Angel Pond: Then and Now

This morning I started yet another New Year's Resolution to get fit by going for a jog around nearby Wanstead Flats. Less than 50m from the start of my run is "Angel Pond" seen then (early 20th century) and now in collage above.

It was named after the first ever West Ham Council Engineer,  Lewis Angell, who was responsible for its construction in 1893/94. It used to have rowing boats for hire and a bandstand. The fascist leader, Oswald Mosley, used to speak from the bandstand during weekends in the 1930s, nearby was the local headquarters of the British Union of Fascists in Woodford Road. He would have had a lively reception from anti-fascist locals.

The bandstand caught fire and was replaced by a circle of trees which you can see in the bottom photo. Angel pond is looking very full at the moment due to recent rain but the plan by Epping Forest is for it to be an aquatic nature reserve that is a pond in the winter but marshland during the summer.

Hopefully my resolution to get fit this year will last longer than it usually does (which is not very long but fingers crossed). 

London Marathon 2012 training Wk 3: The Grotto, useless watch and useless dog owners

I’ve felt this week wasn’t as tough as last. Probably because there was only one run involving “maximum effort” reps. I bought a Timex “Ironman 30 lap” watch from Sweatshop for £50 to help me time the reps and recovery walks. It came with the most useless set of instructions I have ever come across. Despite being told by the assistant that this watch could programme reps I have no idea how to do it. So I’m taking it back.

“Run of the week” was on Sunday. The weather was marvellous for the time of year. I started off walking at Angel Pond in Wanstead flats, past the site of the old bandstand where Mosley and his fascist thugs use to try and hold open air meetings in the late 1930’s. Then started warm up jogging past the amateur footballers until I reached the pub “The Golden Fleece”. One of the better pubs in Newham. After stretches I started the 35 minute run towards the City of London Cemetery which is one of the largest in Europe. I ran in between the Cemetery and the Railway line. Turned left, past the allotments and along the Roding Way for a little while then into Wanstead Park. Then I got chased by a dog which nipped my left ankle. It didn’t break the skin and was more of a shock than painful. After many years of jogging I don’t think I have ever actually been nipped or bitten before even thought there has been a few close calls. Anyway I don’t blame the dog, rather the completely useless owners who just stood there with their mouths open like goldfish and didn’t even have the grace to apologise.

I carried on along the Ornamental Water and went past the Grotto (see painting) built 1761 and the site of a Roman-British temple. Up the Long Walk to Warren Road then down and past the ponds (where a German V1 landed in 1944 killing a solider and his girlfriend) into the flats again. The 35 minutes finished a few minutes from Angle pond and I jogged the rest of the way home. 

I am running the London marathon next year using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless Youth charity "Alone in London".