Go Walthamstow!

Annsixty I remember Forest Road, but not Forest View Road, where exactly was it?
I also remember the loud rather martial classical music played at Liverpool St Station ( when I worked in London)
It made me feel I should actually march across the concourse.
Generally all music lifts my spirits ( bar Slade or The Osmonds)?

Then don’t be so pedantic Maddyone and po faced about the music.
Yes, Eloethan the classical music is designed to encourage a calm atmosphere, I have heard Mozart on more than one previous occasion. If Maddyone is bothered about municipal money being spent when it should be providing a good service then what a dull world we would live in. Does it cost a ha’penny more to play Beethoven or any other composer?
The music at Waterloo station is another example of a pragmatic solution which nevertheless improves the quality of life. It has long been known that they play faster music at the rush hour in the morning to get people moving faster as they head across the concourse or soothing music when they are on the way home to help calm them.
Oh what a sad world we would live in if there had to be a choice between “essential services” and quality of everybody’s life.

My daughter has been told what music I want played at my funeral. It includes "Ode to Joy".

Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" was actually adopted as an anthem by the Council of Europe, not the EU. Schiller's words weren't adopted. It's been used as a peace anthem throughout the 200 years since Beethoven set Schiller's words to music.

Schiller originally wrote his poem just before the French Revolution, when hopes were high that Europe was about to become a better place. He changed his mind after the Reign of Terror. Nevertheless, the words remain uplifting to this day.

I don’t mind at all Ann, but I do have to remind Maw that the only pearls I have go in my ears. I’m not on a high horse Maw, only ever been on a horse once, and I did not enjoy it. To be honest I wouldn’t even want to be on a low horse either.
I love that particular piece of music and don’t mind it, and other classical pieces being played in public, in fact all classical music is preferable to some of the stuff I hear when out and about. I just don’t want some sort of political message being played to me.

The classical music in the bus station was introduced long before the London Borough of Culture was even thought of.

I heard that it was played to discourage people from hanging around the bus station and causing disturbance.

The Ode to Joy at Walthamstow Central may be a manifestation of Waltham Forest being London's first Borough of Culture, a responsibility which it is bearing with varying success. I hope it is playing when I next change from the Overground to the Victoria Line there, and I shall not worry about the political significance thrust upon it by the EU, for whose aspirations some of Schiller's words may be appropriate: Seid umschlungen, Millionen!

Maddyone nobody said national anthem, did they?
As for whether or not it was making a political point or just playing a very nice piece of Beethoven will always be a matter for (subjective) conjecture, so you can get down from your high horse and let the pearls hang down again.

Being picky maddyone if you don’t mind me saying so.

Classical music being played in public places is lovely, but if the music was being played in order to make a political point, I feel that’s totally wrong. Public services need to concentrate on providing good service, not making political points.
Further, as far as I am concerned, the EU don’t have a National Anthem, they’re not a nation!

That's why it's known as "awesomestow"! Very trendy and getting expensive to live there.
I love the market.
Maybe they'll be taking requests for musical pieces next?!

They play classical music outside our supermarket at night - apparently it stops the yobs congregating in the covered area outside.

That reminded of the scene in The Shawshank Redemption where Andy Dufresne ( Tim Robbins) played classical music to the inmates: they loved it ?

My H’s Aunt and Uncle moved to Walthamstow in somewhere around 1929.
They bought a 3 bed terraced house in Forest View Road for a few hundred pounds.
They never had children and during the war they were obliged to take in a couple, also childless, who had been bombed out.
They stayed for many years.
We stayed with them twice and often wonder what the house would be worth today.
Sorry to deviate but the subject popped into my head seeing the name again.