February 2024

TfL has responded to Redbridge Council’s request for urgent action over disruption to the Central Line.

“Motor failures are still occurring at a higher rate than we have experienced before, which unfortunately will continue to disrupt services for some months… I apologise again,” said Glynn Barton, Chief Operating Officer for TfL. With 10 Central Line stations across the borough, the impact is widespread. “We need to see immediate action to improve the service, not just apologies,” said Councillor Jo Blackman.

Redbridge Council has introduced tougher sanctions for those who make a mess in the borough.

“Anyone caught dumping their rubbish now faces a £1,000 on-the-spot fine for fly-tipping,” said a spokesperson. There will also be £200 fines for littering and £500 fines for graffitiing or fly-posting. The council offers a bulky waste collection service entitling residents to a free collection every 12 months.

Visit wnstd.com/bulky

Hundreds of local people have expressed their concerns and priorities for Wanstead Park in a public survey conducted by the Friends of Wanstead Parklands.

Respondents listed preserving the lakes, improving the natural environment and improving public access as the three most pressing issues, with litter and dog behaviour also highlighted as problem areas. Peacefulness, being close to nature and walks around the lakes were among the reasons people appreciate Wanstead Park.

“With over 400 replies to the survey, it’s clear our members and the public love the park and value the benefits it brings. On their behalf, our committee will now present these findings to the City of London Corporation and other stakeholders to encourage action to address their priorities,” said a spokesperson.

There have been numerous plans to ‘improve’ Wanstead Flats throughout history. Here, local historian Mark Gorman discusses seven such attempts

Wanstead Flats, as the southern boundary of Epping Forest, is protected by parliament. The 1878 Epping Forest Act was revolutionary in the history of open space in Britain – the first time a right was recognised for the people to use an open space for recreation and enjoyment. The Act also prevents any building anywhere in the forest. So, Wanstead Flats has been safe from the developers? Not completely!

In 1851, Lord Mornington, the local landowner, offered to rebuild Smithfield meat market on the Flats – for a price. At that time, cattle were still driven to market overland and the Flats was used for fattening cows. Plans were drawn up for stalls, abbatoirs and railway yards. A report to the landowner said this was the ideal spot as it was “not a fashionable area.”

In 1864, a brickworks was set up on the Flats to meet the growing demand for construction materials as the area grew. Lord Cowley had inherited the Wanstead estate from his cousin and was continuing the family tradition of determined exploitation. Despite local complaints about the pollution, the brickworks remained on the Flats until the early 1880s. It’s still possible to see remains of the old workings to the east of Centre Road.

By 1871, Cowley had another plan. He started to put up fences to prevent people getting onto large parts of the Flats. House building was starting in Forest Gate and he saw his chance to turn the Flats into a large estate. A huge demonstration was called and the fences were flattened. This was a major step in the campaign to save Epping Forest.

But the Epping Forest Act didn’t put off the developers. In 1907, plans appeared in a local newspaper to develop “the ragged end of the Flats.” These included the construction of a concert hall on the corner of Capel Road and Centre Road, complete with tram tracks. An avenue was proposed from the hall to the gates of Wanstead Park. Fortunately, it never happened.

Between 1941 and 1946, the Flats hosted prisoners of war from Italy, and after D-Day, Germans too. The camps, on Capel Road and west of Centre Road, were said to be surrounded by flimsy wire, but no PoWs tried to escape. Activities such as visits to Upton Park to see West Ham, and to local council meetings to learn about democracy, may have tempted some to make a getaway.

As the last German prisoners were leaving in 1946, West Ham Council came up with a plan to build a housing estate for 7,000 people on the Flats. Both West Ham and East Ham councils had built temporary housing for bombed-out East Londoners, and parts of the Flats were covered by small housing developments. West Ham argued the land was needed to replace the houses lost in the Blitz, even though a Greater London Plan had been drawn up for housing further out in Essex. Invoking memories of 1871, a massive campaign was organised, including a petition signed by 60,000. After a public inquiry, the plan was turned down.

And finally… In 2012, buildings did appear on the Flats when the Metropolitan Police sited their Olympics briefing centre next to Jubilee Pond. Again, a local campaign was mounted, but despite petitions to parliament, the briefing centre came… and went. Its legacy was funding, which helped to pay for repairs to Jubilee Pond, which had previously been rescued from dereliction by the efforts of the local community.

So, it couldn’t happen again. Or could it? Watch this space!

Mark Gorman and fellow historian Peter Williams are the authors of Wanstead Flats: A Short Illustrated History. Priced £10, the book is available from The Newham Bookshop in Upton Park, Stone Mini Market in Leytonstone and Number 8 The Emporium in Forest Gate. Email markrgorman2@aol.com

In the ninth of a series of articles featuring the images of local photographers who document the wildlife of Wanstead Park and the surrounding area, Deepak Dembla presents his macro shot of a Nursery Web Spider

I am an IT professional by trade, but photography, stargazing, fitness and dancing are my passions. Covid lockdowns made me explore Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park more than ever with my camera. And ever since, nature has always surprised me with something amazing. It’s a genuine treasure on my doorstep!

Shooting spiders can be tricky at times; some hide and some keep moving among bushes. But it’s easy with Nursery Web Spiders – as pictured here – as they love sunbathing. It means plenty of light and opportunities to shoot. A good tripod is often required while doing macro photography like this, but I generally tend to shoot handheld. This shot was taken with a Nikon D610 camera and Sigma 105mm macro lens. I used manual focus and my settings were 1/160th second shutter speed at F-stop 11 and ISO 640.

Both Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park are a great place to do macro photography. You can typically spot bees, hoverflies, common flies, hornets, wasps, caterpillars, insect eggs, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, craneflies and, of course, numerous spiders, to name just a few.

The Nursery Web Spider is a common spider of grassland and scrub. It is often seen among brambles and stinging nettles, and typically holds its front two pairs of legs together pointing forwards. They are relatively large, ranging between 10mm and 50mm. They vary in colour from grey through to orange and dark brown, and their legs have small black spines sticking out.

Nursery Web Spiders are roaming hunters, which means they don’t use webs for catching prey (it gets its name from the delicate care the female takes of her egg sac). Many can walk on the surface of still bodies of water and may even dive temporarily to escape enemies.

To view more of Deepak’s wildlife photos, visit wnstd.com/deepak

Anna Orpwood from local solicitors Edwards Duthie Shamash encourages you to put a plan in place for the future management of your affairs, and explains why Lasting Powers of Attorney are important to get right

Have you put a plan in place for the future if you can no longer manage your property and financial affairs or make decisions about your health and welfare? As a solicitor working in this field, I see so many clients who very sadly leave these decisions too late. 

Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) can only be put in place when you have full mental capacity. There is a real misconception that LPAs are only for very elderly clients and those on the verge of dementia – often, at that point, it is too late to action, and the only option then is lengthy court proceedings with the Court of Protection.

There are two types of LPAs, both very different. It is important you understand the benefits of both when making plans and decisions about your future. You need to consider who your attorneys might be and what extent of authority you are happy for them to have. And you need to talk through all of the options and ensure you make the right choices.

There has been much in the news in recent years about how husbands and wives have been left shocked when they realise they have been unable to access their loved ones’ funds when it is needed, for example, to manage their care or investments. People assume that as they are married, they will automatically be able to access such accounts – this, however, is not the reality. A Lasting Power of Attorney would prevent upset and stress at a time when it would be most unwelcome.

Research by Solicitors For The Elderly shows that 65% of us think our next-of-kin will make medical and care decisions for us if we are no longer able to. In reality, this is not the case unless a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney is in place. Whilst there’s been a rise in the number of enquiries made about LPAs during and since the pandemic, only 22% of people in the UK actually have one in place.

To avoid this difficult kind of legal situation, it is important to use a specialist lawyer who is experienced in this area of the law and is trained to support people making these crucial, complex and difficult decisions. According to Which?, 22,000 LPAs are rejected every year, so it is essential you get your legal documents right.

There are many things to think about with Lasting Powers of Attorney and using a specialist will ensure you have fully considered all of your options. I understand making these decisions can seem daunting, and setting up LPAs is a big decision, but it will give you peace of mind in future years once you have done so.

Edwards Duthie Shamash is located at 149 High Street, Wanstead, E11 2RL. For more information, call 020 8514 9000 or visit edwardsduthieshamash.co.uk

A community project which aims to break the stigma of men’s mental health will launch in Redbridge next month.

“Our mission is to get men talking about mental health. We do this by offering free walk and talk groups across London. You don’t have to be in a bad place to join us, but at the core of what we do is create a safe environment where you can talk if you want to. It would be great to see Wanstead’s men joining us for our Redbridge walks,” said Scott Johnson, who launched The Proper Blokes Club in 2020.

Visit wnstd.com/pbc

Local resident Roland Saunders discusses his interest in giving old photographs a new lease of life by recolouring them using artificial intelligence 

Recently, I’ve been looking at my digital collection of local photographs of Woodford and Wanstead. I have lived in South Woodford for most of my life, as did my parents and grandparents before me. During lockdown, I set up a Facebook group called Woodford, South Woodford and Wanstead Memories and Life. Some of the older photographs have been exciting to see, capturing times gone by. Using software to enhance photos brings a new level of realism.

In the digital age, our ability to interact with and enhance photographs using artificial intelligence (AI) has reached unprecedented levels. One fascinating technique that has gained popularity in recent years is palette recolouring – a process that breathes new life into old photos. By applying modern colour schemes to vintage images, we revive memories, making them more vibrant and relatable to contemporary audiences.

Palette recolouring involves selecting a new colour palette for an image while preserving its original structure and details. This technique is not about altering the content of a photo but rather reimagining it through a fresh set of colours. It can be applied to black-and-white photos, sepia-toned images or faded colour pictures, effectively transporting them to a different era or infusing them with a contemporary aesthetic.

One of the key challenges in palette recolouring is maintaining the authenticity and emotional resonance of the original photograph. Artists and enthusiasts must strike a delicate balance between introducing new colours and preserving the historical or sentimental value of the image. Careful consideration of the subject matter, historical context and cultural nuances is essential to ensure the recolouring enhances rather than detracts from the photo’s significance.

Palette recolouring offers a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the past and present. By infusing old photos with contemporary colour schemes, we can relate to historical moments in a more personal and engaging way, such as seeing photos of Wanstead and Woodford from 100 years ago in colour.

Recolouring vintage images allows us to gain a renewed appreciation for the past, fostering a stronger connection between generations. It’s a means of ensuring the stories and memories encapsulated in old photographs continue to resonate with those who come after us.

We still have some way to go before, as in the film Blade Runner, we can actually go inside the photograph and explore, but I’m sure we will be heading that way. Using AI technology, currently, we can already build missing parts of the picture, upscale the resolution, and, of course, colour a black-and-white image. Software is improving all the time, and I’m sure in a few years, the images will be taken to new levels of realism.

To join the Woodford, South Woodford and Wanstead Memories and Life Facebook Group, visit wnstd.com/wml

In the first of a series of articles charting the experiences of a Wanstead-based travel writer, Carole Edrich takes us on a trip to Austria in search of something original to write about The Sound of Music 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a freelance journo looking for something original to write about The Sound Of Music and Salzburg must be in need of a good drink.

It was the summer of 2015. I had been up packing ‘till the early hours (natural corollary of starting at 8pm) and was on the Tube at OMG in the morning. I then spent my time in the airport trying not to fall asleep, and my time on the plane wishing I could. Loads of journalists were there for the 50th-anniversary celebrations of The Sound of Music. I had to stay awake for ages while the hotel bus slowly filled with them.

Salzburgerland is beautiful. It begs for the taking of photos, the eating of strudel and the drinking-in of atmosphere and – naturally – beer. We wanted to stop for different reasons; that beer, for the view, to visit a schloss… I didn’t care, so long as there was coffee. Johann-the-driver’s mission – to deliver us unto the hotel, and let us do no evil – prevented that. But what he said while driving inspired my first Salzburger-ish story: “We go to the coffee house for everything. To read or to be alone, to concentrate or learn something, for the news or to watch people. A good coffee house is like a club; you can do everything there.” I asked: “How do you know if people want to talk?” With a glint in his eye, Johann replied: “We are not stupid. That’s why we have different-sized tables! There are tables for one, two, or three, or more. Tables for every situation and every emotion. That’s why every coffee house has at least two rooms. Also, the ceilings are very high, so you don’t have to smell each other.”

Johann’s banter – pure schmäh – is classic coffee-house culture. Interactions between people with schmäh are a charming, anarchic and friendly battle of wits. Salzburger coffee house habitués Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his father; Max Reinhardt; Marlene Dietrich; Thomas Mann and Arthur Miller would have all played with schmäh. It grew from how below-stairs servants made fun of their masters and has been an aspect of coffee-house society for hundreds of years.

Mega press trips are once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so it was amazing that this mere freelancer had been invited. More amazing that I got a commission to write about the anniversary of a film I don’t particularly like, and yet more amazing that another article idea popped into my head before I got to the hotel.

Could I write stories combining coffee-house culture with the film’s 50th anniversary? My answer – a mash-up of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Jane Eyre – was fantastically, wildly improbable. Like most fantastically, wildly improbable ideas, it was at least as worthy of consideration as a mundane one with the facts bent to fit. Reader, I’ve written it.

To contact Carole or to read more of her work, visit caroleinnit.com

A Valentine’s Day-inspired concert featuring songs from stage and screen will take place at Christ Church on 25 February from 2.30pm.

“This relaxed performance will be family-friendly and dementia-friendly, concluding with an uplifting singalong. The event will feature classically-trained professional artists Andrea Tweedale (soprano), Matthew Palmer (baritone) and Jenny Trew (pianist),” said Vivien Conacher from Songhaven. The 45-minute concert is free to attend (booking required).

Visit wnstd.com/sh

In the fourth of a series of articles to mark Wanstead High School’s 100th anniversary, former student Paul Donovan (class of 1980) reflects on his memories of the characters he encountered at the school 

The 100th anniversary of Wanstead High School in 2024 is a momentous event. The school became Wanstead High when it turned comprehensive in the early 1970s. Previously a grammar, the school was known as Wanstead County High School. Something some ex-pupils from that era like to emphasise.

I went to Wanstead High from Aldersbrook Primary in the September of 1973. At the time, the school was still split over two sites in Wanstead and Aldersbrook, the school having been created by bringing together Wanstead County High School and Aldersbrook Secondary Modern. The first term, we were at Wanstead, second term at Aldersbrook and in the third term, the whole school came together on the one site on Redbridge Lane West. A whole new building had been created, including science labs, music area and theatre.

The head was Donald Mackay, who had a rather austere persona. I tended to bracket him with Mr Mackay, the prison governor played by the actor Fulton Mackay in the Ronnie Barker comedy Porridge. Mackay was ably supported by deputies Michael Jones and Nick Wheeler-Robinson. The team had a real commitment to the ideal of comprehensive education, giving everyone a chance, regardless of background. The austere image, though, did come crashing down early on when a relationship between Mackay and a former sixth-former was revealed. The national media were out around the gates of the school. We pupils were told not to speak to them. Mackay left the school. He remained with the former sixth-former for some years thereafter. After an interim period when Jones was in charge, Phyllis Taylor took over as head, and she remained so for the rest of my time there.

The school had a number of characters over the years. Head of English, Bernard ‘Bugsy’ Doyle was someone many ex-pupils will remember. A small, at times rather angry, aggressive man. Unsurprisingly, the Bugsy nickname came from his resemblance to a rabbit. Whilst English could be testing with Doyle, he knew his stuff and there were never any disciplinary issues in his classes.

The last big celebration at the school was for the 75th anniversary in 1999. It was fascinating to go back for the day, meeting staff and former pupils. One conversation I remember that day was with Daniel Levy, now chairman of Tottenham Hotspur. Daniel was in my year, a member of House 4. Another who rose to fame from my time at the school was Nick Berry. Nick was a couple of years younger than me but came to play football on the top field during lunch times. Nick, of course, went on to find fame as an actor in EastEnders. 

Wanstead High was a great place to be educated with good, committed teachers. The present custodians appear to be carrying on the school traditions. Long may it last.

For more information on Wanstead High School, visit wansteadhigh.co.uk

At this month’s meeting of the North East London Astronomical Society, Dr John Fisher will give a presentation about James Bradley (1692–1762), a local unsung hero of science who proved the Earth orbits the sun from observations made in Wanstead.

“The consequences of Bradley’s discoveries made in a modest dwelling on the site of the present Co-op were far-reaching,” said Dr Fisher, whose presentation will take place at Wanstead House on 18 February from 1.30pm (visitors welcome).

Email stevek1951@hotmail.com