A walk exploring the Walthamstow of the time when the railway was new and Hoe Street was still lined with grand houses; one of these was The Chestnuts, home to the composer and philanthropist J F H Read, a City stockbroker who provided Walthamstow with everything from its first concert hall to a cricket pavilion, paving the way for much of the town we know today.
The walk with local tour guide Joanna Moncrieff starts at his former home Chestnuts in Hoe Street and takes in various sites in the surrounding streets connected with Read and the music and cultural life of his time. On the way we will hear how he made and spent three fortunes in helping to make music available to all.
This walk is in conjunction with Clio’s Company’s E17 Art Trail event taking place at Chestnuts where the walk starts – item 55 in the Art Trail programme. The walk finishes at Vestry House Museum which is the location for items 153a & b. A full programme for the E17 Art Trail can be found here
Chestnuts will be open from 11.30am so you can have a look round before the walk.
Getting there
Chestnuts is about 10 minutes’ walk from Walthamstow Central tube station and on numerous bus routes. Please note: there is no Overground running on the Chingford to Liverpool Street Line on the day of the walk so please allow extra time to get there. planned-track-closures
A Westminster Walks event.
Waltham Forest History and Heritage Network 