July 2025

Ninety years ago, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed the famous K6 telephone box. Wanstead’s own iconic kiosk has now been adopted by Wanstead House Community Association. Kathryn Stangaard reports

It has always surprised me when someone comes into Wanstead House for the first time and says they have lived in the area for years but never knew we were here! For nearly 80 years, Wanstead House Community Association has been part of the local community, here every day of the week providing classes and clubs for everyone from birth to 110!

As a charitable organisation, advertising is expensive; our website and social media work well but sometimes you need something more obvious that really stands out, so what could be better than that typically British London landmark, the phone box?

One of our art tutors, Brenda Coyle, brought to my attention that we could adopt the historic phone box outside Wanstead Station. It was a very easy process. I sent an email to the relevant department at BT and we answered a few simple questions to see if we were eligible. The phone boxes are only available for adoption by councils and charities, so we fitted the bill and were accepted straight away. Obviously, we do have to maintain it, keep it clean and free of graffiti, and we can then use it to advertise Wanstead House and all that goes on here. Around the country, these redundant phone boxes have been used as book exchanges, art galleries and to house defibrillators (we have one of those at Wanstead House now as well, thanks to Martin & Co). It is surprising what you can do with a small space.

This particular phone box is a special one. Known as a K6 kiosk, it was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 to mark King George V’s Silver Jubilee. Positioned beside a rare Edward VIII post box, Wanstead’s K6 was Grade II listed in 1987 and is one of only two K6s in the borough (the other one is in Woodford Green, opposite The Castle).

Giles Gilbert Scott was a talented architect, best remembered for the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. He stemmed from the famous Scott dynasty of architects whose patriarch was George Gilbert Scott (Giles’ grandfather), whose work includes Snaresbrook Crown Court and Christ Church, Wanstead.

This amazing opportunity, to be able to adopt and use a part of history, has cost just £1. That was all BT were asking for it, so all we would ask you is to please help us look after this piece of heritage and take the time to stop and have a look at what is going on at your local community centre. I guarantee there will be something that will be of interest to you to keep your mind active or your body fit. It’s never too early or too late to try something new and we always welcome new members. So, next time you are passing, don’t forget to make a quick call to the phone box and see what we have going on.

Wanstead House is located at 21 The Green, Wanstead, E11 2NT. Call 020 8989 3693 or visit wnstd.com/house

A public meeting will be held on Saturday 12 July to discuss the issues surrounding TfL’s changes to local bus routes.

The W12, W13 and W14 bus services were changed last September, prompting a campaign by residents over reduced frequencies and new routes.

The meeting will be held at Wanstead House Community Centre from 2.30pm and will be attended by Caroline Russell, deputy chairperson of the London Assembly Transport Committee.

Wanstead House Community Centre is located at 21 The Green, Wanstead, E11 2NT (on the corner of Redbridge Lane West.)

Charlotte Monro explains the positive impact Wanstead Community Riding Stables is having on children with additional needs and why your support is needed for next month’s open day… and a larger horse

I am writing this in the cool of my garden, thinking of my day at the stables. It was busy! Over 60 primary school children, Year 5, were on a round of activities from riding and grooming horses to outdoor games in the paddock. I see groups of determined children balancing wheelbarrows to tip on the muck heap, an anxious face as a child first sits on a horse, changing to a confident smile as we walk out of the yard.

Watching the string of horses ahead with their riders and volunteer leaders making their way through our patch of green wildness, this is exactly what our little community riding stables are for: people from East London discovering the joy of horses in open spaces and growing in confidence as they learn to connect with these magnificent animals.

Aldersbrook’s riding stables, tucked away behind Wanstead Park, has been bringing people and horses together for over 50 years. Now, a new community riding stables is there, a social enterprise, and with it has come a new energy. Working together with other community groups, Wanstead Community Riding Stables (WCRS) has, over the last year and a half, enabled numerous children and adults with disabilities to ride and care for horses, providing over 600 group and individual sessions. Impacts have been beyond expectation.

The rhythmic movement of a horse, the way horses communicate with people. These are known to have special interactions with people’s disabilities, but seeing this for myself, hearing the feedback from parents and teachers, brought home the value: “Yesterday, she was able to hold herself up in the saddle without any assistance.” “We couldn’t believe how he sat calmly on the horse and listened to instructions.” Breakthroughs in communication, too; one child, for the first time ever in his two years at school, talked to his mother about his day after riding with his primary school SEND group – single words, but she could follow his story.

Grants have made all this possible with no charge to participants. NHS NE London ICB funds the project for people in Redbridge with autism and learning disabilities to connect with horses. The project was created by Aldersbrook Stables Community (ASCCIC), a small CIC some of us set up in 2023. Redbridge and the Postcode Society Trust have also given valuable support.

Now, this is where we need your support! In an exciting development, our local RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association), together with WCRS CIC are planning a big open day on 25 August. We are raising funds for the RDA and for a larger horse (see link below), so more adults and teens can ride. I do hope you can join us and support us.

For more information on the riding stables visit www.wcrscic.co.uk

To donate to the fundraiser for a larger horse, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/community-horse-power

For more information about the Connecting with Horses project, or the larger horse, email aldersbrookcic@gmail.com

Tickets for this year’s Wanstead Beer Festival are on sale.

The event – now in its third year – will be taking place in the halls of Christ Church from 1pm on 4 October.

“There will be more than 50 beers from across the country, including many local breweries, plus cider, gin, wine and food. Over 700 people attended last year and we hope for even more this year, so come along and share a beer with friends and neighbours,” said organiser Paul Donovan. The £10 admission fee includes a unique Wanstead Beer Festival glass.

Visit wnstd.com/beer

The future of Wanstead Park’s waterways and the River Roding are inextricably linked, so what will be the best outcome? Councillor Paul Donovan explores the options

The competing demands for water in the local area was one theme that came out of a recent session run by Epping Forest in Wanstead Park. Invited to the park, local stakeholders were shown around by Epping Forest staff. The focus was the Park Plan, with projects that had been undertaken and in some cases completed over the past couple of years.

On the completion side, there is the floating reed bed on the Heronry Pond. Work to restore the Grotto is underway, with refurbishment of the Temple about to start.

But perhaps the most interesting proposal is the plan to pump water from the River Roding into the adjacent Ornamental Water (pictured here, where there has been no water for some time), then onto the other lakes in the park. The new plan, in a way, operates the opposite way around to the originally designed water system. Then, the water flowed from The Basin on the golf course to the Shoulder of Mutton Pond, onto the Heronry Pond, the Perch Pond and finally the Ornamental Water. The old system no longer functions well, with different lakes drying up over recent years. The Ornamental Water in particular does not hold water for long.

The stopgap measure of recent times has seen the Environment Agency (EA) granting a licence for Epping Forest to pump water from nearby bore holes into the Heronry Pond and Perch Pond. But this is a short-term arrangement, not a permanent solution. Epping Forest is set to replace the old pumphouse with a new one to extract water from the River Roding in the winter months, though EA approval is required for this to happen.

The role of the River Roding in this equation is an interesting one to ponder. On the one hand, there are the warnings about rising river levels with the onset of climate change. This could put surrounding residential areas under threat of being flooded. A safety valve, like the extraction of water to expanses like the park, can relieve some of these pressures. On the other hand, at present, river levels seem low, with competing interests seeking to draw on already depleted resources. The EA has to decide which interests take priority.

There are many calls for water to be restored to the Wanstead Park lakes. Yet, others say why should the river be depleted to maintain a man-made structure in what was the playpen of members of the British aristocracy in past centuries? The park, though, as part of Epping Forest, was given to the people of London by the Crown in 1878. Indeed, the river used to run through the Ornamental Water before it was separated off and straightened as part of the 18th-century designs of the park.

So, there are interesting, competing narratives on the question of water supplies. Some imaginative thinking is required from all sides. Pumping water from the Roding into the lakes has a role to play, but there will be a question of how much? What will future water levels be on the Roding? Maybe going forward, there should be thought given to developing more reed beds and wetland-style terrain, as part of the long-term solution. Or some sort of restoration of the original design, with the river running through the Ornamental Water or controlled by a sluice gate?

The park needs to be viewed as but one part of the overall mosaic that includes the River Roding as well as surrounding residential and non-residential areas. A more holistic view is needed to ensure a truly sustainable long-term solution.

For more information on the Park Plan, visit wnstd.com/parkplan

Wanstead Mental Health Clinic is seeking donations for its Counselling Bursary Fund.

“It is our intention to offer over 2,000 hours of mental health support, starting from just £20 per hour. The fund will allow those in need to access ethical and qualified professional support at their time of need. We are asking for your help to make this possible and save lives,” said the venue’s non-clinical director David Sleet.

Located at 11–13 Cambridge Park, Wanstead, the clinic opened in January 2025.

Visit wnstd.com/mhcfund

Local estate agent Michael Molloy – the owner of Martin & Co Wanstead – has donated a defibrillator to Wanstead House Community Association.

“I attended playschool there 40 years ago and also took my two kids there for baby classes. Now, I book rooms for meetings. Recently, my team attended a first-aid course and when I heard there was no defibrillator on site I wanted to help,” said Michael.

Located on the corner of Redbridge Lane West and The Green, the centre has provided educational and social opportunities since 1946.

Over 100 people attended the Wanstead Repair Café last month, with a total of 72 items given a new lease of life.

“As well as repairs, we also had stalls from Redbridge Council on sustainable living, the Wanstead Community Gardeners, who were giving away free plants and seeds, and Wanstead Climate Action, who were giving out leaflets and advice. Overall, 293kg of waste was prevented along with an estimated 2,042kg saving of CO2 emissions,” said a spokesperson.

The next event will take place on 25 October at Christ Church hall.