March 2022

Contents
Features
House of snow 16–17
A lot to lose 20
Eco-friendly friends24
Silver society 28
A portrait of our High Street32–33
No need for speed 36
Ground rent grounded40
Active action46
Listen and learn 50
Another step forward 54
End of the road 58
A potted history 62
Illustrating a point66–67
History comes home70
Puzzles & competitions
Sudoku 26
Crossword competition42
Wanstead anagram52
Mind-bender puzzles68
Every month
Local news6–8 & 10–12
Wanstead map60–61
Community events75–78 & 80
Community groups 82
Useful numbers84
Index of advertisers86
Contact Us
020 8819 6645
Welcome...
When you visit Cadbury World, you are
handed several bars of chocolate as you
enter what is one of Birmingham’s largest
attractions. As you progress through the 14
zones telling the story of chocolate, there are more
confectionery freebies, including pots of melted
chocolate to mix with toppings of your choice. As you exit
through the gift shop – the world’s biggest Cadbury shop,
no less – you would be forgiven for thinking the prospect of
buying more chocolate would be of little interest to the throng
of hyperglycaemic visitors. Yet kilo-sized slabs of Dairy Milk, bulk
boxes of Freddo bars and cheap bags of misshaped Roses keep
the tills ringing. Feelings of nausea are put on hold.
No doubt the marketing executives at Cadbury have done their
homework, but I couldn’t help thinking they would sell more
if shoppers still had an appetite for chocolate by the time they
reached the end of the tour. Just as the old adage tells us not to
go food shopping on an empty stomach, lest you buy more than
you need, so too is chocolate shopping best done when sugar
cravings are high (from Cadbury’s point of view at least). Or that’s
what I thought until I found myself weighed down: by chocolate
consumption and chocolate purchases.
If my visit to Cadbury World taught me anything – apart
from how to extract cocoa butter from cocoa beans – it’s
that the power of enjoyment should not be underestimated;
it transcends any drawbacks we encounter along the way.
Nausea from chocolate, headaches from alcohol, aching
muscles from exercise, upset over a football team’s defeat,
anger over unwanted developments in
our towns; the former doesn’t stop us
enjoying the latter. Everything
in moderation, of course…
including moderation.
Lee Marquis, Editor
Calling local residents...
The Wanstead Village Directory proudly supports local
businesses and we encourage you to do the same.
Help us help these businesses by mentioning the
Wanstead Village Directory when responding to adverts.
A note to businesses...
If you are a business based in Wanstead, or if you have a
presence in the local community, we can help you get your
message across to our readers. The deadline for inclusion in
the April 2022 edition is 18 March 2022.
editor@wnstd.com
wnstd.com
@wavidi
wavidi
Wanstead Village Directory
PO Box 2491, Ilford, IG1 8JT
The Wanstead Village Directory is
published monthly with a circulation of
7,000 copies. Of these, 6,000 are delivered
for free to homes and businesses across
Wanstead, Snaresbrook and Aldersbrook.
The remaining copies are available from
local shops. Postal subscriptions are
available from wnstd.com/subscribe
ISSN 2059-013X
Published by Marquis IT Ltd.
Founded in 2006 – and edited until 2010 – by Charlotte
Thompson and Dean McGlinchey.
Marquis IT Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors
or omissions, or endorse companies, products or services
that appear in this magazine. The views expressed in
feature articles are those of the credited authors and do
not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
©2022 Marquis IT Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without prior consent.
Printed by Premier Print Group, G02 Lock Studios,
7 Corsican Square, London, E3 3YD