The UK ‘village’ dubbed ‘mini Holland’ that completely shuts on a Monday
Although residents say the area has "changed over time", life in Walthamstow Village, in London, remains relatively quiet on a Monday.
People walking through a quiet village in northeast London wouldn't be blamed for thinking they are in the Cotswolds.
Leafy Walthamstow Village is a peaceful enclave and just within a 10-minute walk of a London underground station. If you walk along the main street in the village, Orford Street, you'll find an array of independent shops and restaurants, while St Mary's Church - which dates back to the 12th century - looms magnificently over it.
Pub Manager, Tom Hind, described the atmosphere of the village: "If you walk down the street, you won’t hear a car. It’s a wonderful place, the main road through the village is a thing of joy."
Keeping up with traditions of rural England, much of Walthamstow Village remains closed on a Monday.
The only reason a local restaurant owner decided to open his doors was because he noticed a crowded and slightly busier street outside his eatery. Melvin Venables said: "We normally wouldn't open today, but we couldn’t resist."
The 61-year-old has lived in Walthamstow for the past 20 years and says the area has changed so much during that time. He added: "It's much more gentrified now. It was charming but a bit more rough around the edges when I first moved here."
The village also has a European feel, with businesses now able to put chairs and tables on the street.
He added: "The area become much more popular for younger families. Before the changes it tended to be mostly popular for older people."
As reported in MyLondon, the change has also become part of "mini Holland" reforms, to make the area more suitable for pedestrians and cyclists and residents.
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Ali Ates, 58, who works as a chef at Orford’s Fish and Chips, said the area has a "middle-class nature" which is affecting prices in shops.
He claims: "People want more premium things here, so the prices are much higher than other parts of London."
He added: "Overall everyone seems happy to live here. We don’t get much hassle at all from customers as it’s generally quite a laid back place."
Describing the main road in the village, he admitted it did get "packed" with people during the evenings and weekends.