Walthamstow, just 30 minutes by tube from Oxford Street, has become an escape route from the unbridled gentrification that nearby areas such as Hackney during the last decades. Backed by a large nature reserve, the Victorian imprint of its noble residences and the legacy of William Morris, on weekends this town located northeast of London changes its role as a commuter town for that of a bustling place with flea markets, galleries of young artists and places where you can taste craft drinks. Here are the best plans to spend a good day on the outskirts of the British capital.
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9.00 A working-class neighborhood with a pedigree
When the city begins to wake up, and its residents leave for Central London, it’s a good time to take a quick walk through the architectural (and unknown) gems that Walthamstow contains. Central Parade (esquina Hoe St con Churchill Hill) (1) It is a clear example of intervened architecture. It was designed in 1954 as a shopping and office center with nods to the style mid centurytransformed six decades later into a hub Creative by London studio Gort Scott. Go to the first municipal bookstore (High St) or see first-hand the town hall (Forest Rd), a magnificent work of stripped classicism, voluminous and presided over by a clock tower, will give a good account of its historical anatomy.
10.00 Quote with William Morris
The route continues at the residence of its most illustrious citizen. William Morris Gallery (Lloyd Park, Forest Rd) (2) it was home to one of the most versatile figures in British design. Born in Walthamstow, William Morris (1834-1896) worked as an architect, designer, poet and a renowned socialist in his country, being the greatest exponent of the Victorian movement Art and Crafts. The Georgian-style house in which he lived until he was 22 years old with his widowed mother and his brothers is a faithful reflection of his work and life. Since 1950 it has housed a museum about him with an extensive collection of wallpapers, fabrics and other iconic works. It also has games and educational activities for the little ones. On Saturdays we can take the second espresso in the morning in the small market that houses its garden.
12.00 The oldest house in London?
Walthamstow is also part of that Victorian landscape that anyone fantasizes about on their first visit to London. Over the hundred graves of his former Cemetery on Queens Rd (3) moss accumulates and that beautiful decadence of a typically English garden, guarded by two chapels and a bell tower. About 20 minutes away on foot, and with a more modest graveyard, stands the st mary’s church (Church End, 8) (4), the oldest building in the town built on a Norman building from the 12th century, which now combines Sunday masses with jazz concerts at sunset. At the south exit we will run into what some say is the oldest preserved house in london (Church Ln, 2), una hall house from 1435 covered with medieval wooden slats, which occupies the current headquarters of the local guide The OnTrade Preview.
13.00 Lunch with a ‘cockney’ accent
Even for many Londoners it is an unknown fact, but Walthamstow has the longest open air market in Europe. From Tuesday to Saturday (8:00-17:00; High St) it gathers over a kilometer of stalls with household items, clothing, antiques and crafts. On Sundays, it adds a farmers market where you can find local products such as cheeses, sausages or organic eggs. It also has cafes and restaurants where you can go around the world through its cuisine, or try the favorite dishes of any cockney. In the shop L Manze (High St. 76) (5)opened in the twenties of the last century, They offer everything from eels in jelly to the traditional pie and mash (meatloaf with mashed potatoes), always, with parsley sauce.
2:30 p.m. Shopping on Orford Road
Already fully in the historical hala we arrive at Walthamstow Village (6), a town within another town. It contains some of the most archaic buildings in its geography, cared for and renovated with care to house new businesses, the result of the gentrification that the neighborhood is experiencing. Around Orford Road (7) Unfold boutiques independent and shops for leisure. Some essentials are Parish Winesa wine store to take away or taste at the moment; Queens Armsthe classic pub where you don’t just drink a pint—your sunday roast it’s a test—; O Here on Earth, with author jewels and decorative objects. the close Vestry House Museum (Vestry Rd) (8) combines a Victorian tour of the site with temporary exhibitions, such as the current one Sweet Harmony 1989-1994 about the music dance from the United Kingdom (until May 25).
16.00 Through the landscapes of Turner
The romantic nature that the British painter JMW Turner captured throughout his life could well be a reflection of Wetlands (9)the largest nature reserve in London with 150 years of history but only open to the public since 2017. In addition to seducing bird watchers and lovers of all its wildlife, it has a historic cafe, the Marine Engine House, where to consummate tea time.
17.30 Let yourself be blinded
Ravenswood Industrial Estate (Shernhall St) (10) It is that area of industrial depth where everything happens. It began to emerge when the artist Chris Bracey moved his studio and his massive collection of fluorescent lights here, giving rise to the largest neon museum in Europe: the Gods Own Junkyard. After visiting it, we can spend the afternoon in the local craft drinks in the area, such as the beers they make Wild Card Brewery, the gin distillery premium Mother’s Ruin and the cider hipster from Trap Taproom.
20.00 Dinner in a subway car (literally)
That innate facet of Londoners is well known for launching the most outlandish of ideas. One of them happens in the railway museum Walthamstow Pumphouse (South Access Rd, 10) (11). From Thursday to Saturday, it offers dinner inside an old subway car on the Victoria line with a Latin menu designed by chef Beatriz Maldonado Carreño. just low booking.
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