddle on the pavement not knowing what to do.

    But it’s not quite what it seems. For the second time in two months, a security system which pumps dry ice into the shop to befuddle intruders has gone off, making passers-by think something disastrous is going on. But all’s well – the ‘smoke’ cleared and the shop opened as usual.

    A new contender for Wanstead High Street

    Wanstead’s Tesco may only be four months old, but the newest entrant to Wanstead High Street seems to indicate that the giant’s juggernaut-like qualities haven’t yet squished out all other entrepreneurs.

    A 7-eleven opened on Sunday in the former Thresher premises at the top of Wellington Road. It’s selling a fairly conventional range of convnience store products, with newspapers, magazines and fruit and veg coming next week.

    And while it’s hardly the high end boutique that the High Street might have wanted in the wake of Horsfall and Wright’s departure, at least it’s better than another empty shopfront.

    Subdued last Campaign Saturday in Wanstead

    Wanstead might have expected the High Street to be a-buzz with last-minute feverish campaigning on the last Saturday morning before polling day. After all, it seems there’s plenty to play for – 6,000 is a respectable majority but not an unassailable one, and though the Conservatives have been very active campaigners, some are still tipping the Lib Dems to cause an upset here.

    But it was a subdued atmosphere which greeted shoppers. There were token campaign tables from Labour and Tory groups, though not, it appeared, the candidates. And the other parties – Lib Dems, UKIP, Greens, BNP and Christian – were not in attendance.

    Comments today on Twitter and Facebook about the contest include:

    @mapsadaisical Leyton and Wanstead? Labour probably favourites, but I reckon both Lib Dems and Tories think they have an outside chance.
    @markb999 Tories and Labour on Wanstead High Street this morning. No Lib-Dems. However, they have started sending me letters. v.odd.


    @sajarina Well, still had no response to my question about abortion rights from any Leyton & Wanstead candidates except the Labour one (pro-choice)

    Jenna Hedges The Leyton and Wanstead Lib Dem candidates were not present at the prospective candidates meeting/hustings with the public today and have apparently pulled out of all the Questions debates in the area. Very strange and feel compelled to find out why!

    Dave Buba Iain Duncan Smith in Waitrose South Woodford