Wanstead, Mon Amour

[pmcray]

I edited my Interests last night. I spend a lot of time in Wanstead these days. Curiously I am the only person on LJ who lists "Wanstead" as an Interest. This compares to 14 for "Brentford". Some of those could be for the football club, of course. Perhaps Brentford is bigger than Wanstead, or, more likely, it is somewhat more "edgily" boho/bobo and thus fits in better with the LJ demographic (parts of Wanstead are very "Good Life" suburban). And then there is Robert Rankin. But Wanstead has an Underground station that is *actually underground* with lovely long escalators, although sadly, for some reason, no adverts on the platforms. Wanstead also has a church that looks (to me) like a Hawksmoor church (it was actually designed by Thomas Hardwick - born in Brentford - and completed in 1790), Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park (both part of Epping Forest) and Wastonia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanstonia) Come on, you psychogeographers! What more do you want?

Comments

[sarahx.livejournal.com]

Two of my f-list actually live in Wanstead!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

My mum lived there throughout my 20s, so I saw quite a bit of the place pre-M11 -- it seemed to have a bit more character back then.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see a pre-M11 map to work out what was lost.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Good to know I am not the only LJer spending time there!

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

It is very suburban. It reminds me a bit of Northwood (where "The "Good Life" was filmed), although Northwood is leafier and more John Betjeman.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I've probably got an old AtoZ kicking around somewhere!

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

I think I lost my late 1980s one - or it fell in half.