London's up-and-coming neighbourhoods
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Photography Scott Wishart
Updated: Wed Aug 19 2009
Bow | Walthamstow | Clapton | Harringay | Deptford | Tooting
Walthamstow area guide
Overview
The area can look grim and industrial, particularly around the North Circular, Lea Bridge Road and Forest Road. But at Walthamstow’s heart is a genuine village, particularly the streets (complete with genuine cottages) around the attractively overgrown churchyard of St Mary’s. Yes, it’s further from the centre than many Londoners would consider, but it’s certainly family-friendly and, crucially, it’s on the Victoria Line.
Arts and culture
The famous greyhound track is now sadly no more, but there’s plenty more to do. The Vestry House Museum is a local history museum, while the William Morris Gallery is the only public gallery dedicated to one of England’s best known designers. Feature continuesAdvertisementFood and drink
La Ruga trattoria is pleasantly idiosyncratic. A recent addition is laid-back tapas bar Orford Saloon. Or, for something really traditional, L Manze is a proper pie and mash shop. On the pub front, The Flower Pot (128 Wood Street, E17 3HX; 8520 3600) is a marvellously archaic den with an interior barely touched since the war, while the Village (31 Orford Road, E17 9NL; 8521 9982) has one of the area’s only beer gardens.
Local amenities
Shops are not the strong point in this part of the city – the borough of Waltham Forest is something of a retail desert. There is, however, the street market (Tuesday-Saturday) along the High Street – reckoned by some to be the longest in Europe – or the farmers’ market in the Town Square (Sunday). For green open space there’s nearby Epping Forest.
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21 comments
I can't believe this is a review of Tooting. As the other commenter said, the Bedford is most definitely in Balham. The Garden House was renamed some months ago the Manor House. It could have been spot on for the area but somehow they missed the spot... Decor and lighting not quite right and food hit and miss... As for the Trafalgar, back in the day it was fab with its drag queens and glitter, but these days it's pretty mediocre. Not sure what the reviewer means by the 'gloriously mixed' clientele but sounds maybe just a tad patronising... The Selkirk is good and the two new additions (The Tramshed and the Antelope) are by far the most exciting things Tooting has seen for a long time. Sette Bello does fab pizza. I'm not sure how they picked the two Indian restaurants they mentioned but there are many many others that are great... Please ask someone who has actually been to Tooting or lives there to write these reviews in the future....
Has the person who reported on Tooting ever actually been there?
1) The Bedford is in Balham - why is it mentioned here? The Selkirk, which is actually in Tooting, also does comedy nights, and a pub quiz
2) The Garden House has been called The Manor for months now.
3) No mention of new arrivals the Tooting Tram & Social (opened for at least a year now) and the Antelope???? These are pubs people who live outside of Tooting travel to. Definitely worth a mention. Or the Ramble or Smoke for some old favourites.
4) Everyone knows Tooting is good for curry, but there are other restaurants too. No mention of those????
Sigh.
Olde Rose & Crown in Walthamstow has undergone an exciting transformation and is now a theatre and events pub. I am waiting for the rest of the area to pick up, too, but that will probably be 20 years in the making...
For the geezer looking for a pub in Leyton try the William IV up by Bakers Arms or the Birkbeck on the Stratford side of Leyton tube, for Leytonstone try the North Star tucked round the back of the Green Man roundabout.
Budgens is the bane of my existence.
Bow does have a club. Purple E3 just by Mile End Station.
Well THANK YOU for finally remembering the south east! Sometimes I struggle to find any events, restaurants or even mentions to the south east in this magazine. Deptford is ok I guess but just go a bit south and you'll find places such as Brockley and Honor Oak which no many people knows of and you'll have good transport connections, good houses and prices and estaurants like Babur in the corner of Brockley Road and Ackroyd Road SE23 that will surprise you with its good food and ambience.
Bow is up and coming because we have just moved here. All it needs is a club!
Tooting will never be the most glamorous suburb of London, but it's a friendly enough place and has good transport links for South London. Pub-wise the Selkirk is preferable to the Trafalgar. While the Tram & Social and the Antelope are both welcome additions. For shopping, Tooting is bargain hunters central with a new Primark and TK Maxx.
Yasar Halim is one of the finest shops in London, period. No matter what time of day you visit the store will always have people there going for their bread and groceries. Throw in the wide choice of good eateries (especially the kebab shops) and the community vibe and it's hard not to like Haringey.
Malcolm - well done for the mention of the Harringey tranny - she's a tourist attraction in her own right!
What about Leyton / Leytonstone. Its still a dump, but i moved here because i cant afford Bow / Hackney. I think its like Bow was 7 years ago, lots of nice Victorian terraces, but ABSOLUTELY nothing in the way of nice bars / restaurants. I think it has a lot of potential particuarly as its 10 mins to the city on the central line, and the new Westfield / Olympic village will be built on the Leyton side......
The Nags Head in Walthamstow also has a fine selection of beers and a beer garden. The village high street also has a decent butchers, deli and newspaper shop. Oh, a Budgens is on it's way.
Stay out of Clapton, its fine as it is! Antepliler is amazing
All this and no one's even mentioned the legendary Harringay Tranny, of Green Lanes!!! Quite an, erm, character, known by everyone.