We were tipped off that Walthamstow has an amazing greengrocer-cum-foodstore, which looks as if it has been there for years, but apparently opened quite recently.  25 types of tomato.  It’s definitely worth the trip:-

We went on an expedition to St. Mary, Walthamstow which felt unexpectedly rural, definitely not London, a bit of old Essex, surroundings by an overgrown graveyard:-

In the chancel is a very good monument to Sir Thomas and Dame Mary Merry, commissioned by Thomas from Nicholas Stone the Elder in 1634, with excellent relief portraits of them both below:-

In the nave is a monument to Lady Lucy Stanley, who died c.1630.  She was the daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, so posh:-

By the north door is an unusual columnar monument commemorating Anne Wainwright:-

The church has just been restored by the NHLF, an interesting model: no pews, a café at the back, a children’s play area ie for community use.  It’s presumably a way of keeping it in active use.

Then, there’s the graveyard:-

To celebrate the announcement of Vanbrugh 300, Tim Abrahams has released a podcast in which we had a wide-ranging discussion about Vanbrugh as a playwright as well as an architect, about his qualities as an architect and his social and intellectual milieu. It’s available as an apple podcast (I hope this is the correct link):-

https://www.timabrahams.net/everything/tag/Podcast

Glad to see news of Vanbrugh 300 filtering out on social media:-

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/vanbrugh300-a-year-long-celebration-of-englands-boldest-baroque-architect-82792/

I haven’t been since the mid-1990s when it was bare fields which felt nowhere.  It’s certainly changed. 

I was looking mainly at the most recent housing developments which adopt a Regency vernacular, but still with a lot of variety within the template.

This is the norm:-

But there is plenty of variety:-

I had no idea of its scale and ambition and how you can walk straight into the countryside:-

I see in today’s Guardian that Bangor is described as a town most tourists avoid.  It’s true that one wouldn’t go there for a beach holiday and like many towns, it has not benefitted from the standard hollowing out of the centre of the city by supermarkets and car parks.

But since the Guardian fails to list what it has to offer, I suggest the following:-

The Cathedral

Not the greatest, but still worth visiting.

The University

Up on the hill above the town, difficult to explore, but with a fine Tudor Gothic building by Henry Hare.

The Pier

A beautiful, well-preserved, delicate, late Victorian pier, built out into the Menai Straits.

Treborth Botanic Garden

A lovely botanical garden run by the university and with very helpful staff.

Port Penrhyn

Easily walkable from the town centre, well worth exploring and with an absolutely excellent fish shop, The Menai Seafood Company, where you can buy clam chowder for the price of a cappuccino in Stepney..

You can also walk down the hill for lunch at Dylan’s in Menai Bridge and see Plas Cadnant just beyond, where there are highly desirable cottages to rent.  And the best ironmongers in the world.

What more could you want ?

And there are no tourists.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/aug/07/where-tourists-seldom-tread-seaside-towns-ayr-bangor-millom?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other