Locations
Wanstead - a light-hearted look at where and what it is
Wanstead is an area of east London approximately 6.85 miles north-east of the City of London. This distance is taken from St Paul's Cathedral to Christ Church near Wanstead High Street, and is as a Crow (Corvus corone) flying in an incredibly straight line, might fly.
It is an east London suburb which still has something of the feel of a village about it - though only just. It is located between the River Lee (or Lea) to the west, which is the historical boundary between Middlesex and Essex, and the River Roding to the east; which is the more recent boundary between the postal districts of London and Ilford, Essex.
In 2007 the census details gave a population of 87661, although this also includes the neighbouring area of Leyton, because Wanstead is part of the Parliamentary Constituency of Leyton and Wanstead.
Wanstead is in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is also in Essex. In fact, so deep rooted is the fact that Wanstead is in Essex (that is, east of the River Lee or Lea) that many inhabitants insist that letters sent to them via the Royal Mail postal service are addressed as "Wanstead, Essex". This is despite the fact that they are actually in Leytonstone, LONDON, E11, as far as Royal Mail's routing codes (addresses) for letters are concerned.
But Wanstead is greater than a routing code; the Red Bridge itself (or at least the bridge that replaced the Red Bridge) is to the east, crossed by the Eastern Avenue (the A12); beyond is Redbridge. This is part of Ilford (in the London Borough of Redbridge), but definitely in Essex if only because the postal addresses say so (ILFORD, Essex, IG...)
Just to the west of Wanstead is that part of Wanstead which is called Snaresbrook, and a little further west still the Borough boundary is crossed, and Waltham Forest (London Borough of) is entered. Here we are in Walthamstow (LONDON, E17), so we have left Wanstead.
But Wanstead contains within its boundaries a little known marvel - Wanstead Park. It is part of Epping Forest as is Wanstead Flats - although these are not in Wanstead!
Other areas - not in Wanstead - but within the remit of WWL, are Bush Wood, Leyton Flats and Gilbert's Slade - all parts of Epping Forest. Wanstead Park is separated only by a single road from Bush Wood. This in turn, is separated only by the Green Man roundabout from Leyton Flats (in fact, adjacent to Leytonstone). Leyton Flats is not flats (ie high-rise buildings) at all - but a mainly flat area of grassland - with lots of trees and shrubs! It is part the London Borough of Walthamstow, which we entered north of Snaresbrook.
Just across the Snaresbrook Road, north of Leyton Flats, the Forest of Epping continues northwards through an area known as Gilbert's Slade. It is not far from Wanstead, and adjacent to it, and the wildlife (I'll get round to that in more detail) is just as interesting, so it has been included in the "in and around Wanstead" label. But at the north end of Gilbert's Slade, Epping Forest has been gashed more severely even than at the Green Man roundabout in Leytonstone. Thus this part of Epping Forest is probably known more to drivers than to naturalists. It is Waterworks Corner. And here - at least in a northerly direction - it is convenient to limit the extent of "in and around Wanstead"
The western delineation is quite conveniently made by the edge of Epping Forest itself, down to Whipps Cross roundabout.
And what about the southern boundary? It follows Capel Road and Forest View Road by Wanstead Flats. By "the Flats" are the enclaves of Lake House and Aldersbrook - both rather nice estates of houses adjacent to parts of Epping Forest. The Lake House estate is situated between Bush Wood and Wanstead Flats and is in Leytonstone E11 (or Wanstead, Essex) in the London Borough of Redbridge, and Aldersbrook is situated between Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats and is in Manor Park E12 (or Wanstead, Essex) - in the London Borough of Redbridge.
Part of the south edge of Wanstead Flats abuts on to Forest Gate in the London Borough of Newham. This is the Forest Gate that is LONDON, E7, although it is probable that a few people would prefer to be in Wanstead, Essex. The nearest railway station in Forest Gate to Wanstead Flats is Wanstead Park, so this may support their claim (though not their routing code). The other part of the south edge of Wanstead Flat - more to the east - are adjacent to Manor Park, which is LONDON E12. The Flats themselves are in Redbridge (mostly).
The western edge of Wanstead Flats, nearer to Forest Gate, still abuts on to Forest Gate (E7), although in the vicinity of the Jubilee Pond, the houses in Forest Gate are in the London Borough of Walthamstow. Indeed, by Sidney Road in Forest Gate, even what is considered here to be part of Wanstead Flats (LB Redbridge - remember?) is in LB Waltham Forest. Further north - across Lakehouse Road, the houses that act as a boundary to the Flats are in Leytonstone (E11). The Flats here merge into Bush Wood.
So that brief outline encompasses Wanstead itself, (the village/town), and neighbouring parts of Epping Forest which are incorporated into the study area dealt with here. But still - where to stop? Because the wildlife doesn't necessarily stop anywhere; it is no revelation to anybody that a totally wild fox may be seen wandering through any of the streets, housing estates or forest already mentioned.
Within Wanstead - for example St Mary's churchyard - or near to it (eg the City of London Cemetery or the Alders Brook) are areas of "wild" or semi-wild habitats that have a host of wildlife. They also have a host of non- "wild" life, particularly species of plants that have been deliberately introduced but nevertheless contribute enormously to the diversity of habitats, species and the ecology of the area.
"Wanstead Wildlife" then will strive to take account of the area primarily looking at the animals, birds and plants that may be found here, something of the history which has led to how it is today, a little of the ecology of the area, and issues that arise relating to these aspects.
Paul Ferris, 7th March 2007
Views and Aspects of the City of London Cemetery (1) Buildings
Here are some aspects of the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium which do not necessarily have a wildlife connection, they just reflect the Cemetery and its landscape.
The cemetery landscape is Grade I listed in the Heritage Category of Park and Garden by Historic England (https://historicengland.org.uk/), the Government department that describes itself as 'the public body that looks after England's historic environment'. There are a further eight buildings and monuments within the 200 acre site that are listed as Grade II.
The cemetery is notable for the large number of re-burials of remains from the City of London churches. The City churchyards were full - if not actually overflowing - with remains. A number of cemeteries were built around London in the mid-nineteenth century to relieve the pressure. The grounds of the City of London Cemetery were laid out in 1855. The first interment took place on 24th June 1856, although the grounds were opened first on 24th July 1856. Some of the remains from City churches were transferred to the City of London Cemetery and are often marked with a grand monument.
An on-line search may well result in many photographs of some of the grander monuments, or of more well-known people buried there, but I hope to include some lesser-known - and less grand - graves and memorials and some other aspects that I have found interesting.
On this page are some of the buildings which make up the cemetery and crematorium. Other pages will include some of the memorials, and some general features.
All of the photographs included here were taken by myself.
Link to Memorials in the Cemetery
Link to Other Features of the Cemetery
MAIN ENTRANCE SCREEN AND LODGES
The photo shows the main entrance gateway, which is the view most people would have if visiting. There is another gateway - with no additional structure apart from gateposts - to the east near the junction of Rabbits Road with Forest View Road. This is known as the South Gate, but is rarely open.
The main entrance gateway and the associated buildings to the right, including the café, the florist and the gatekeepers office, was originally the Porter's Lodge. To the left of the gateway is what was originally the Superintendent's House, but are now the administration buildings and enquiries office. These are all Grade II listed. (List Entry Number: 1080984*)
Above the vehicle entrance is a large carved panel with the City of London's coat of arms. Above the pedestrian gates are some ornamental tablets set into the masonry depicting the construction date of the cemetery (1855), the Heraldic Shield of the City of London, the renovation date of the gateway (1898), and a somewhat worn and indistinct shield at the bottom of which is the motto Dum spiro spero, which translates to "While I breathe, I hope".
THE CEMETERY CAFE AND GARDENS
The buildings to the right of the main gate are used by the gatekeeper staff, a florist, administration offices upstairs, and to the rear, a cafe. This opened originally as 'The Gatehouse Pantry', then became the 'Poppy Pantry'. With seating provisions inside, and outside in the pleasant gardens, the cafe has proved very popular. Most recently the cafe was run by the Royal Voluntary Service, but unfortunately, this closed in March 2023.
THE CHAPEL
Straight ahead from the main gate, along Chapel Avenue, is the Chapel. This was originally know as the Dissenters' or Non-Conformist Chapel. It is visible from the Main Gate, but is largely obscured by trees lining the roadway - particularly the branches of a fine conifer close to the chapel. It is octagonal in shape, with a large rose window above the entrance doorway.
This is another Grade II listed building.
THE CHURCH
Also known as the Church Chapel or Anglican Chapel, from the main gate is at the NW end of Church Avenue. As with the Dissenters' Chapel, it was designed to be visible from the main gate, but the view is largely obscured now by trees.
It can also be described as being at the 'west end of Central Avenue', and Central Avenue was intended to be the main approach-way for funeral services. The cemetery was built in the mid-19th C., at a time when railways were gaining prominence. The intention was that a special railway station be built near to Ilford, and the coffins and funerary procession would use the railway to get to the new cemetery. Hence there is a gate at the extreme NE corner of the cemetery, adjcent to the area known locally as 'The Butts' and close to the pedestrian underpass to Little Ilford. The gate is now unused, and as the use of trains never happened was probably rarely ever used. If one takes the train between Manor Park and Ilford stations, looking down from the train viaduct one can see what looks as though it may have been a siding - perhaps the one intended for the funerals.
The Church has a tall (19m) crocketed spire, below which hang a number of dog-like creatures. These take the form of gargoyles, but as they don't appear to spout rainwater from the roof, they are perhaps better called 'grotesques', an architectural term for a fantastic or mythical figure carved or moulded onto a building for ornamental purposes. The term 'chimera' may also be used. (This is another of the cemetery's Grade II listed buildings
Above two windows on the west side are three more carvings, in the form of winged creatures. Also on the east side of the Church is a drain-pipe fitting, dated 1855, which corresponds to the year in which the grounds of the cemetery were laid out.
THE TRADITIONAL CREMATORIUM BUILDING
This was the second crematorium in London and was opened in October 1904. (source: London Metropolitan Archives Collection Catalogue). The first cremation took place in March 1905. Since the new crematorium was built in 1971 this building is no longer used as such, but is now a Chapel of Remembrance, known as The East Chapel. This is a bit confusing, as it was for a time known as the South Chapel.
To the right of the door, an inscription in the stonework say: EAST CHAPEL. It can be seen, though, that the word 'East' has replaced another word - presumably 'South'.
To the left hand side of the door, a stone inscription states:
CITY OF LONDON BURIAL BOARD / THIS CREMATORIUM WAS OPENED BY / WILLIAM JOSEPH DOWNES ESQre / CHAIRMAN OF THE SANITARY COMMITTEE / ACTING AS THE BURIAL BOARD FOR THE CITY OF LONDON / ON THE 25th OCTOBER 1904
The building is Grade II listed.
THE COTTAGE IN BELFRY ROAD
The Cottage, also known as The Lodge, was built in 1855 to a design by William Haywood. This is another Grade II listed building.
The photograph was taken on 2nd March 2023
NORTH AND SOUTH CHAPELS AND CREMATORIUM BUILDING
A new, modern, cremation facility was built in 1971, close to the intersection of the 6-way junction (a rond-point) which is reached from the main gate by way of Chapel Avenue.
Above the cremation chamber are two chapels, known as the North Chapel and the South Chapel. I suggest that it was unfortunate that the building was situated in the valley of the Alders Brook, as this has to a large degree spoilt the intended view of the Catacombs when seen down the valley from the south-west.
THE CATACOMBS AND COLUMBARIUM
The Catacombs are situated at the NE end of Rhododendron Avenue, although they are more readily located by walking down Chapel Avenue from the main gate until the 6-way junction is reached, where are the modern North and South Crematorium Chapels. The Catacombs can be seen in the distance beyond the South Chapel.
The catacombs are built into a bank which - when what is now the cemetery was the lands of Aldersbrook Manor (see here) - would have been the retaining bank of the 'Great Pond'. This was an ornamental feature created by the damming of the Alders Brook, a small stream running in a NE direction from Wanstead Flats. The course of the brook can be clearly ascertained by the realisation that Rhododendron Avenue, together with the crematorium buildings, lie in a shallow valley.
The catacombs apparently were never really succesful as a means of commemorating the dead, and part of them have now been converted into a columbarium. We have a wildife connection here as 'columbarium' means dovecote, from columba dove. I doubt that catacombs relate in any way to cats.
The Catacombs are Grade II listed.
TOILET BLOCK
The grounds are well endowed with toilets, and these are usually set discreetly and unobtrusively in their locations. Often they are of designs in keeping with other buldings within the cemetery, as is this one near the church.
MEMORIAL BUILDINGS
LIEUTENANT COLONEL WILLIAM HAYWOOD MAUSOLEUM
William Haywood (1821-1894) was an architect and engineer and surveyor to the City of London Commissioners of Sewers, and was the the designer of the cemetery. His mausoleum is a short distance inside the main gate, along Chapel Avenue and on the left.
This is an imposing Grade II listed building (* List Entry Number: 1190633) , with inscriptions on the side panels stating that within are the ashes of William Haywood and his wife Jemima Emma Haywood. Interestingly, if you look through the entance doorway railings, a bust of William is on the left, and one of his wife on the right. Below each of those is a niche for a container for the ashes. That of Jemima has a casket containing - presumably - the ashes, but the receptacle for William is clearly empty. This seems to suggest that - contrary to the statements on the exterior of the building, his ashes are not contained therein. Both were cremated at Woking.
Further research into William Haywood has shown him to be a very interesting character - and that Jemima was in fact not married to him but was his Common Law wife.
PEDLEY VAULTS
As well as memorials, the Pedley Vaults are substantial enough, perhaps, to be classified as buildings as well. They are situated either side of Anchor Road, NE of the Church and on the way to the Chapel.
These two large structures face each other, and are the only two of their kind in the cemetery. Joshua Pedley (1829-1910) was born at West Ham, and qualified as a solicitor in 1854. After he moved in the 1860s or 70s to Tottenham, he resided at Trafalgar House in White Hart Lane, living there for the rest of his life. He became very involved in the local community, including several charities; following the ethics of well-off people of the time he was quite a philanthropist.
The vault facing those of the Pedley Family are dedicated to Hasluck.
Link to Memorials in the Cemetery
Link to Other Features of the Cemetery
Paul Ferris (begun 28th February 2023)
References:
* Grade Listed Buildings: https://historicengland.org.uk/
(1) A Geological Walk in the City of London Cemetery. Wendy Kirk and David Cook. Aldersbrook Geological Society
(2) https://hidden-london.com/nuggets/city-of-london-dragons/
(3) Coughlin, Con (2013). Churchill's First War: Young Winston at War with the Afghans. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 63.
(4) https://www.companyofnurses.co.uk/annie-brewster-remembered/
(5) The City of London Cemetry Heritage Brochure (Edition 2, 2004)
Subcategories
Other Locations Article Count: 31
Names, links and information about the various localities within the study area