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The Friends of Wanstead Parklands will host a New Year stroll in the park on 5 January, with an irreverent, local interpretation on the 12 days of Christmas.

“Join us for an easy post-Christmas morning stroll. We’ll take a tour of some historical highlights of the park, highlighting 12 key moments in its history. This will be a Wanstead Park epiphany walk!” said Adrian Russell.

The walk will depart from the park’s Warren Road entrance at 10.30am, finishing at the tea hut by 12 noon.

Email info@wansteadpark.org.uk

Residents have until 5 January to apply to adopt a tree pit on their street, alongside year-round applications to remove an entire road from the chemical weed control spraying schedule.

“A tree pit is the soil area at the base of trees, perfect for planting with wildflowers. Last year, residents adopted over 650 tree pits across the borough, boosting biodiversity. If you have previously adopted a tree pit, you will have to re-apply as adoptions only last for 12 months,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/treepits

Benjamin Murphy, Chair of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee, has published an update on work taking place in Wanstead Park. In the second of a series of extracts, the focus is on the Grotto

For those who may not be aware, Wanstead Park is a Grade II* Registered Park and Garden (RPG) and has been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register (HARR) since 2009.

In 1954, the Temple and the nearby Grotto were designated as Grade II listed buildings, while in 1970 the Wanstead Park area was designated as a Conservation Area. The Wanstead Park Conservation Area was added to the HARR in 2010, while the Grotto was separately added in 2017. In its prime, Wanstead House was known to rival the Palace of Versailles in its grandeur – it was the pride of the East End of London.

The Grotto dates back to 1761. It was built over two levels with a boathouse that opened directly onto the Ornamental Water, and a room for entertainment above with a service area to the side. The Grotto survived the wreck of the Wanstead House estate and became a popular attraction when the park was opened to the public in 1882, with an admission price of sixpence. Sadly, most of the Grotto was destroyed in a fire in 1884, and while it has had patchy repairs over the intervening years, it has been badly declining. A restoration project is underway. 

So, what specific actions have we taken? We have completed structural investigations and trial pits to understand the foundations, ground conditions and construction materials around the Grotto and landing stage. There has also been archaeological and geological cataloguing of any loose material, including retrieval of loose stones from the Ornamental Water. A restoration and maintenance plan is currently underway, focusing on essential repairs with recommendations for the conservation and structural stabilisation of the Grotto, with the aim these measures will remove it from the HARR.

But more actions still need to take place. The structural investigations and trial pits identified there was a variation in the construction materials of the landing stage; therefore, an updated construction specification and listed building consent for the landing stage had to be sought. This was submitted at the end of September, with consent hopefully due to be granted before the end of the year. Furthermore, the City of London Corporation has identified funding for the essential and recommended repairs, including a contribution of £14,000 from the Heritage of London Trust.

The restoration and maintenance plan will include recommendations for desirable repairs and restoration works to the Grotto and will include recommendations on public access and visitor information for this construction stage. A further study will be required to look at options for the long-term interpretation and visitor access to the Grotto, along with opportunities to find the additional funding for this.

To read Benjamin’s article in full, visit wnstd.com/parkupdate

With otters recently spotted on a local stretch of the River Roding, Paul Powlesland – who founded the River Roding Trust five years ago – is looking for Wanstead residents to become guardians of the river 

When I moved to the River Roding in Barking on my boat in 2017, I perhaps naively assumed there were professionals and government officials looking after the river. After all, the Roding – flowing over 40 miles from its source in Molehill Green in Essex to its confluence with the Thames in Barking – is London’s third-largest river and crucial to the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people in its catchment, as well as the nature that relies on it.

Having lived on and grown to know the river over the past seven years, I came to understand the awful truth that no one was truly acting and speaking in the river’s interests and preventing damage and destruction to the river; as a result, the lower river in particular was in serious trouble. 

I therefore set up the Friends of the River Roding group on Facebook to start gathering other volunteers. This project became the River Roding Trust in 2019 and since then our volunteers have undertaken a growing range of activities to care for the river: water quality testing, continuing litter picks (removing up to 400 bags in a single weekend!), planting trees, opening riverside paths, removing invasive species, ensuring riverside developments benefit the river, restoring the Roding’s lost riverside meadows and marshes wherever possible, and many more.

Our approach as a charity has been very much a grassroots one and we continue to be run solely by volunteers. We are also very locally run, with volunteers getting to know a particular part of the river and then seeking to protect and restore it in whatever ways we can. Although we have sought to protect all of the river, much of our effort so far has been in Barking and in Ilford, where many of our volunteers live. We are now looking to set up volunteer groups further along the river, including in Wanstead and Woodford, and give them the equipment, training, knowledge, advice and social media and organisational connections they need to act as guardians on their part of the river.

The Roding is an incredible river, which along with its valley and catchment could be one of the wildest, most beautiful and ecology-rich urban rivers in the country. But its fate very much hangs in the balance, with bad news about continued ecological and water quality degradation contrasting with positive news like the recent discovery of otters living in the river in Redbridge.

Each one of us who lives in the catchment can make a big difference for our river, so if you love and care for the Roding and would like to get involved in any capacity as a guardian of the river, please do get in touch.

For more information and to get involved, email river.roding@gmail.com or visit wnstd.com/rodingfriends

Enjoy Art Group Wanstead’s current selling display in Wanstead Library’s lobby. It may even inspire you to add art materials to your gift wishlist this year, says group founder Donna Mizzi

Whether your favourite Christmas images include flying reindeer, chirpy robins, turkeys, partridges in pear trees or angels and Christmas tree fairies, they all have a feature in common. And so, Winged Wonders is the theme chosen by Art Group Wanstead members for its Christmas display at Wanstead Library, which runs until Saturday 21 December.

Artists enjoy having a theme to follow – and then creatively breaking the constraints. So, prepare for some left-field ideas. For example, a Robin in Wanstead may well be accompanied by Batman; Star Trek fans can enjoy some enterprising delights (did you know the Klingon’s battleship is called a Bird of Prey?), while keen birdwatchers can marvel at the natural beauty of our feathered friends.

Artwork and cards will be available to purchase, with contact details available. At the appropriately named Christmas ‘Flamingo Fair’ on Saturday 7 December, the showcase in the library’s lobby will be open for sales from 11am to 4pm. 

The Stow Brothers estate agent supports shows by our local artists and is also showing a range of work by Art Group Wanstead member Nataly Kenny until 8 January. Just pop into the estate agent’s office at 117A Wanstead High Street to enjoy this artist’s work.

Art Group Wanstead is open to keen local amateurs, through to professionals. Our members include adults with a wide range of ages, backgrounds and nationalities, all with a connection to the area. In these difficult economic times, the group helps lift people’s spirits and confidence. And we avoid charging membership fees by asking everyone to get involved in helping the group in some way.

For more information on the work of Art Group Wanstead, visit wnstd.com/art

For nearly 100 years, St Gabriel’s Church parish hall has united the Aldersbrook community. Now, the community’s help is needed to ensure it can be restored for future generations. Georgina Brewis and Jane Skelding report

St Gabriel’s parish hall opened in 1927, and the original £4,000 building cost was raised by fundraising within the local community. The campaign was kicked off by an article in the West Ham and South Essex Mail in December 1925, which reported that “the present church room” was now “inadequate for the growing needs of the church and its parochial institutions.” The Sunday School and other community groups, including a branch of the Church Lads’ Brigade, had been using a temporary tin hall for meetings and events. This was put up in 1903 alongside the original tin church, which was replaced by the brick-built St Gabriel’s in 1913.

In May 1927, two foundation stones were laid with great ceremony, witnessed by a large crowd that is a testament to the hall’s importance to the local community. One stone was inscribed ‘on behalf of the Sunday School’ and laid by the Venerable Archdeacon PM Bayne, and the other by Viscountess Byng of Vimy. The hall was already complete by October that year. An advertising leaflet boasted of the hall’s “polished maple floor for dancing” and “large stage with dressing rooms on either side.” The original hire price was up to three guineas for an “ordinary evening” of dances and whist drives. The proximity to Wanstead Flats was a key selling point and groups were encouraged to hire the hall for refreshments after “tennis or other games.”

Then, as now, the hall was in constant use by the church and local community, often for fundraising activities. For example, in the parish archive, there is a flyer from 1948 advertising a sale to raise money for the Bishop’s Fund for Post-War Needs. Activities included handicrafts, a book stall and, of course, plenty of tea and cake.

One hundred years on, the hall is in desperate need of internal upgrades. The Friends of St Gabriel’s has been raising funds to make sure it is fit for the community now and for another hundred years. The theme for this regeneration project is sustainability, meaning reuse, upcycling and energy conservation lie at the heart of all the work undertaken. Today, the hall is still filled seven days a week by a pre-school, uniformed group meetings, dance classes, sports and games nights for adolescents with autism. 

Last year, St Gabriel’s ran its first Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign with donations match-funded. Father Martyn Hawkes said: “Last year’s Big Give was so successful we raised enough to complete the installation of a new hall kitchen. This year, we are having another go to raise the funds needed to reconfigure the back of the hall and add accessible and enhanced storage, which will benefit each and every user.”

To help us restore the hall for future generations, please consider donating to this year’s Big Give between 3 and 10 December.

For more information and to donate, visit wnstd.com/biggive

Art Group Wanstead member Ruth Perry developed her artistic skills during the pandemic, and now finds inspiration in local nature

I’ve come quite late to art. Until I was about to turn 50 in 2020, I hadn’t really done art of any kind since school – and I didn’t do much there! I don’t even have an art O level. As part of a New Year’s resolution to try something different, I signed myself up to a beginners’ watercolour day at City Lit. It was scheduled for mid-April, but then the pandemic hit and we went into lockdown. 

Undeterred, I decided to see what I could teach myself using YouTube videos. It turns out quite a lot! I started watching videos by Alan Owen, an elderly Lancastrian with a love of classic English watercolourists like Edward Wesson and Ron Ransen. I also came across Karen Rice, an online tutor, who encourages experimentation with mark-making, using bubble wrap, clingfilm, sticks from the garden and credit cards. I liked combining watercolours – often thought of as a rather traditional ‘ladylike’ medium – with these more modern techniques. 

Finally, I found Lois Davidson, whose loose, atmospheric landscapes I found really appealing. Just as importantly, I liked the way she explained her process and her attitude to making art. Through Lois, I learned to enjoy being playful with watercolour as a medium, trying out different colour combinations, mark-making techniques and brushes. I learned it wasn’t important to always produce a painting; what mattered was to experiment, have fun and take some learnings from whatever happened during a painting session. This has been excellent advice that has seen me progress from an absolute novice to a hobby painter who actually sells her work.

When the pandemic ended, with hours of practice under my belt and a growing number of paintings cluttering up the house, I joined Art Group Wanstead just as they were planning their annual stand at the Wanstead Festival. Fellow group members – Donna Mizzi, in particular – were incredibly encouraging and offered me practical advice on framing and pricing. I sold six paintings at that first festival and since then, I haven’t looked back.

Wanstead is a great place to be an amateur artist. Last year, Allistair at Compassionate Funerals on Hermon Hill offered me a beautiful space for a solo exhibition. The Stow Brothers regularly invite Art Group Wanstead members to exhibit in their High Street office and this summer, I even had a solo exhibition there.

I am continuing to experiment, branching out into mixed media, combining watercolour with photography, oil pastels and lino printing. I also recently bought myself a gel plate, so who knows where that will lead?

I’m still finding my style as I try out lots of different approaches. But I’d say my work is generally characterised by a willingness to be led by the medium combined with a love of delicacy and precision. And much of it is inspired by local landscape and nature.

To view more of Ruth’s art, follow her on Instagram @ruthperryart

For more information on Ruth’s work, email ruthxperry@gmail.com 

As the holiday season approaches, a group of passionate volunteer bakers led by Paul Canal and Sarah-Jane Hogg are gearing up to make a difference

Each year, a dedicated team of bakers comes together to create delicious, handcrafted Christmas cakes, sold in support of Haven House Children’s Hospice. This initiative raises vital funds to support children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and the effort embodies the holiday spirit of giving and community.

The charity Christmas cake project has become an annual tradition, bringing together people from all walks of life. Through our combined love of baking and community service, our volunteer bakers produce an array of beautiful cakes that celebrate the season’s flavours. Each cake is sold for a donation, with 100% of proceeds going directly to Haven House Children’s Hospice, an organisation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for children and young people.

Haven House Children’s Hospice provides a compassionate and caring environment for children with complex health needs and life-limiting conditions. The Woodford Green hospice offers an array of services, including respite care, music therapy, hydrotherapy and family support. These services play an essential role in the lives of the children and families they serve, helping to create positive memories and relieve the strain of daily challenges.

For Haven House, community support is crucial. As a charity, the hospice relies heavily on donations and volunteer work to sustain its mission. By purchasing or baking one of these Christmas cakes, you’ll be directly helping to fund these services, making a tangible difference for families facing unimaginable challenges.

This year, we’re calling on community members to get involved. If you have a passion for baking or simply want to contribute to a worthy cause, consider joining our team of volunteer bakers. Whether you’re an experienced baker or a beginner with a love for Christmas treats, your time and effort can have a significant impact. Baking sessions are a wonderful way to meet like-minded people, share recipes and enjoy the holiday spirit, all while helping a remarkable cause.

If baking isn’t your thing, you can still make a difference by purchasing one of these delicious cakes. Each cake is a unique creation, lovingly baked, and they make a wonderful holiday gift or festive addition to your own table. By purchasing a cake, you’re not just bringing joy to your family and friends; you’re also supporting essential care for children in need.

Together, we can bake a difference for Haven House Children’s Hospice. Your support will bring hope and joy to children and families this holiday season, a true reflection of what this time of year is all about.

Let’s make this year’s Wanstead and Woodford Christmas Bakers Appeal our best yet!

To become a volunteer baker or to purchase a cake, text 07769 159433, email havenhousebakers@gmail.com or visit wnstd.com/bakers

Benjamin Murphy, Chair of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee, has published an update on work taking place in Wanstead Park. In the first of a series of extracts, the focus is on the Ornamental Water

As part of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee‘s regular cycle of visits to Wanstead Park, we walked the full length of Ornamental Water. With this waterbody completely dry (excluding some recent rainfall) and full of so much vegetation, I do understand the frustrations of those who have written to me asking that we take this seriously.

I can honestly say we do and we are trying everything we can to improve the water resilience of Wanstead Park. However, I have always been transparent in saying the odds are stacked against us with Ornamental Water. The Environment Agency has warned the Mayor of London that within 25 years, London could run out of water. We have a responsibility to ensure the solutions we seek for these man-made waterbodies are sustainable, or to consider alternative options in the best interests of the environment.

So, what specific actions are we taking? Epping Forest currently has an abstraction licence in place to pump 236,520 cubic metres of potable aquifer water each year up until 2028. This is pumped directly into the Heronry Pond and filters down through the cascade. Future abstraction licences are not likely to be permitted and, as such, this is not a long-term, sustainable operation. Therefore, the reinstatement and extension of an ‘up cascade’ scheme needs to be developed. We have engaged expert consultants Spaflow to design a new pump house and new pumps to extract water from the River Roding. Our consultants have engaged extensively with the Environment Agency to ensure all of their proposals meet the extraordinarily tight criteria we have to operate within. This phase of the project has £150,000 allocated from the City of London Corporation.

The proposed new pump house will include filters and pumps which prevent fish being drawn into and harmed by the pumps. We have now submitted detailed proposals to the Environment Agency. However, it may take up to 12 months to consider this application. It is our ambition to begin pumping from winter 2025. However, this is completely reliant on all of the required legal and regulatory permissions, as well as the completed procurement and maintenance contracts, being in place. And one of the outstanding concerns is the quality of water in the River Roding at the moment. So, we are also working with Thames Water and Redbridge Council to address unlicensed discharges of waste into the river.

In a strange twist of fate, there is an unintended benefit to Ornamental Water being dry, as it enables contractors to undertake restoration work to the Grotto. I am also aware there is a sense of irony that the usual water safety signs ask visitors not to swim or bathe in the (non-existent) water! All I ask is for you to please bear with us.

To read Benjamin’s article in full, visit wnstd.com/parkupdate

In the 13th of a series of articles featuring wildlife images from Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats, Dr Tony Madgwick presents a shot of a Migrant Spreadwing damselfly, a species not previously seen in the area

As we move deeper into autumn, we see fewer damselflies and dragonflies around our local ponds and lakes. So, it was exciting to get a WhatsApp message and an image posted by Andy Gibbons (Wanstead Birders) last month saying he had found what he thought was an Emerald Damselfly, which has not been recorded on Wanstead Flats or in Wanstead Park since 1897, and in East London since the early 2000s.

The message had two of us from the Wren Wildlife Group rushing out to confirm the sighting. And this damselfly turned out to be even more exciting than we first thought, as we confirmed our suspicion that it was a Migrant Spreadwing (or Southern Emerald Damselfly). A further search of the pond area revealed the presence of another female and a male. 

The Migrant Spreadwing is, as its name suggests, something of a wanderer. Common in parts of continental Europe, it was first recorded in Norfolk in 2002 and has since established a few isolated breeding colonies in the south-east of England, working its way up along the Thames in South Essex and North Kent. Finding these three leads us to hope they have begun to establish a new colony, the first in London. 

Damselflies are the dainty relatives of the more familiar and robust aeronauts that are dragonflies. Dragonflies and damselflies are predators, both in the air as adults and underwater as larvae. As larvae, they can live from a few months to five years, depending on species, habitat and weather conditions. Assuming adequate food, the main factor driving growth of individual species is temperature, with warmer climates favouring faster growth. 

In the UK, the Emerald group of mainly green-coloured damsels numbers four different species. All of these have now been recorded in the Wanstead Flats area within the last 125 years or so. However, the Emerald Damselfly and the Scarce Emerald Damselfly have declined rapidly and can no longer be found locally, except as occasional wanderers. The Willow Emerald Damselfly arrived in the UK from continental Europe in 2009 and is now one of the more locally abundant late-summer and early-autumn damselflies. Perhaps we can hope to add the Migrant Spreadwing to our local open spaces. 

The reasons for the demise of some species and the success of others are complex, but human activity and climate change are both important factors. Where we can create and manage diverse mosaics of good quality habitat, we can hope to make existing and future assemblages of animals and plants resilient for future generations to enjoy.

For more information on the Wren Wildlife Group, visit wnstd.com/wren

TfL has created a bus fiasco in Wanstead and South Woodford with its incompetent changes to the W12, W13 and W14 routes, say Save Our Local Bus Services campaigners. Member Donna Mizzi explains

Many elderly and disabled people are put at great risk when they cannot access public transport from near their home. That’s one major reason the Save Our Local Bus Services campaign is demanding urgent and major improvements – before winter hits.

TfL keeps repeating that it will keep bus services “under review”. However, since the changes were imposed in September, many residents have trouble reaching the local hospital, GPs, supermarkets and stations. Others find themselves stranded while trying to travel back home. Children are having trouble getting to school and commuters are reluctantly having to rely more on their cars again. Distraught and perplexed bus users have become an increasingly common sight.

In some areas, including the huge Nightingale Estate stretching from Wanstead to South Woodford, the hail-and-ride bus was reduced from half-hourly to hourly…without any timetable. Common traffic hold-ups on this route stop it being reliable, while Neighbourhood Watch members are concerned about people of all ages walking down the estate’s long streets in the dark.

The ultra-confusing changes to the W12, W13, W14 and 549 routes have severely hit those with mobility and health issues. The ‘lifeline’ W14 now terminates a quarter of a mile short of Whipps Cross Hospital. Incredibly, the W14 has also been designed to miss the most popular stops, including those near step-free Wanstead Tube station, Wanstead and South Woodford amenities, and Walthamstow.

Even, TfL’s own customer service advisers haven’t been able to understand the muddled bus routes – a number of residents reported after they sought travel advice. Meanwhile, buses variously don’t arrive, fail to stop or have wrong destinations on the front.

Another part of TfL’s ill-considered plan is to move the High Street zebra crossing near Wanstead Church School, so the W14 can turn right from Grosvenor Road. But it needs to continue to turn left – to take passengers to the most useful stretch of the High Street.

Local residents are entitled to be angry; their travel needs have been ignored and last year’s so-called consultation was a farce. Last month, following growing complaints, Wanstead councillors hastily organised a small public meeting. TfL provided two officers who were not ‘decision-makers’ and lacked sufficient knowledge of the local areas involved. One W12 user reported that his regular journeys from Wanstead to Whipps Cross were taking about 40 minutes longer because they had been re-routed through highly congested Leytonstone. TfL also ignored warnings to avoid that problem.

Residents are invited to submit their local bus experiences. Drop a note into the special ‘bus post box’ in Wanstead Pharmacy, or visit wnstd.com/mybus, where you can also access the petition.

The A12 tunnel under George Green in Wanstead has been open for 25 years. Architect John Goldsmith – who was influential in its design – and his wife Margaret Igglesden share their memories of its creation

Margaret and I were walking to Wanstead Library recently, crossing the grassed roof of the A12 tunnel under George Green, when she asked: “How old is the tunnel?” I had been involved in the struggle to ‘save Wanstead’ from the original plan to extend the A12 from the Eastern Avenue at Redbridge Roundabout to Central London, so was able to recall the A12 extension was opened in 1999. 

“That makes the tunnel 25 years old!” said Margaret. “Surely, that’s worth some mention?”

So, to help friends and neighbours recall and learn how the tunnel was conceived, rather than the option of an eight-lane surface road, which had been the original scheme, here are some memories of that time.

Two architects living on the line of the chosen route of the road happened to come up with an idea to use the traffic plan to improve the environment. It is sad that despite the efforts of a lot of people, the ultimate scheme (as we see now) falls short of what might have been.

Malcolm Lister lived in Leytonstone. He was a landscape architect practising in London. I was an architect in a partnership in South Woodford. We were both members of the South West Essex Chapter of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). By chance, we both wanted to change the way major roads cut through established residential neighbourhoods. The Chapter decided we should get together and prepare a plan.

The Green Man junction was the problem, but it became clear a tunnel forming an ‘S’ bend was possible. The resulting scheme called ‘The A12 to M11 Link Park’ or the ‘Lister Goldsmith Scheme’ was endorsed by the Chapter.

Malcolm’s design was for a straight, double carriageway, each of three lanes and a hard shoulder, which would be aligned alongside the Tube railway cuttings from Leytonstone to Leyton stations. A concrete roof was designed to carry a landscaped linear park. One wall of the tunnel would be open to the railway strip allowing natural light and air to remove the sense of being in a tunnel.

My scheme was for a dual, three-lane ‘cover and cut’ route starting at the east end of the Eastern Avenue and as far as the slip roads of the Green Man junction. By using the idea of ‘cover and cut’, much of the noise and dust of construction is contained under the preformed roof of the tunnel.

The Government’s Department of the Environment (D of E) was instructed to examine the schemes and a report was produced by WS Atkins, the engineering consultant, comparing five proposals.

Margaret asked: “Why did you become so involved and why did it take up so much of your time?” There is a simple answer to that.

When the Department of Transport decided the M11 route should be through the Roding Valley rather than the Lee Valley, they claimed the M11 junction with the North Circular Road at Woodford was “complete in itself.” It needed no further extension into London. We realised this was very, very short-sighted or duplicitous, and waited for the inevitable. As soon as the actual M11 construction began, an announcement was made that five alternative routes would now be considered for the extension of the M11 into London. One route was the surface road through Cambridge Park and the others swept around Wanstead using Wanstead Park, Wanstead Golf Course and Wanstead Flats in a variety of cuttings or surface routes, ultimately connecting with a long-preserved route along Ruckholt Road, Leytonstone.

An immense furore developed; it became a political issue and many residents became involved. Save Wanstead Action Group (SWAG) was followed by the Link Road Action Group (LRAG) and an extensive poster campaign resulted in many houses proclaiming the message: ‘TUNNEL IT’.

The Greater London Council became involved and invited Malcolm and me to present our ideas. The Department mounted a travelling exhibition which compared the routes. We were invited to submit details of the Link Road Park and these were displayed alongside the D of E schemes. Over 90% of signatures recorded in the visitors book at the exhibitions supported the Lister Goldsmith or Link Road Park scheme. At the end of the consultations, the Department announced the dates for the public enquiry. It gave Malcolm and me about six months to prepare. We decided we must meet the case with similar descriptions to the evidence to be presented by the D of E consultants. This involved debating the written submission with members of LRAG. Detailed maps and models were produced.

Margaret asked: “Did you get paid for all the work you had to do for this?” I replied: “Yes. Malcolm and I shared a fee of £25 given by the RIBA Chapter.”

Despite considerable support, the inevitable criticism was the cost. Had the rural M11 route been included as a whole, we contended the scheme was value for money. But by splitting the route in two, with the semi-rural length achieved at a reasonable cost per kilometre, the odds were stacked against the intense urban length, which carried much higher costs due to the proximity of the housing and the underground railway. Yet, the two most expensive sections at the Green Man and at Wanstead Central Line station were included. 

After seven weeks of submissions from the local authorities, residents and organised groups, the inspector, Major General M Tickell, wound up the inquiry. It was over a year before the decision was announced amidst considerable disappointment. The basic reason for rejection of the Link Road Park was cost. A further inquiry took place, but the outcome was as we see now, open cuttings producing noise and pollution suffered by the housing flanking the road. Covered areas at Leytonstone station, the Green Man and George Green bringing some relief.

Fortunately, the short tunnel at George Green has helped to preserve the special character of Wanstead Village. We thank all those who gave up their time to support this.

Local photographer Deepak Dembla recorded the Northern Lights over Wanstead Flats for the second time this year.

“This was a truly wonderful experience. I was out from 9pm until 3am. By the lake, it looked like paradise watching from the copse!” said Deepak, who first captured the phenomenon in May.

The sun is currently near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, with high solar activity giving an increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The current peak is expected to last until mid-2025.

Art Group Wanstead member Gina Wade has been creating coloured pencil drawings of pets and wildlife since lockdown

I was born in The Netherlands to a Dutch mother and an English father. We spent the next few years in Germany. Then, we lived in Cyprus, Aden and Belgium, in between returning to Holland, where I spent nearly five years at a Dutch school. You may have gathered my father was in the Forces. His last posting was in England, in Upminster. Currently, I live in South Woodford. 

I have one son and three beautiful grandchildren, living in Sydney, Australia. So there is still lots of travelling between visiting family there and the Netherlands, and holidays, of course.

I started oil painting at school in Belgium. Here, in the UK, I did various part-time art courses. Drawing animals was never my thing and I was pretty bad at it, but lockdown started and I saw a picture of a cat which had been done in coloured pencils. After a bit of investigating, I decided to have a go. This got me watching YouTube and Instagram, where there are lots of good coloured-pencil artists giving demonstrations and tips. A lot of them also do classes on Patreon. After honing my skills, I now specialise in drawing pets and wildlife.

I have lived in the area for more years than I can remember, but until lockdown, most of my social life was in London. I have now joined Art Group Wanstead, and was delighted when I sold one of my earlier drawings of a German Shepherd at one of the group’s exhibitions. 

My first cat and dog drawings were started with a box of 24 Faber-Castell Polychromos. The most important thing is shading, lights and darks. I then gradually added to my pencils, buying mostly loose pencils. I now also use Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 series, Derwent Drawing, Derwent Lightfast and Derwent Studio and Caran d’Ache Pablos. The type of paper is also really important. I started with a pad of Strathmore Bristol Vellum 300 and off I went. The various types of paper I now use are Pastelmat, Derwent Lightfast, Dura-Lar 0.005, Polydraw 0.50 and Grafix 0.005. The latter and Pastelmat are my favourites.

There are different techniques you must use with the various types of paper. Pastelmat is the most forgiving. You can colour light over dark, whereas most of the other papers you can’t. With Grafix, Dura-Lar and Polydraw you have to have a really light touch. I use a mono zero 2.3 eraser and Faber-Castell kneadable eraser. I use them both to not only erase but to also create hairs, shadows and whiskers. A Helix Metal Erasing Shield and Scotch Magic Tape, again to create shadows. I do have an electric eraser but hardly use it. If you are starting out, then this is something I wouldn’t buy. 

So, with all this information, I hope there is someone out there who is going to give coloured-pencil drawing a go!

My ambition is to enter more exhibitions. One of my dreams would be to get something entered in The David Shepherd Wildlife exhibition. Another thing I aim to do is give a drawing to an animal charity for them to auction off. In the meantime, I am doing commissions.

To view more of Gina’s artwork, follow her on Instagram @GinaWade03

Amidst concerns over the health of Wanstead Park’s iconic Map Tree, Richard Arnopp takes a look at the 200-year-old specimen. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

In Wanstead Park, the Long Walk once provided the eastward vista from Wanstead House toward the Ornamental Water. Near the end stands a lone Cedar of Lebanon on the bank of the lake. It is something of a landmark, and the only example of its species in the park.

At some point, this tree acquired the nickname of the Map Tree or the Tree of England, on account of its shape. Viewed from the north, its lopsided profile, with its longest branches spreading over the lake, give it something of the appearance of a map of England and Wales.

The Map Tree also has a pronounced lean toward the Ornamental Water, which appears to have increased over time. This has provoked some concern that time or a winter gale will cause it eventually to topple over. Epping Forest is on the case and Ben Murphy, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, has confirmed they are aware of the problem and the tree has been inspected, revealing damage to major structural roots. Epping Forest’s conservation team are looking at options to prolong the tree’s life as much as possible and will announce their decision later this year. 

The Map Tree is interesting because it must have been planted in the very last days that the gardens of Wanstead were being actively augmented (probably up to about 1818). It appears as little more than a sapling in one of the illustrations (above) of a charming book from 1827 (Rambles in Waltham Forest. A stranger’s contribution to the triennial sale for the benefit of the Wanstead Lying-in Charity). This shows the Grotto (to the right), the Straight Canal (centre) and tip of Rook Island (left). The perspective may have been tweaked a bit to get them all in.

Cedars of Lebanon, frequently mentioned in the Bible, were introduced into this country about 400 years ago and became very popular ornaments in parks and gardens (though they have an alarming habit of shedding branches without much warning). The Map Tree is over two centuries old, but hasn’t grown very large, as I assume the gravelly soil doesn’t suit it. 

It would be a great pity if the tree were to be lost, but it was planted very close to the bank and, as it has grown, it has become unstable. If the branches over the lake had been cut back at an earlier stage it might have stabilised (while regrettably losing some of our western counties). It may be too late for that now, but we must await the verdict of the arborists.

For more information on Wanstead Park, visit wnstd.com/fwp

In the fifth of a series of articles charting the challenges facing Aldersbrook Medical Centre, Paul Wildish reports on the latest developments in the procurement of a permanent GP contract

Since February 2024, the patients of Aldersbrook Medical Centre (AMC), led by their Patient Participation Group (PPG), have been conducting a campaign to achieve a permanent settlement of GP providers of our choice from NE London Integrated Care Board (NELICB).

When the temporary contract expired, we wanted the providers from the Richmond Road practice in Hackney to remain, as they had introduced so many beneficial changes to what had previously been a failing practice. NELICB had other ideas and offered an extension of Richmond Road’s contract at a price they couldn’t afford. The PPG felt this could be construed as a ‘constructive dismissal,’ despite Richmond Road’s universally recognised award-winning clinical practice. We were determined to resist.

After public meetings, pickets at ICB HQ in Stratford and by enlisting the support of local councillors, our former MP John Cryer and Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of the NHS Confederation, the PPG has engaged with the NELICB constructively to ensure the patients’ voice is heard during the next phase of designing and awarding a new permanent contract that corresponds with our needs. No other PPG in the UK has conducted a campaign of this kind to win such formal negotiating access to be part of the process of the procurement of a permanent GP contract.

What have we won so far? As this will be a permanent GP contract, we know corporate providers are excluded. The NELICB has recognised the AMC surgery must retain GP services on site and not become a part-time or inadequately staffed annexe of a local practice. We insisted the ICB came to meet patients at a public meeting at Aldersbrook Bowls Club to explain the procurement process, answer questions and take regard of patients’ views in the selection process. Our biggest coup has been the secondment of the AMC PPG’s chair Terilla Bernard to the ICB panel. This will put the contract out to tender, conduct the bidding process, interview the shortlisted GP bidders and ultimately select the successful GP team. Hats off to the ICB for taking such regard for the patients’ voice that they have invited Terilla on board to represent us. The procurement process is governed by rules of commercial confidentiality and the contract will meet official NHS specifications. Terilla has therefore been required to sign an NDA until the end of the procurement process. During this time, any negotiations will be under strict purdah.

Until the winner of the bidding process is selected in January 2025, due diligence has been carried out and the successful winners announced, the patients and PPG will remain on tenterhooks. The new, permanent contract will commence in March 2025. We sincerely hope our Richmond Road GPs will win.

For more information about the Aldersbrook Medical Centre Patient Participation Group, visit wnstd.com/amc

In the second of a series of articles by those leading the campaign to save The George, Martin Wheatley reflects on some of the qualities of Wanstead’s ‘pub for all seasons’

The George truly is a pub for all seasons. We see the newly legal drinkers showing their ID with an air of feigned indifference; young men and women enjoying their well-earned leisure time, perhaps even experiencing the spark of young love without the aid of an app; families, from toddlers to grandparents, gathering for a meal; retired couples on a budget treating themselves to a few drinks and perhaps a bite to eat; pensioners keeping warm in winter more cheaply than heating their own homes, with the bonus of a drink; single men nursing a pint; folk attending a wake and raising a glass to the departed.

How does The George achieve this? Value for money is a factor but not the only one. There is no muzak, conversation is possible without shouting. Admittedly, there are some televisions but they, thankfully, are silent. Whenever I’m at the bar, the screen seems to be showing news of ghastly goings-on around the globe, which only serves as a reminder of what I came to the pub to escape. There is a good selection of real ale (even if this isn’t your tipple, I would hope the preservation of this uniquely British drink in the uniquely British environment of the pub is something you’d support). And they take cash. Paying for a pint of cask ale with coin of the realm is by no means possible everywhere, not even in Wanstead!

Above all, it is a public house. All members of the public are welcome and can feel comfortable there.

So, what can be done to save The George? None of us is privy to the financial ins and outs behind the scenes, but I imagine the rent is not cheap. On top of that, pubs have been mercilessly targeted for taxation by all governments and for a long time. The George looks busy enough but, I should say, less so than in years past. All that we cherish in our communities – church, post office, independent shops – all that actually constitutes a community, will wither and die if we don’t make use of them.

Do sign the petition, do lobby your MP, do whatever you can, but above all, put aside social media, the podcast, the boxset and head pub-wards to The George for a drink.

“Change your hearts or you will lose your Inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your Inns drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England.” Hilaire Belloc wrote those words in 1912. They still hold true but we are drinking in the Last Chance Saloon Bar.

From Paris to Newcastle to Wanstead, Bernie Clarkson now considers herself a local artist, with local scenes like Christ Church Green finding their way into her work

I’m totally passionate about painting and particularly oil painting, and this came about almost by accident. I was incredibly fortunate to live in Paris for four years in my fifties and this is where my life veered off at a totally unexpected tangent.

I’d always loved and made art of sorts, initially training as a fashion designer and then teaching art to lots of different age groups. However, my time in Paris freed me to take up painting, initially for fun, but very quickly it became all-consuming. So, when I returned to England, I was ecstatic to be accepted into Newcastle University’s Fine Art department. Six years later, with a hard-won degree and Master’s completed, I headed to London to be closer to family, not really believing my love affair with painting would continue and flourish. Yet, here I am in my shared studio in Manor Park, living and breathing this amazing subject. 

After a few house moves and renovations, I’m so lucky to now have a home in beautiful Wanstead and I’m more than happy to think of myself as a local artist, taking part in solo and group exhibitions, and thrilled so many lovely people have bought my work.

My daily practice combines painting, stretching canvasses, reading and researching, always looking for inspiration; the north-east coastline is always hovering and influencing my subject and colour choices.

As each painting progresses, it can often change enormously, and when it’s finished, I hope it carries a quiet narrative to the viewer, but also willing a slight tension to make it interesting.

I love the work of the German-American artist Richard Diebenkorn, who was heavily influenced by Matisse, another great love of mine. I had a wonderful mentor at university who helped me so much to explore ideas and dig into history as inspiration, paint and painter, society, breaking rules; there’s always so much to learn.

As a consequence of living through the pandemic and the close proximity of a newly observed nature during the daily rituals of getting fresh air and exercise, I’m finding local and coastal scenes are nudging into most of my work; either as a background to a figure or taking centre stage.

To view more of Bernie’s artwork, visit wnstd.com/bernie

Plans have been put forward for the restoration and improvement of two historic landmarks in Wanstead Park.

“Consultants have been appointed to develop options for the preservation of the Grotto, with costs ranging from £350,000 to £912,000. All options involve work to stabilise the structure, without which it could collapse. The future of the Temple is also being considered, with plans to make the building and its surroundings into more of a community hub,” said a Friends of Wanstead Parklands spokesperson.

Redbridge Council has been awarded £3m to transform the walking route between Wanstead Park, Roding Valley and Ilford town centre.

The funding – part of Greater London Authority’s Civic Partnership Programme – will be used to create a riverside path to connect existing footpaths into Roding Valley and open up access to green spaces.

“By improving pedestrian routes, we’re connecting Wanstead, Woodford and Ilford, making sure people from all parts of the borough can access all we have to offer,” said a council spokesperson.

Cadent has applied to set up a temporary compound on the Redbridge Lane West allotments ahead of work to the adjacent gas site.

“The original planning permission – approved in December 2022 – was for a compound on Wanstead Park Road. This variation effectively means returning to their initial plans to use our allotments as the main site. This has come as a shock and, apart from all the original considerations, likely means some plot holders waiting even longer to return,” said Sally Parker.

Visit wnstd.com/cvar

The growth in Wanstead Fringe events, particularly theatre, is spectacular, says director Jon Fentiman, who will be bringing Miss Julie (a play that was once banned in the UK) to a brand new Fringe stage 

September in Wanstead means the arrival of the Wanstead Festival (15 September) and its bigger brother, the Wanstead Fringe, our very own three-week celebration of music, film, books, performance arts, magic, local history, creative workshops, food, drink and even pre-loved treasures! With opportunities to enjoy everything from comedy nights to opera, stargazing to a jumble trail, events are dotted around our cafes, sports clubs, churches and even the local library, showcasing many of the wonderful venues Wanstead has to offer.

The growth in the number of events being organised this year is quite spectacular, with professional theatre productions leading the way and boasting over 50 performances. For Wanstead Fringe 2024, actor and theatre practitioner Marissa Landy has curated 10 different productions from both her own and visiting companies, some fresh from success at the Edinburgh Fringe, whilst Fiona Gordon’s brilliant Wanstead Theatre Co will be bringing six site-specific performances of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads to City Place Coffee, the perfect venue.

As a director and producer for the East London Theatre Company, I am extremely excited to be bringing a production of the classic play Miss Julie to this year’s Fringe before it transfers to The Courtyard Theatre, Hoxton in October. Written by Strindberg in 1888, performances of Miss Julie were banned in the UK for half a century, only reaching British stages in 1939. For years, Miss Julie was considered just too provocative and inappropriate in its depiction of sexual desire and conflict between classes. Today, it is one of the most regularly performed plays in the UK and across Europe. Set in the servants’ kitchen on the estate of a Swedish aristocrat, the action centres around his errant daughter, Miss Julie, his lordship’s footman, Jean, and the house cook, Katrin. Although set at the end of the 19th century, like any classic play that survives the test of time, its themes – such as how we manage our desire for a better life whilst wrestling with the expectations of society and others – still resonate with a modern audience.

Running for seven nights, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the talents of three brilliant actors: Maria Naterstad (Miss Julie) and Lia Goresh (Katrin), both recent graduates of the internationally renowned East 15 Drama School, along with Chris Agha (Jean), who performs regularly at The Royal Opera House and prestigious off-West End venues. 

Grab a ticket and you’ll not only experience an exciting, intimate performance – staged in the round – but also be amongst the first patrons of The Wanstead Curtain, a new performance space which Wanstead Fringe volunteers have been allowed to create in the hall of Wanstead Methodist Church. Hopefully, see you there!

For more information on Wanstead Fringe events, visit wnstd.com/fringe

Wanstead Theatre Co has been a regular feature at the Fringe and this year, the company returns with Talking Heads. Fiona Gordon explains what to expect and the innovative way it’s being promoted

As a site-specific theatre company, where we perform the play in the place it is set, we are always on the lookout for suitable Wanstead venues. Over the years, Eton Manor (Breakfast with Jonny Wilkinson), The Bull (Two) and Our Lady of Lourdes (Bazaar and Rummage) have generously offered us their space and time.

And this year, it is City Place Coffee in the middle of our bustling High Street that has kindly agreed to host our production: the well-loved and universally acclaimed Talking Heads by Alan Bennett.

Filmed originally as a TV series in the late 80s and the early 90s, it was then remade during lockdown for a new housebound audience. It was one of the very few TV shows allowed to be filmed due to social distancing rules, as each episode only has one actor in it. However, the famous episodes featuring Thora Hird in the original series could not be remade due to social contact being restricted with anyone over 70.

Not often performed as a stage show, we are delighted to be bringing it to life in a vibrant high street setting. Three women in a café. Each has a story. What secrets will you overhear?

But that’s not all we’ve been working on. This year we have decided to harness the power of social media to widen our audience at our shows and elevate our profile.

We have made a mini mockumentary about the fictional production team who run Wanstead Theatre Co. Filmed in various Wanstead locations, it is a behind-the-scenes comedy about a theatre company and the current show they are doing, which as far as we know, has never been done before.

We want people to engage with the mockumentary, find it funny, then realise we are a real-life professional theatre company and they can actually come and watch the show featured in the episodes. And who knows? If they are lucky, they may also bump into some of the characters.

Each episode is just two or three minutes long, broken up into mini clips for social media, but the full episodes will be put on YouTube so they can be watched in a more traditional TV format. A selection of the clips can also be seen on the popular Facebook group, Wanstead Community Hub.

We hope this modern way of raising our profile will secure the future of our theatre company. Our mission of bringing the West End to Wanstead still holds true, but hopefully, with the added exposure, we’ll be bringing the audience to Wanstead as well.

For more information on Wanstead Fringe events, visit wnstd.com/fringe

One of the highlights of this year’s Wanstead Fringe is All Rest, an immersive opera set and staged in the graveyard at St Mary’s Church. Here, the opera’s composer Simone Spagnolo explains what to expect

The opera All Rest is an original, immersive opera experience portraying a fictional dreamscape about the people dwelling in St Mary’s graveyard. Six characters and a chorus of ghosts lead the audience on a journey through the grounds, offering a glimpse of past and future stories.

The stories featured include some of Wanstead’s well-known historical characters, including Astronomer Royal James Pound, Admiral Robert Pamplin and Jessie Nutter, one of the sisters who bequeathed much to the people of Wanstead. As ghosts who still inhabit the premises of St Mary’s, these characters narrate precious memories of their lives, eventually reuniting in a final, poignant choral moment to bridge their reminiscences with the audience’s presence. 

The opera features solo voices, a choir, flute, violin, portable speakers and St Mary’s historic organ. It was premiered earlier this year at the St Mary’s Music Festival, which originally commissioned it, but the Fringe has arranged this second opportunity to experience this unique, site-specific work. 

Aside from reflecting on the history of Wanstead and St Mary’s, this performance piece draws inspiration from the aesthetics of promenade and immersive theatre, which enables the spectator to be within the scene and a common location to become a theatrical setting. Serena Braida – who wrote the text – and I shared an aim to join this peculiar format with that of the number opera, so as to allow the magic of the music to further complement the immersive experience. 

Having the possibility to put in action such a stimulating, interdisciplinary exchange certainly prompted our interest and curiosity. Possibly, the most fascinating thing about All Rest is that it gave us the opportunity to create a piece in which reality and representation cross and blur each other in a spectacularly inspiring location. Ghosts, graves, characters from the past, operatic singing, nature walking, portable radios, choral chanting: everything fades into the current moment, subtly offering a spiritual touch. I guess this is what we tried to achieve, a brief spiritual moment in which art and nature meet. 

We hope visitors and audiences will enjoy our work, in its apparent simplicity, and we wholeheartedly thank all those who have contributed to this imaginative performance piece.

For more information on Wanstead Fringe events, visit wnstd.com/fringe

The cultural revolution that has been going on in Wanstead for the past few years is in full flow. And, like all of us, whatever our age, it looks like it is growing up, writes Fringe director Giles Wilson 

The Wanstead Fringe, which started just after the 2012 London Olympics with comedy and open-air cinema, is now in its second decade and has blossomed into a full arts festival with theatre, music recitals, literary events and much more. 

This year’s theme takes a line from Picasso as its inspiration: “Once we grow up,” in which he wrestled with the tension between getting older without losing childlike freshness. That’s something of what we’ve been trying to do.

This year will see a dozen different plays being performed at three sites, including for the first time Shakespeare, with a production of Richard II taking place at the Wanstead Curtain, a new theatre we have created in the hall of the Wanstead Methodist Church on Hermon Hill. Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads will be staged in a High Street cafe and several new works will be performed in the upstairs room at The Bull, including several plays which are coming to us directly after the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Wanstead Curtain will also be the venue for three indoor Kinema screenings, ahead of the traditional favourite open-air Kinema in the grounds of Christ Church. This year’s family film is the hit musical Wonka, featuring the talents of one of the stars of last year’s Fringe, Paterson Joseph.

There will be a range of musical styles being performed, from the Replacement Hipsters through the award-winning Redbridge Brass to top concert instrumentalists and performers. Opera star Lucy Crowe OBE and husband Joe Walters will again be bringing a beguiling mix of musical styles to their eve-of-fringe Charivari in the stunning St Mary’s Church on Overton Drive. And that will also be the venue for two performances of All Rest, an opera written by local composer Simone Spagnolo, which is set in the churchyard featuring some of the former Wanstead residents who are buried there.

There will be 10 literary events during the Wanstead Book Festival, which is part of the Fringe. Among the attractions are fake history-slayer Otto English (in conversation with Lord Victor Adebowale), comedian Paul Sinha, who will be speaking about his autobiography, philosopher Julian Baggini and Daisy Goodwin, author of a heartbreaking history of the life of Maria Callas.

We are lucky in this part of London to have such a range of events in easy reach. But with the Wanstead Fringe, we are trying to build something new and local, and we’re doing it for ourselves.

We look forward to seeing you at events once again this September.

For more information on Wanstead Fringe events, visit wnstd.com/fringe