Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Lot of clues to research this week but near as I can figure it, the most likely answers are:


Q1. Arthur Morrison


Q2. Wanstead


(NB for question 2, the puzzle author quotes a distance of one mile from Leytonstone station, from the map, it looks like a mile from there could be Redbridge but from the literature, it seems that James Bradley's uncle , James Pound, was rector of Wanstead parish and had an observatory built there, where Dr Bradley spent much time, so the Eastender Himself is taking a punt on the answer being Wanstead)


The musician in the initial clue, is most likely Gladys Mills (aka Mrs Mills b1918). She appeared on the Morecambe and Wise show with Sir John Mills and that's where the quip from Eric Morecambe about "We’ve just had your grandmother on" originates . Gladys Mills was born in Beckton Road, Newham, Essex but she lived for a time in Loughton, Essex and this is also where the author Arthur Morrison (b1863) lived. Morrison published a book called "A Child of the Jago" which is about a character called 'Dick Perrot'.


Loughton tube station was opened by Eastern Counties Railway in 1856 and going one stop south from there takes us to Buckhurst Hill. There is a viewing platform near there in a forest area (possibly part of the Epping forest), which was built for Henry VIII (c1543), which was known as 'The Great Standing' (now billed as 'Queen Elizabeth's hunting lodge') which enabled his retinue to observe the hunt and allow them to shoot crossbows at the deer as they came by. This structure looks to be around  a mile or so, to the north west of Buckhurst hill station.


The next station down the line from Buckhurst hill is Woodford. I think the Merchant was Michael Godfrey and his son, who was also called Michael, became the first deputy governor of the Bank of England. A botanist from Woodford, who had the first flowering Gardenia in his hothouse, was a Richard Warner (born c 1713). A famous mp for Woodford was Winston Churchill. Around two miles north east of Woodford, lies Chigwell and a pub there (The Maypole public house in Chigwell row) is reputed to be the one which Charles Dickens based his 'Maypole Inn' on, in the book 'Barnaby Rudge'. Dickens is alleged to have called Chigwell "The greatest place in the world".


Three stops south from Woodford takes us to Leytonstone and taking the train northeast from there, brings us to Wanstead, where James Bradley, the astronomer royal, who took up his post in 1742, did some of his early observations. Two and a half miles of underground line between Leytonstone and Newbury park were converted to a secret munitions factory during world war two by Plessey.