July 2019

Once frequented by highwaymen and now run by a football legend, the site of the pub now known as Nightingale on the Green has a rich history. Millicent Brown reports

It is a historic Wanstead public house which has been visited by families for centuries – and recently, it has been buzzing once again under changed ownership and the new name of Nightingale on the Green.

Dating back to the early 18th century, the picturesque green it is situated upon – once known as Mob’s Hole – was the heart of all the crime that characterised this now tranquil area of Wanstead. At that time, a woman who called herself Lady Butterfield kept a notorious roadhouse here.

The green was a well-known place for people to go and enjoy a drop of alcohol and some gambling – and legendary highwayman Dick Turpin was the most regular and famous visitor. In fact, he and his accomplices are thought to have used many different parks and buildings in the whole area to launch their raids on who they thought were wealthy families travelling through Epping Forest. Turpin, born in 1705, and his accomplices certainly made our Georgian ancestors watch over their shoulders!

The current building dates back to 1851 and is now Grade II listed. It is the only building from the Victorian era to remain in the square. The pub has enjoyed many different landlords over the past centuries – the first known landlord was James Wyatt from Dorset – but the one most locals will remember is Noel McMahon, who ran the place for 30 years. More recently, it was taken over by the football legend Frank Lampard Snr, whose son, also Frank, was recently appointed manager of his former club Chelsea FC.

Most people will remember the pub’s current landlord as he was capped twice for England and played as a left back for West Ham for most of his career. Prior to that, he had a brief spell at Southend United.

Since taking over the pub, Frank Snr has taken a keen interest in the local community – and the main thing he has become involved in is Snaresbrook FC, based on the Nutter Field, which he is now sponsoring for the second season. “It has been absolutely fantastic running this pub – all the customers are so friendly and seem to get on really well. Recently, the weather has been great at times, so people have enjoyed a barbeque. When it hasn’t been so good, everybody has stayed indoors and watched Sky Sports on telly or had a quiz,” said Frank Snr.

The venue has now enjoyed refurbishment both inside and out, which happily hasn’t spoilt the way it looks – and the pub has managed to keep its traditional green colour and cosy atmosphere.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, the East of London Family History Society is inviting its members to share their wartime memories. Janet Seward reports

In August, the Newham and Redbridge branch of the East of London Family History Society will hold a members’ evening, but guests are still welcome. These evenings are an opportunity for members to share family stories or the trials and tribulations of detecting their ancestors.

We don’t usually have a theme to these evenings, but as September brings the 80th anniversary of the start of the World War II, we have decided to devote the session to memories of that time. So far, we have three confirmed speakers. Michael Potter and I will co-ordinate the evening.

One of the first significant events of the war for many was the evacuation of civilians, especially children, from areas most likely to be bombed. Most of us have family experiences of evacuation either first-hand or passed down to us. My parents and their brothers and sisters were evacuated, but a combination of home sickness and the Phoney War saw them return to London by Christmas 1939. There were, however, two heart-warming exceptions. My mother’s youngest sister and brother, aged four and six, were evacuated with a 10-year-old sister. The elder sister was given strict instructions by my grandmother that “the little ones” had to stay together, which she achieved. The two small children were placed in the loving care of a middle-aged couple who managed a smallholding in Uxbridge. The little ones kept in touch with ‘Mum and Dad 2’, as they called their evacuee parents, and still meet their grandson, who they knew as a baby as he was born while they were evacuated.          

Michael will start the event with an introduction and some first-hand memories of his wartime childhood and evacuation.

Dennis Galvin will then give a talk on his memories of being evacuated from London. Dennis summarises his experience by saying: “It all started appropriately enough with Land of Hope and Glory, Pomp and Circumstance (all men must be free) and Rose of England, and then with no buckets and spades or ice cream cornets, we seemed to go for our first-ever holiday to a very beautiful part of England.”

The advent of war meant men were called up to fight, and former soldiers and sailors, many veterans from the First World War, were required to train the new recruits. Many ex-servicemen had joined the police force when they retired from the military and, of course, the police was full of fit young men who were needed for active military service. The result was police numbers suffered just at the time a resilient full strength force was required.  David Swinden will give us a short talk on the Metropolitan Police during the war. It will include how the force managed their activities by recruiting 27,000 auxiliary police officers.

A bat walk for families with children aged seven and over will take place in Wanstead Park on 30 August.

Hosted by the Field Studies Council and the Friends of Wanstead Parklands, the two-and-a-half-hour walk will depart from the Temple at 7.30pm (adults: free; kids: £5).

“Explore the park’s diversity of bat species – including soprano and common pipistrelles and Daubenton’s – and learn how they use sound to see. We will use bat detectors to hear them,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/bats

The Field Studies Council (FSC) in partnership with the Friends of Wanstead Parklands will be running a tree identification course for families in Wanstead Park this month.

“Join us on a walk and learn how to identify our trees using their leaves, bark and seeds… Discover how trees contribute to our environment,” said an FSC spokesperson. Suitable for children aged 18 months to 11 years, the workshop will run from 10am to 12 noon and from 1pm to 3pm on 21 August (meet at the Temple; adults: free; kids: £5).

Visit wnstd.com/trees

Children and their families are invited to take part in bug hunt in Wanstead Park this month as part of a series of activities run by the Field Studies Council in partnership with the Friends of Wanstead Parklands.

“We will look for creepy crawlies under logs and stones and spot insects on plants and trees,” said a spokesperson.

Suitable for children aged 18 months to 11 years, the hunt will take place from 10am to 12 noon and from 1pm to 3pm on 8 August (meet at the Temple; adults: free; kids: £5).

Visit wnstd.com/bugs

A local health campaign group is urging residents to sign a petition calling for the government to provide funding to rebuild Whipps Cross Hospital.

“Barts Health NHS Trust has the go-ahead to develop plans for Whipps… But with a funding shortfall, the pressure will be to sell off too much land to the detriment of the size and facilities of the new hospital. Government failure to invest in NHS building is a real threat to our hospital’s success,” said a spokesperson for Waltham Forest Save Our NHS.

Visit wnstd.com/wxp

Following a popular summer social event earlier this month, the Wanstead Society is developing plans to host more informal gatherings for its members.

“We held our annual summer social in the Nightingale on the Green pub in July. We had a great turn out and hope to make the society more social with more drinks and dinner events in the near future,” said Scott Wilding, chairman of the community group.

The Wanstead Society is a non-political organisation working to protect, preserve and improve the local area.

Visit wnstd.com/ws

Organisers of the seventh annual Wanstead Fringe – which will run from 7 to 15 September – say this year’s event will be ‘bigger than ever’.

“The week-long Fringe will include more live professional theatre, comedy, music, demonstrations, talks and assorted cultural activities than ever before. Not to mention established favourites like the open-air Wanstead Kinema and the jumble trail,” said a spokesperson.

Last year, the Fringe attracted thousands of local residents as well as visitors from further afield. This time, organisers are expecting an even higher level of interest – especially with more events taking place in Aldersbrook, including a new play to be staged at the Aldersbrook Community Centre. A musical production of The Railway Children at Forest School promises to be another highlight.

Visit wnstd.com/fringe19

Children are invited to learn life-saving skills next month, with two first-aid courses to be held at Wanstead House.

Making use of fake blood and music, the sessions – which take place on 1 and 22 August from 10.30am (£19.50) – will cover, among other subjects, choking, CPR and the recovery position. “The course is aimed at children aged four to 13 years. All get to use a training defibrillator and administer a pretend electric shock,” said a spokesperson for course administrators Butterfly First Aid.

Visit wnstd.com/firstaidkids

The Wanstead Community Gardeners are keen to encourage more people to assist them in their work.

“We can do the planting, but as a community, the maintenance can be done by non-gardeners. Watering is needed in times of no rain. Some plants will flower all summer if their seedheads are removed. It would be easy if lots more people just did a bit in a time of their choosing, and this way, it would be a real community effort. Please contact us by email or leave a note in the library,” said Marian Temple.

Email gardeners@wnstd.com

The City of London Corporation has given the go-ahead for a large-scale music festival to be held on Wanstead Flats next year.

“The City Corporation has received a proposal from MAMA Festivals for a three-day music event on Wanstead Flats in September 2020. Elected members have agreed in principle the event can be held,” said a spokesperson.

Organisers must now apply to Redbridge Council for a licence and conduct a public consultation. A petition opposing the plans has received over 600 signatures.

Visit wnstd.com/flatsmusic

Open-air theatre company Illyria will return to Wanstead Park this month with two performances: The Tempest (9 August from 7pm) and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (29 August from 4pm).

“I hope after seeing the plays, people will be inspired to visit this wonderful park and the magnificent ancient woodland of Epping Forest,” said Graeme Doshi-Smith, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee. Picnics are encouraged.

Visit wnstd.com/forestevents

In the first of a series of articles by members of the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society, Alan Simpson tells the story behind this image taken at City Hall

I took this photograph a few years ago, before mobile phones were as ever-present as they are now. Such a scene today would possibly not warrant a photograph or even a second glance.

A photo club outing to London’s higher viewpoints included a visit to City Hall (as part of the annual Open House London festival). I therefore took advantage of the only time in the year when the public has access to the viewing gallery on the ninth floor, outside London’s Living Room; this is where you often see the mayor holding forth in television interviews.

Looking over the barrier, I caught sight of these two men absorbed in their phones down below. Unaware of each other, and in a harsh urban environment, the scene of which they were part conveyed a sense of isolation. By using a short telephoto lens, I was able to exclude any distractions outside the frame and focus attention on the two figures and their immediate surroundings.

Of course, the original photograph was in colour, but the slate grey landscape, the somewhat gloomy lighting and the figures’ dark clothing presented a very limited palette. Back home, when editing the day’s images, I decided this one would benefit from converting to monochrome.

I wanted to home in on the two figures even more, so I cropped the image quite dramatically – the picture shown is only about one third of the original scene. With a little lightening of the shadows and a boost to the contrast, I produced the final image you see here.

I hope the photograph conveys some of what I was feeling when I pressed the shutter on that day.

Steve Wilks and Deborah Selner remember Jill Stock, who died at the end of May. Known to many, her funeral saw the City of London Cemetery’s chapel overflowing with friends and family celebrating her life

I had the pleasure of knowing Jill when I moved to Wanstead and she introduced me to various people who were involved in Neighbourhood Watch.

Ever the community worker, she initially became a Watch Co-ordinator and then Chairman of the Safer Neighbourhood Panel, assisting the police and running the group. Having lived for over 40 years in Wanstead, she had a wealth of local knowledge. She regularly organised the annual street party for residents on Cranbourne Avenue where she lived.

Through working as a nurse and being involved in her own children’s schools as a member of Nightingale and Wanstead High PTA, she knew a huge bank of people from all walks of life. A trip down the High Street could easily take an hour with Jill; she always stopped to say hello or have a quick chat. All her neighbours knew her by name and would often knock on her door for an address, a telephone number or a bit of friendly advice, and she never turned anyone away. She cared for everyone, especially the old and vulnerable, and she hated injustice. When something was wrong and needed resolving nobody was more tenacious than Jill.

As a nod to the changing role of technology in our lives, she helped set up the local WhatsApp groups for enabling neighbours to notify others of anything going on in the local area, and this quickly spread out across Wanstead and Snaresbrook. She was also a regular contributor on the Wanstead Community Hub, acting as a point of call for advice on the reporting of crime and other issues that arose.

Jill worked as a district nurse in the local area for some 46 years. When she retired, she was able to concentrate more on her beautiful garden. In December 2013 she developed her hobby of making photographic collages into a small enterprise by taking photographs of Wanstead landmarks and turning them into jigsaw puzzles. Jill sold these puzzles at the monthly Wanstead Farmers’ Market. Entitled Wanstead – A Very Special Community, the collage contained everything about our London suburb. It turned into a quick success. She remarked: “It is quite simple but it is a real joy to sell them. Children especially are interested so that is why I have a slightly easier 200-piece puzzle for them.”

Jill always had time for anyone and was always willing to lend help to those with a problem. She will be deeply missed by the Neighbourhood Watch groups, the local police and residents, who looked at her as a beacon for a model citizen looking after her neighbourhood.

Jill passed away on 25 May 2019 following a road traffic collision while visiting family in Somerset. She leaves behind husband Mick, daughters Sam, Kate and Polly and five grandchildren.

Wanstead resident and student member of Stop the War Coalition Lucy Nichols explains why she and a few friends recently hosted a stall on the High Street opposing war with Iran

On Saturday 29 June, myself and a group of student activists from the Stop the War Coalition ran a very successful stall on Wanstead High Street. We talked about the very real threat of war with Iran and encouraged locals to share with us the reasons why they were against British involvement in a war in the Middle East.

We came to Wanstead as part of a national day of action called by the Stop the War Coalition, a campaign group set up prior to the war in Iraq which has been campaigning tirelessly against British and American warmongering abroad ever since. The group has a support network that spans the country and includes everything from religious groups to trade unions.

I have been very fortunate in working for the group during my gap year, which has resulted in a fair amount of experience running stalls, leafleting and protesting. This is why I decided to come and campaign in Wanstead; I thought I’d bring everything I know about campaigning back to the High Street I grew up on.

Anti-war sentiment is strong in Wanstead, and in reality, it is difficult to find anyone in Britain who believes that going to war with Iran is a good idea. Despite this, there is no doubt that when US troops are sent to Iran, British troops will follow. Given the chance we could lose the EU as a trading partner, the Conservative government is doing everything possible to keep the US a close ally – even if it means supporting Trump’s populism, racism and warmongering.

By the time you read this, our next prime minister will have been chosen, but as Jeremy Hunt was among the first to back Trump’s line blaming Iran for the attacks on the tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and with Boris Johnson’s status as our own personal Donald Trump, it is safe to say we’ll probably be joining in with the war on Iran regardless of who our new Tory premier is.

This is precisely why we must continue to mobilise against war. The best way to do this is by getting out and talking to people, as seen by the success of our stall. We amassed almost 100 signatures for our petition and raised almost £60 in donations. Wanstead locals shared their concerns surrounding the grave threat of war, stating ‘it will impact the most vulnerable and innocent the most’ and that we ought to ‘learn from Iraq’.

A Western war on Iran would plunge the region into uncertainty and utterly devastate millions of lives – just like the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen did. I urge people of all ages – especially young people – to help educate, agitate and organise against war.

London City Airport’s Master Plan, released on 28 June, proposes to double the number of flights each year. Steve Wilks looks at the effects of the new proposals on Wanstead and its environs

With an increasingly global and networked world, travelling in our jobs is becoming more commonplace. At London City Airport, in the last five years, its passenger numbers have grown by 40%, hitting 4.8 million in 2018. It expects demand to rise to 11 million by 2035, but its current capacity is limited to 6.5 million passengers, according to the London Borough of Newham.

London City CEO Robert Sinclair has stated the airport does not plan to build a new runway, extend the length of it or expand beyond its current site boundary. The airport wants to emphasise that it will focus on sustainability while expanding and using fuel-efficient aircraft and making its grounds operations carbon neutral.

The airport has tabled a Draft Master Plan 2020–2035 – it proposes to double the number of flights from 75k to 151k by 2035. It is also looking to relax a restriction that sees it close between 1pm on Saturdays and 12.30pm on Sundays, as well as an eight-hour overnight curfew and greater flexibility in its operations in the first and last 30 minutes of weekdays, meaning more early morning and late evening flights. A feedback form has been released for public comment until 20 September.

With this in mind, the plans are likely to face some opposition from environmental groups and neighbouring residents in the outer boroughs. John Stewart, chair of campaign group Hacan East, has warned that “flight numbers could almost double from today’s total.” Local communities will be concerned about the huge increase in the number of planes proposed and in the early hours of the morning and late at night when many people find aircraft most intrusive. Even the safeguards the airport will put in place to reduce noise will have only a marginal effect by 2035. There are also the increased environmental effects – a 2010 MIT study suggests you are more likely to die from exposure to toxic sulphur dioxide pollutants from plane exhausts than in a plane crash.

There is also very limited consultation by the airport – no consultation events are being held in some of the most heavily overflown boroughs, like Redbridge. This risks ignoring a significant proportion of residents who will be most affected by the proposals and this does not bode well for transparency in its dealings with key stakeholders.

While we have to accept the commercial realities of business, and the fact people need to travel, it is essential trips are only made if they are necessary. Technology now allows us to have conference calls online, thus enabling people from different locations around the world to connect. This surely must be cheaper for companies to invest in and less disruptive to employees and their lifestyles.

A performing arts school in Wanstead celebrated its 10th anniversary in July by staging a show at Forest School’s Deaton Theatre.

“It is very humbling to know that our school has become a significant part of the lives of so many young people over the past 10 years, and to see their growing love and appreciation of the performing arts,” said Michael Da Silva Pearce, principal of DSP Performing, which runs Saturday classes for five- to 16-year-olds at Wanstead High School.

Visit dsp-performing.org

Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club has raised over £46k through its Project Heron campaign, which is aiming to generate £75k to refurbish its clubhouse and install new cricket nets.

The total includes a £25k grant from Sport England, £10k from the National Lottery Community Fund and several £1,000-plus anonymous donations.

“Congratulations to the fundraising committee for all their work to achieve this… Over the coming months, we will continue to organise events and apply for more grants to reach our target,” said club chairman Martin Pluck.

Visit wnstd.com/nets

A South Woodford resident who organised an informal gathering of local classic car owners and their vehicles in June is planning to repeat the event this month, and is extending an invitation to Wanstead car enthusiasts.

“‘Classic and a Cuppa’ is open to all classic, vintage and veteran cars and perhaps some more modern, interesting or rare ones,” said Gary Zylberszac, whose first event at South Woodford’s Derby Road car park saw 26 vehicles take part.

The second gathering will take place from 10am to 12 noon on 11 August.

Visit wnstd.com/cars

Work to replace 5.3km of water pipes across 20 roads in Wanstead began last week and is expected to continue until March.

“This is an important piece of work and we’re investing £2.2 million in the scheme to provide a safe and reliable supply for future generations… A range of techniques which do not require open trenches will be used to lay the new pipes, with trenches being used only as a last resort… We don’t plan to remove any trees, but any that do have to be removed will be replaced,” said a Thames Water spokesperson.

Redbridge Council is seeking feedback on plans to fine drivers who leave their engines running while parked as part of the authority’s efforts to reduce air pollution.

“Engine idling is one of the key contributors to air pollution and this new policy will be an important tool to reduce toxic air,” said a spokesperson.

Fines will only be issued if drivers refuse to switch off their engine when asked. The consultation closes on 2 August.

Visit wnstd.com/idle

John Cryer MP has confirmed he intends to seek reselection as Labour’s candidate for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency at the next general election.

“I look forward to asking local members to once again put their trust in me to represent Leyton and Wanstead in Westminster,” said the politician, who has represented the area since the general election in 2010 and currently enjoys a majority of 22,607 following the 2017 election.

Visit johncryermp.co.uk

A series of free information sessions are being run in the borough, offering tenants the chance to find out about their rights and renting in Redbridge.

The mobile Redbridge Tenants Forum is taking place throughout July in various locations and is also being used as a platform to let renters know about a free new course being offered by the council. The Redbridge Tenant Accreditation Course gives tenants the opportunity to learn in more detail about their rights, how to be a good tenant and the responsibilities and rights of a landlord.

As well as finding out more about the course, the information sessions also offer tenants general advice on tenant rights and how to resolve difficult situations with landlords. Free Tenant Information Packs will also be distributed at the sessions.

The session will take place at Wanstead Library on 24 July from 1pm to 4pm.

To book a place, email prslicensing@redbridge.gov.uk