Marian Temple invites you to join the Wanstead Community Gardeners on two evening ‘trundles’ this June to hear the stories behind the patches, meet the gardeners who created them and discover the blooming heart of Wanstead’s community spirit. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson
Wanstead Community Gardeners have been super active for a good ten years now, but it all started in 2003 with the Corner House Garden at the Age Concern Luncheon Club. At that time, the garden was a sorry sight indeed, but was to become Wanstead’s iconic cottage garden on the High Street.
Since then, there’s been no stopping us. We now have over 40 patches of former SPPS (sad patch of public soil), from tree surrounds to full-sized gardens. We took them under our trowel and the resulting patches help make Wanstead the special place it is. Want to join in the fun? Ask one of us or send us an email.
We’ve been doing the Wanstead trundles for some time now because people are really interested in our patches of gardens and want to know how they came about.
This year, it will be two trundles because us Community Gardeners now have so many patches all over the place that it’s not possible to cover the ground in one session!
There are two dates for a leisurely evening guided walk with the stories of how each patch came into being and a chance to meet the gardeners who created them. Entertainment guaranteed.
The first trundle will take place on Monday 2 June; meet at Snaresbrook Station for 7pm if you’d like to join us. At this end of the High Street, there were no obvious sad flower beds for us to adopt, so we looked skywards. Lots of interesting stories to be heard about the Hanging Gardens of Snaresbrook. We’ll have a quick look at Solly’s Patch, the raised street planter at the end of Lonsdale Road. This was due to be flattened when its occupant, the Horse Chestnut tree, died, but the council let us have it, complete with tree stump, so the well-loved patch of colour on the corner was created. We’ll finish at the Wanstead Clinic Garden on Wanstead Place, another delight and work in progress.
On Monday 9 June, we’ll be meeting at 7pm again, this time at the Belgique Bed, which is at the end of George Green, on the opposite side of the road to Belgique. We’ll have a look at that border, the Gravel Garden, the mini meadow behind that, then cross George Green to Ingrid’s Isle (pictured here), that amazing traffic roundabout turned garden, much beloved by drivers and footsters alike. We’ll finish this second trundle at the Corner House Garden, opposite the Co-op, where this whole story started 22 years ago.
No need to book, just turn up. Each walk will probably take about two hours, but people are free to join or leave as they wish. Join us for a chance to find out about this little niche of Wanstead history.
Happy trundling!
To contact the Wanstead Community Gardeners, visit wnstd.com/wcg
