A visitor’s guide to Walford
lnsidesoap’s guide to the people, places and history of London E20…
THE QUEEN VICTORIA
Current residents Mick, Linda, Shirley,
Tina and Ollie Carter.
History Den Watts, “Happy
Christmas, Ange”, RIP Den,
Pat and Frank, RIP Eddie
Royle, the Mitchells,
“Gerrouta ma pub!”, the Vic burns, Sharongate, RIP
Tiffany Mitchell, “Hello
Peggy, bet you never thought you’d see me again”, Alfie and Kat, Chrissie
Watts, doggy doorstop,
RIP Den again, RIP Archie, RIP Bradley, Phil on crack, the Vic burns again, Kat and Alfie return, the
Carters take over, Shirley has a secret, Linda raped,
RIP Sylvie, RIP Abi. Recently named ‘London Pub of the Year’ by someone with a very droll sense of humour.
1 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Grey, Chantelle, Mia and Mackenzie Atkins.
History No 1 was originally home to the much-loved
Ethel Skinner and her little Willy. Dr Harold Legg worked in the consulting rooms downstairs. Converted into the Square’s most glamorous house in 2015, ready for Vincent and Kim Fox-hubbard to move in. Remarkably, no one has been murdered here. Yet.
3 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Unknown. History The three flats in
this house have housed characters both memorable (Colin Russell, Stacey Slater) and rather less memorable (Carmel and Matthew Jackson, Manda and Adam Best).
5 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Suki, Kheerat, Jags and Vinny
Panesar (f lat 5A). Ruby
Allen (f lat 5B).
History No 5 has brought little luck to its owners. Steve Owen lived here until he died in a car crash. Phil Mitchell was shot on the front steps. It was the Branning home for many years, and where Max’s affair with Stacey was revealed on Christmas Day 2007. Converted into f lats by Jack Branning in 2016.
SQUARE DEALZ
Car dealership run by Ben Mitchell and Jay Brown.
History Frank Butcher launched the business as Frank’s Autos. David Wicks renamed the business Deals On Wheels (twice). It has also traded under the name of Janine Cars, Pat Cars and Branning & Son.
23 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Keegan and Tiffany Butcher-baker
(subletting from Ted Murray) are in flat 23A. Upstairs, in a very busy 23B are: Karen, Bernadette, Chatham and Riley Taylor, plus Mitch and Bailey Baker. History Eastenders’ very first scene took place here, when Den Watts kicked down a door to discover the recently deceased Reg Cox. This also launched No 23 as Walford’s ‘House of Horror’. Fireman Tom Banks died here in a blaze in 2002, while failing to save the life of bully Trevor
Morgan. In 2014, Kat Moon was badly scarred in another fire, started by her husband Alfie. Poetically, Reg Cox’s killer Nick Cotton died here of a heroin overdose the following year, thanks in no small part to his mum Dot.
25 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Dot Branning, with Sonia and Martin Fowler, Kirsty ‘Dotty’
Cotton and Whitney Dean.
History The Jackson clan’s home in the 90s, this has been Dot’s place since she married Jim Branning in 2002.
27 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Jack,
Max and Abi Branning,
Amy and Ricky Mitchell.
History No 27 was home to the Miller family through much of the 2000s – then the Mitchell sisters off and on.
Crazy Dr May Wright died in a gas explosion here in 2008, and Janine Butcher stabbed
Michael Moon to death in 2013. The house passed to
Jack after Ronnie and Roxy took their fateful final swim.
29 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Unknown.
History Ian and Cindy Beale once lived here – until she tried to have him killed. Later, it was home to Sharon and her OTP, Dennis Rickman.
31 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Mo Harris, Jean Slater, Kat
Slater, plus Kat’s kids Tommy, Bert and Ernie Moon, her husband’s daughter Cherry Slater and Kat’s fancy man, Kush Kazemi. Kush’s son Arthur Fowler comes and goes between here and wherever Stacey is now living.
History Frankly, just about everyone who passes through Walford lives here at some point. The house is famed for its TARDIS-LIKE ability to contain multitudes. In its time, it’s been full of Healys, Mitchells, Jacksons and now Slaters. Billie Jackson died of an alcohol overdose
here in 2010. Pat Evans passed away upstairs in 2012.
ARTHUR’S BENCH
He loved this place.
55 VICTORIA ROAD ‘Phytchey’ Current residents Phil and Ben Mitchell, Lola and Lexi Pearce, Dennis Rickman.
History Phil’s suitably stand-offish house keeps its back to the Square, with residents preferring to come and go (and generally shout abuse) from the back gate.
Michelle Fowler lived here with her brother Mark a long time ago. Later, this was the home of the Ferreira family, then the Beales until they moved around the corner.
Since then, it’s been the stage for all the big Michell dramas – including Phil’s second shooting in 2014.
20 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Patrick and Sheree Truman, Denise Fox, Isaac Baptiste.
History The Butcher family took over this house in
1989 and ran it as a bed and breakfast – purchasing No 18 next door to live in themselves. The two properties were later combined into one giant B&B and memorably run by Kim
Fox. Yusef Khan died in an explosion here at Christmas 2011. It’s since been divided back into two houses.
18 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Billy, Honey, William and Janet Mitchell, and Jay Brown.
History In 2010, Denise was held captive here by Lucas Johnson while her family – living next door – thought she was dead.
41 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Habiba and Iqra Ahmed, plus Iqra’s girlfriend Ash Kaur and new housemates Bobby Beale and Bex Fowler.
History This was once home to Pat, with her third husband Roy Evans, and later Alfie Moon and his Nana, who passed away here. Since then it’s hosted a wealth of Ahmed/ Masood family members.
43 ALBERT SQUARE
Current residents Unknown. History Den Watts bought the downstairs flat here for Michelle Fowler, and it’s where Sharon was horrified to learn that Den was the father of little Vicki. Since then, it’s been a temporary address for untold dozens of characters. Against all commercial logic, it was converted from flats back into a house by Jack Branning in 2016, and has most recently been home to the doomed
Mel and Hunter Owen.
45 ALBERT SQUARE
‘Rosedene’
Current residents Ian and Kathy Beale, plus Sharon Mitchell.
History The old Fowler house, once ruled with a rod of iron by Lou Beale and later Pauline Fowler. An attic conversion provided extra room for all Ian’s kids when he moved in after Pauline’s death. It’s a place to beware of blunt instruments. Pauline whacked wayward husband Arthur with a frying pan.
Little Mo Morgan walloped abusive husband Trevor with an iron in the same kitchen.
Bobby Beale killed his sister Lucy with a jewellery box and almost did for his stepmum
Jane with a hockey stick. More peaceably, Lou Beale and Ethel Skinner both passed away in the old front room (which has since been knocked through).
47 ALBERT SQUARE
The two derelict flats here are awaiting development. Another one for you, Jack?
COMMUNITY CENTRE
The perfect venue for an AA meeting, or a keep-fit class.
MINUTE MART
This Bridge Street shop – formerly First ’til Last – is the London jewel in the national Minute Mart chain. Currently managed by Honey Mitchell, with help from the very quiet Debbie.
WALFORD LAUNDERETTE
For a long time the lair of Dot and Pauline – and scene of much dirty laundry being washed in public – it’s now the domain of Karen Taylor.
Owned by the lesser-spotted
Mr Papadopoulos Jr.
KATHY’S
Way back when, this was Al’s Café, owned by luckless couple Sue and Ali Osman, who also ran minicab firm Ozcabs from the building. They sold out to Ian Beale in 1989. Since then it’s been a boon to local neon sign manufacturers – being renamed variously Kathy’s, Laura’s, Mandy’s, Cindy’s, Shirley’s and Kathy’s again.
The place was blown to smithereens by homicidal Nick Cotton in 2009, and rebuilt just as shabbily as before, for no clear reason.
MITCHELL’S AUTOS
Phil and Grant Mitchell launched their car repair business in ‘the Arches’ (actually just one arch) in 1990. Now owned by Ben. History Phil has almost died here three times – badly beaten by Grant, and later by Jack (both fights were over
Sharon), and clobbered with a wrench by Stacey. Only low-level villain Carl White has actually died here, courtesy of Ronnie Mitchell.
KIDS’ PLAYGROUND
Sit on a swing and mournfully reflect upon your storyline.
HUNGRY HANK’S
Never-popular George St eatery.
EISENHARDT JEWELLERS
Ideal for hasty engagements.
MCKLUNKY’S
Beloved fried chicken shop, and scene of much teenage heartbreak.
57 TURPIN ROAD
Current resident Unknown. History Heather Trott died here in 2012 – walloped on the bonce with a picture frame by Ben Mitchell on his 16th birthday.
POLISH DELICATESSEN
For your pierogi and kiełbasa.
COKER & MITCHELL FUNERAL DIRECTORS
Current residents
The upstairs flat is home to
Stuart and Callum Highway and Rainie Branning.
History Undertaker now being run, somewhat eccentrically, by Stuart and Rainie, on behalf of Jay Mitchell and Pam and Les Coker.
ON THE SPOT CASH
Neighbourhood pawnbroker.
BEALE’S PLAICE
This was the Green Lantern Chinese until Ian took over in 1995. The Beales have been frying up a storm ever since.
TURF ACCOUNTANTS
Pat Evans used to run this bookies office. In 2010, Carol Jackson was working here when she heard that her son Billie had died.
TURPIN RD PHARMACY
This building was home to Walford Video for many years, until the bottom fell out of the video-rental market. It now does a roaring trade in pregnancy tests and morningafter pills – but should perhaps consider stocking some form of contraception. Just an idea.
THE PRINCE ALBERT
Bar catering primarily to the LGBTQ+ community of Walford and beyond, owned by Kathy Beale. This has banished old ghosts for Kathy, as it’s here that she was raped by James Wilmott-brown in 1988, when it was a pub called The Dagmar. The place has also been a catering business, a discount store and a beauty salon – the latter owned by the likes of Chrissie Watts,
Tanya Branning and Roxy
Mitchell. It was reopened as a cocktail bar by Phil and Sharon in 2014.
THE ARGEE BHAJEE
Many years ago, this was Rosa Di Marco’s Italian restaurant Giuseppe’s. Later, The Argee Bhajee had been around for a number of years before the Masoods took over. They soon lost the business due to terrible debts. It has been derelict for many years now.
FOX & HAIR
Hair and beauty salon run by Denise Fox. Formerly Blades salon, the lair of rapist Dean Wicks, and before that a range of different businesses – including a snooker hall and wine bar, sometimes combined with the club downstairs.
RUBY’S
Popular nightspot, even during the day. Owned (for the second time) by Ruby Allen. History Strokes Wine Bar,
The Cobra Club, The Market Cellar, e20, Angie’s Den, Scarlet, R&R, e20 again… This place has had many names over the door. Steve Owen killed his violent ex, Saskia Duncan, here on Valentine’s Day 1999. Amy Mitchell was conceived on the office desk, thanks to an enthusiastic
Roxy and Jack.
WALFORD EAST
Formerly Scarlett’s and Beales, this Asian fusion restaurant is named seemingly to thwart customers trying to Google it. It’s co-owned, in a bizarre twist of fate, by Ian Beale and Max Branning
– especially given that Max killed Ian’s stepson Steven in the kitchen in 2017.
91 GEORGE STREET
Current residents Unknown. History Back in the day, this was the home of Nigel Bates and Debbie Tyler, and her daughter Clare. Later, flat 91B was Derek Branning’s shag pad when he was having an affair with Kat Moon.
89 GEORGE STREET
Current residents Unknown. History Billy Mitchell and family lived in the lower flat for some years. In 2004, Ian Beale’s third wife Laura died after a fall down the stairs from the first-floor flat.
KING GEORGE GUEST HOUSE
No 87 George Street is now a B&B, but was once home to battling couple Terry and Irene Raymond.
WALFORD EAST UNDERGROUND STATION
All stops on the District line east to Upminster, or “up west” to central London and beyond. Hammersmith and City line to King’s Cross and beyond.
Martin Fowler knocked down and killed Jamie Mitchell right outside the tube station in 2002. Janine Butcher did the same to Danielle Jones, on the same spot, in 2009.
BREWERY APARTMENTS
Swanky flats right beside the tube station. Worth a mint if you can stand the racket.