Pints and places ... Walthamstow
By Kate Simon
Following our interview with Jaega Wise, beer writer, broadcaster and head brewer of Wild Card Brewery in Walthamstow, we take a look around the London borough where she’s based.
ASK A LOCAL
Roger Huddle, retired graphic designer, co-founder of Rock Against Racism, and local resident, tells us about the wild side of Walthamstow – and his favourite pub.
Epping Forest & Walthamstow Wetlands
“Walthamstow is surrounded by forest and water. You can walk into Epping Forest at Walthamstow – it’s an absolute joy for peace and seclusion. When I was young, you could take a boat out on the pond in the area known as The Rising Sun, now it’s called Bulrush Pond because it’s full of bulrushes – you almost expect to find Moses asleep in a basket. You can still go boating on Hollow Ponds, which were dug out in the 1930s. It’s at Whipps Cross – so called because people were whipped there.
“The Chartists met in this area in 1839, by the sixth milestone from the centre of London, and the forest was saved from enclosure during protests that took place here in later Victorian times. The Forest School has a stained-glass window by Morris and Co, William Morris’s firm; it’s a snapshot of what Walthamstow looked like in the 19th Century.
“Enter the forest by the beautiful late-19th Century St Peter’s in the Forest and you can walk all the way to Chingford, past Highams Park Lake, one of the largest stretches of open water in the forest. Just north to Chingford is Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge. The building dates from 1543 and is now an interesting, small museum all about Tudor times in the forest with a fantastic visitor centre next door, especially for kids.
“Walthamstow is surrounded by water, too. There are 10 reservoirs in the Lee Valley that have now been opened to the public as the Walthamstow Wetlands (pictured) Europe’s largest urban wetland reserve. There’s a wonderful walk you can take that goes around four of the five main reservoirs and see the wildfowl. You can walk out onto Walthamstow Marshes here, too. The Engine House has been turned into a café and viewing platform and has a special tower for nesting swifts and bats. My maternal grandfather came to London with his family from East Anglia and was one of the men who dug out these reservoirs by hand with shovels and picks.”
My local: Ye Olde Rose & Crown
“The Rose & Crown on Hoe Street was taken over more than a decade ago by a gay couple and a couple of teachers and their daughter, an actress. They got rid of the big screens, brought in good beer and turned it into a theatre pub. It’s a lovely place to be quiet or noisy. Fantastic musicians play live and all the music is free – catch regular band King Toadfish.”
AND THERE’S MORE
William Morris Gallery – Set in the house where Morris lived while a teenager, this museum is the place to pore over the radical designer, craftsman and campaigner’s textile and furniture designs and the books he printed at the Kelmscott Press. Go to www.wmgallery.org.uk.
Lloyd Park – Step out of the gallery and into Lloyd Park, a lovely open space for picnics, with the William Morris Garden, a moat and island, café, kids playground, fields and some sports areas. Go to www.walthamforest.gov.uk/libraries-arts-parks-and-leisure/parks/lloyd-park.
Vestry House Museum – Built as a poor house in the early 1700s, this local history museum benefited from having the same borough librarian for 35 years from 1928. There’s much to learn about the area – and even more if you book to visit its extraordinary archives. Go to https://vestryhousemuseum.org.uk.
Walthamstow Market – Pace out the longest outdoor street market in Europe on the High Street, during the week, when it’s a conventional market, or on a Sunday when it transforms into the Sunday Social with a farmer’s market and street food. Go to https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/libraries-arts-parks-and-leisure/local-markets/walthamstow-market
Wood Street Market and Georgian Village – Browse the vinyl and collectables, galleries and workshops, snacking at the food stalls as you go, at Wood Street Market in the former Crown Cinema. There’s more good food and quirky goods on sale at the Georgian Village on Wood Street. Go to www.woodstreetindoormarket.co.uk and www.georgianvillage.co.uk.
God’s Own Junk Yard – You may not realise how much you need a Neon sign until you visit this little piece of illuminated heaven in the Ravenswood Industrial Estate. You can hire signs, too. Or just admire them with a coffee at weekends at the yard’s Rolling Scones Café/Bar or one of Wild Card’s two tap rooms. Go to www.godsownjunkyard.co.uk.
Blackduke Vintage and Everything But The Dog – From Ercol pebble nest tables to a T-Line Armchair by Arflex, these curators of the past century’s furniture design have got it all going on. Go to https://blackdukevintage.tumblr.com and https://ebtd.co.uk.
Krypton Komics – Even devotees could be robbed of their power to truly appreciate the sheer scale of comics available at this venerable vendor on Blackhorse Lane. Go to www.kryptoncomicsonline.com.
Yonder Climbing Centre – Novice and experts can get to grips with some bouldering, with 30 coloured routes to show you how to climb the walls here. Families are welcome, too. Go to www.thisisyonder.com/yonder-climbing.
Lee Valley Riding Centre and Lee Valley Ice Rink – Does your child want a pony? They can have one now, well for a couple of hours, at a Mini Own A Pony session. Lessons are on offer, too, including show jumping. A state-of-the-art ice centre is now under construction on the site of the old one, so don’t get your skates on until later in 2022. Go to www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/riding-centre and www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/ice-centre.
The Pumphouse Museum – A pair of Marshall steam engines, a model railway of the London Liverpool Street-Chingford Line, a Tube carriage that hosts a supper club… It’s a no-brainer for transport fans. Go to https://walthamstowpumphouse.org.uk.
Street of Blue Plaques – In 2011, artist Danny Coope created the Street Of Blue Plaques on Grosvenor Park Road, an art installation of English Heritage-style blue plaques to commemorate former ordinary residents of the houses. You can still see a few in the windows still, such as Richard Quatermass, Boot Maker, at number 69. Go to www.dannycoope.co.uk/street-of-blue-plaques.
Phil’s Beer Notes
Infuriatingly, Walthamstow’s arrival as one of the capital’s great brewing centres, unimaginable much more than a decade ago, happened only after I’d stopped living there.
Now, imitating Bermondsey, it even has its own beer mile. Running north along the reservoirs that divide east London and north London, from Signature Brew to Wild Card’s Lockwood Tap Room, the Blackhorse Beer Mile also takes in Exale Brewery and Beerblefish Brewing.
The Nag’s Head in Walthamstow Village is a reliable spot for a decent pint – and has a splendid beer garden. The Chequers on the High Street offers a more modern experience, with craft beers on tap. Or for a more traditional East End pub experience, try the Flower Pot on Wood Street.
Got a non-beer drinker in tow? Take them for a G&T at Mother’s Ruin, gin maker and purveyor, on the Ravenswood Industrial Estate.
Did we miss out your favourite place in Walthamstow (aka London’s first Borough of Culture back in 2019)? Tell us in the comments…
Photo © Shutterstock