My Walthamstow

When I say I live in Walthamstow, people often ask if I mean as in the band E17 or where the dog track is or how I cope with living in Zone 3. For me it's the quirks of Walthamstow that stand out. Like being able to buy a mountain of bananas in the market for £1. Or going for a walk in the Marshes or cycling to the forest and feeling a million miles from the centre of town. Or how you know someone's from Walthamstow because they stand at the end of the tube platform to get into the carriage at the front of the train. And even though I've lived here for ages, I'm always finding more restaurants, shops, or places to go and people to meet. These are just some of the things I like to do in the area - if you have suggestions for other places to add, do let me know.

Going Out: The Pub Quizzes of Walthamstow

I'm a big fan of pub quizzes -my favourite is the McGuffins monthly tv and film quiz at the Rose and Crown on the first Saturday of the month. I also enjoy the Village Pub Quiz on tuesdays (Orford Road) and the Coppermill Pub quiz on Coppermill Lane on Sunday evenings. I've been told the Castle Pub Quiz is also good so if anyone wants to put together a team I'd be happy to compete!  

Going Out: Eating and Drinking in Walthamstow

Mondragones on Orford Road does a great Pizza and homemade tiramisu. Or if you want something lighter, you can't beat the Windmill at the St James Street end of the High Street for tapas. You can often find me in Daisys on Hoe Street or L'Hirondelle having a coffee (and croissant if you get there early enough before the crowds) and you can't beat Bonners on Pretoria Avenue for proper fish and chips. Cafe Rio on the High Street is also great for a nice sandwich lunch. I'd also recommend these other venues for good food and a nice local night out:

  • Priya on Hoe Street next to the Goose - it's a new restaurant that's got great South Asian and Sri Lankan food.
  • Dhaka Tandoori on Hoe Street, Bengali Spice and the St James Street in St James St for a curry.
  • The Village Kitchen for a nice atmosphere and trendy food.
  • The Nag's Head on Orford Road for a relaxing beer and a nice pub garden.
  • The Bell on Forest Road or the Queens Head for Football.
  • The Flowerpot pub on Wood Street has great live music, and the Plough by Wood Street station is good for its comedy nights.
  • The William 4th in Bakers Arms for thai food.
  • The Desert Rose at the Bakers Arms for cake.
  • Celsius for Hoe St for entertaining friends from Islington.
  • La Parisienne on Palmerston Road for fresh french bread baguettes.
  • Salim's on the High Street for meat kebabs / the Starlight on Hoe Street for felafel although you have to ask for it!
  • Jimmys on Markhouse Road for Thai food or a greasy spoon fry-up.

 

Going Out: Places for Children to Play

Many of our local parks and greenspaces have recently undergone improvement works and have local friends groups who organise activities in them for local residents. If you're looking for places to take children to play or simply somewhere nice to have lunch why not visit these places:

  • Stoneydown Park on Longfield Road which has facilities for both young and older children as well as an active friends group.
  • Lea Bridge Library Gardens behind Lea Bridge Road which has an active friends group that organises fun days and community events there.
  • Thomas Gamuel Park off Boundary Road is a large open park good for football games.
  • Wingfield Park on Grosvenor Road has a great adventure playground for young children.
  • Vestry Park on East Avenue has just undergone a massive redevelopment thanks to its friends group and now has facilities for young children and a specialised ball court for older children.
  • Higham Hill Recreation Ground on Sutton Road has basketball facilities and a new friends group starting up that has recently organised bulb planting.
  • Lloyd Park on Forest Road is one of the borough's "premier parks" and has an active Friends Group who are organising its redevelopment thanks to funding from the National Lottery. As well as housing the William Morris Gallery, the bowling green and the Changing Room Gallery it also has a beautiful aviary.
  • Aveling Park behind Lloyd Park is a large open space which has a children's playground, skate park and is great for games such as frisbee and football.

 

Local History: Walthamstow on Film

Walthamstow was the site of much of the early development of the British film industry and still today has many local filmmakers who are passionate about the area and whose work captures the community spirit, local celebrities and stories of E17. Dominic Stinton's film "Walthamstow Market: A Portrait" was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 and captures the camaraderie and affection many people have for this local landmark. You can see a short except of the film on his website here. Claudia Firth's film "A Cinema Near You" tells the story of the EMD cinema and includes an interview with the legendary Ernie Mills, the former front of house manager for the building. You can watch it on the McGuffin's website here.


Local History: Walthamstow, birthplace of British Cars and Aviation

Walthamstow can lay claim to be the birthplace of British aviation and the first British built car. In fact, the Lea Valley Corridor has been the site of over one hundred industrial firsts with half of these being in transportation. In 1909 Edwin Alliot Verdon Roe became the first Briton to fly an all British build plan on the Walthamstow Marshes, and there are plans afoot for a celebration of this in 2009. The Pump House is a local museum run by volunteers dedicated to celebrating our local engineering talent and Walthamstow's place in industrial history. The museum, based at Low Hall Lane, are currently looking for volunteers to help with their work and the centenary celebrations. Find out more by calling Lindsay on 07930 662252.

 

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