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94-629: Wanstead Flats is the southernmost portion of Epping Forest , in Leytonstone and Wanstead , London . The flats and by extension the forest ends at Forest Gate directly to the south. It now falls wholly within the boundaries of the London Boroughs of Redbridge and Waltham Forest , though until 1994 two parts of it were in the London Borough of Newham : one of these was the section between Aldersbrook Road and Capel Road east of

188-600: A barn built in the mid-19th century the Grade II listed building Butler's Retreat is one of the few remaining Victorian retreats within the forest. The building, which is adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge, takes its name from the 1891 occupier John Butler. Retreats originally served non-alcoholic refreshments as part of the Temperance movement . After closing in 2009 the building

282-452: A cost, as the City of London's early conservators did not understand the human processes that shaped the forest and its ecosystems, and discontinued the practice of pollarding trees while allowing grazing to decline. This changed the character of the forest and has led to reduced biodiversity. The modern Conservators are mindful of these historic errors but it is probably not possible to reverse

376-620: A house called the "Swiss Cottage" was built in Bush Wood in imitation of a Swiss chalet ; it was demolished in the 1960s and replaced with a large apartment block originally owned by the Metropolitan Police but now called Belgrave Heights. In the second half of the 19th century, the lords of the manors that owned the forest land began to enclose it. In July 1871, a large crowd gathered on Wanstead Flats to protest about fences which had been erected there by Earl Cowley . After

470-550: A mixture of wood-pasture and open plains, rather than thick woodland, and both of these land use types were grazed by cattle. In Tudor times, Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I may have hunted in the forest, though no documentary evidence has survived to prove it. In 1543, Henry commissioned a building, known as Great Standing, from which to view the chase at Chingford . The building was renovated in 1589 for Queen Elizabeth I and can still be seen today in Chingford. The building

564-519: A mounted element, the crowd were able to break down and smash the enclosing fences. The action attracted nationwide attention, much of it critical of the government. At this stage the City of London Corporation became involved, since in 1853, the city had purchased a farm at Manor Park for the construction of the City of London Cemetery ; this made the City Corporation a forest commoner with

658-536: A number of small woods and copses. Most of these were planted towards the end of the 19th century as a response to efforts by the Epping Forest Committee to break up what was perceived as a monotonous area of grassland. Together with the many trees lining the roadsides and some avenues, they add greatly to the diversity of tree species to be found. Older than these is an avenue of trees in the NW portion of

752-532: A parliamentary committee estimated that up to 400,000 people had visited Epping Forest on that day. In the first decades of the 19th century, the Lord Warden of Epping Forest, William Long-Wellesley, acquiesced to the enclosure of 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of forest land, about a third of the remaining total, by the lords of the manors who held freeholds in the forest. The government was keen to enclose land for farming and building development and allowed

846-624: A road from Woodford Green to Epping through the heart of the forest, to avoid Goldings Hill on the old road through Loughton and shorten the distance by one mile. The Epping New Road , now part of the A104 was completed in 1834. With the arrival of railway stations in towns close to the forest from the 1850s, the working class people of East London began to use the forest for recreation on Sundays and public holidays, in ever increasing numbers. Others arrived by horsebus which could drive directly to popular spots like High Beach. On Whit Monday 1880,

940-613: A stipulation that the Conservators "shall at all times keep Epping Forest unenclosed and unbuilt on as an open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the people". In compensation for the loss of lopping rights, Lopping Hall in Loughton was built as a community building. This was the first major victory, in Europe, for the modern conservation movement. When Queen Victoria visited Chingford on 6 May 1882 she declared "It gives me

1034-558: A total period of about six weeks, drawing goods and customers from much of Europe. The Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, still the largest trade fair for the publishing industry, began in the 12th century as a fair for manuscript books. Fairs were usually tied to special Christian feast days , such as the day of the saint of the local church. Stagshaw in England, is documented to have held annual fairs as early as 1293 consisting of

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1128-435: A training area for many national level mountain-bike racers as it is highly regarded for its fast and tight flowing single track trails. This type of terrain is known within the mountain bike fraternity as cross country (or XC). Epping Forest was considered as a venue for the mountain-biking event of the 2012 Summer Olympics, though the final choice was near Hadleigh Castle . Stage 3 of the 2014 Tour de France passed through

1222-485: A valuable area for wildlife, and it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest . Its former status a common, with wood-pasture and plains has had a great effect on its ecology. Although the Epping Forest Act almost certainly saved the forest from total destruction, it has to some extent had a deleterious effect on the area's biodiversity . The areas historic land use has had an enormous impact on

1316-538: Is Alexandra Lake. Its local name the Sandhills Pond may be attributed to the sandy nature of the low gravel mounds by its banks. The next in size is Jubilee Pond, which until 2002 was known as the Model Yacht Pond or Dames Road Pond. Until renovation in 2002 this had stone banks, and, as its name implied, was in the past used for model boating. Lack of repair and a water supply meant that for many years

1410-409: Is a two lap loop, on a mixture of woodland paths and the edge of the football pitches. 51°33′30″N 0°01′41″E  /  51.5582°N 0.0281°E  / 51.5582; 0.0281 Epping Forest Epping Forest is a 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) area of ancient woodland , and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex . The main body of

1504-504: Is also home to the East 15 Acting School and its Corbett Theatre. Fair Variations of fairs include: The Roman fairs were holidays on which work and business such as law courts were suspended. In the Roman provinces of Judea and Syria Palaestina , Jewish rabbis prohibited Jews from participating in fairs in certain towns because the religious nature of the fairs contravened

1598-491: Is believed to based the fairground scene in his 1951 film, Strangers on a Train on it. After drainage and levelling work in the 1890s, the London Playing Fields Committee approached the City authorities with a view to establishing football and cricket pitches. Originally only 25 acres (10 ha) were permitted, but this was later expanded to 60 acres (24 ha). A bandstand for concerts

1692-567: Is composed of twelve members of the Court of Common Council and four Verderers who are residents of the forest and are elected by the Commoners. A Superintendent is responsible for operational management, supported by twelve Epping Forest Keepers . In addition, the Crown's right to venison was terminated, and pollarding was no longer allowed, although grazing rights continued. This act laid down

1786-468: Is generally permitted except around the Iron Age camps, Loughton Brook and other ecologically or geomorphologically sensitive areas. Despite clear signposting, a minority of mountain bikers and horse riders continue to cause damage in these areas, and the Conservators of Epping Forest have expressed their concern. A number of clubs organise rides, particularly on Sunday mornings. The forest is also used as

1880-587: Is now known as Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge , and is open to the public. There is another hunt standing, which now forms the core of the forest HQ at The Warren, Loughton . Following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, although the deer herd was restocked, royal hunting in the forest never recommenced. The forest was principally used as a source of shipbuilding timber for the Royal Navy , which

1974-416: Is now usually dry. During a period of lake creation at the turn of the 19th/20th century (when, for example, Alexandra Lake was created as part of a job creation scheme for the unemployed) it is said that the hollow at the junction of Aldersbrook Road and Centre Road was dug. It was supposed to have been a lake, but was not completed. Scattered over the area are some thickets of gorse and broom , as well as

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2068-455: Is still visible after 300 years. Nearly all the perimeter of Wanstead Flats has a ditch, often with a bank, to prohibit vehicular access. The only vehicles normally allowed are service vehicles and bicycles. Horses may be taken onto the Flats and are supposed to keep to bridle paths marked by posts. There is considerable pedestrian traffic because of the large number of people living nearby and

2162-573: Is tenuously connected to Leyton Flats and the rest of Epping Forest by footpaths through the Green Man roundabout. Though historically part of a royal forest , the nature of the area encouraged people to turn out cattle and other animals to graze upon this unenclosed land. This practice was enshrined in the ancient right of common pasture . Landowners within the Epping Forest area still have this right and cattle grazed freely until 1996 when

2256-461: Is that by Lake House Road known as the Cat and Dog Pond, presumably because it only exists when it has been raining 'cats and dogs'. There are some drainage ditches, but few hold water for much time. The only running water used to be a year-round spring that was the source of one of the 'marshy' areas dominated by rushes that exist in some of the more poorly drained parts of the Flats. The spring, however,

2350-466: Is thought to have been given legal status as a royal forest by Henry II in the 12th century. At the time it was part of the much larger Forest of Essex , which covered nearly all of the county. The term Forest was a legal term, meaning that Forest Law applied, meaning that only the king had the right to hunt deer. The term did not mean the land was well wooded: the large majority of the Forest of Essex

2444-526: The BSE crisis forced their removal. It is probable that continued grazing on this and similar areas of the Forest helped to maintain the open aspect which they have today. At the end of the 17th century, an avenue of sweet chestnut and lime trees was laid out on the western side of the Flats into Bush Wood, leading eventually to Wanstead House ; John Evelyn is believed to have been the designer. In about 1850,

2538-527: The COVID-19 pandemic . Construction started in early April 2020. The mortuary was dismantled over the summer, and the land planted with wildflowers in memory of those who died. Much of the land is liable to a degree of flooding after heavy rain, but also to considerable and quite rapid drying-out in periods of low rainfall. Drainage from the grassland should help to maintain usually three permanent open waters. The largest of these, with two islands to its credit,

2632-461: The Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues to sell off further freeholds in the forest. In 1851 nearby Hainault Forest , where the Crown owned most of the land, was privatised (enclosed) and nearly all of the trees grubbed out in order to turn the area into poor quality farmland. The modern conservation movement grew out of public disgust at the destruction of Hainault Forest and

2726-499: The London Docks led to a large number of homeless families and resulted in the construction of two estates of "prefab" temporary houses along the southern edge of the Flats adjacent to Capel Road, by East Ham and West Ham Borough Councils . Immediately after the war, East Ham and West Ham Councils published plans for building two schools, a technical college and permanent housing for 7,400 people on Wanstead Flats. The move

2820-469: The Scandinavian ice sheet during the last glacial period , around 18,000 BC. The ridge consists of boulder clay topped with loam, while towards its southern end it is overlain with glacial gravel . The highest points are near Ambresbury Banks to the south of Epping, which is 111 metres (384 feet) above sea level, while Pole Hill near Chingford reaches 91 metres (299 feet). On the western edge of

2914-550: The largest gathering anywhere in the world. Kumbha means a pitcher and Mela means fair in Sanskrit. In the United States, fairs draw in as many as 150 million people each summer. Children's competitions at an American fair range from breeding small animals to robotics, whilst the organizations National FFA Organization & 4-H have become the traditional associations. The Sirsi Marikamba Devi Fair of

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3008-465: The Conservators have experimented with pollarding in selected areas of the forest, lopping some old pollards back to the bolling (with mixed results) or creating new bollings. A herd of English Longhorn cattle has been reintroduced to graze the heathland and grassland. Over 100 lakes and ponds can be found within the forest varying in size and age. They all provide important habitats for numerous species of fauna and flora. Many of them are man-made with

3102-425: The Epping Forest Act gave the deer firm legal protection, poaching had reduced the herd to twelve does and one buck; however, numbers had recovered to around 200 by the start of the 20th century. In 1954, it was noted that common lighter-brown fallow deer had begun to interbreed in the forest and some black examples were sent to Whipsnade Zoo to preserve this variety. Subsequently, losses to traffic and dogs prompted

3196-502: The February of that year, was particularly important in mobilising East End environmentalism. By 1870, the unenclosed forest had shrunk to only 3,500 acres (1,400 ha). One landowner, Reverend John Whitaker Maitland, who had enclosed 1,100 acres (450 ha) in his manor of Loughton, was engaged in a long running dispute with a commoner called Thomas Willingale and his family, who insisted on maintaining his right to lop trees in

3290-681: The Flats, effectively dividing it into four sections. The greater part of the whole area of some 1.35 square kilometres (334 acres) is flat, open grassland on the river gravel of the Taplow Terrace, which overlays the London Clay . In the northwestern part of Wanstead Flats, the grassland merges into a predominately oak woodland called Bush Wood, which gives its name to the Bushwood area of Leytonstone . Blake Hall Road separates Bush Wood from Wanstead Park . The northern part of Bush Wood

3384-501: The Flats, running from close to Ferndale Road in Leytonstone to Bush Wood. This is known as Evelyn's Avenue, planted by John Evelyn (author of Sylva, or a discourse of Forest-trees ) on the instructions of Sir Josiah Child after he had purchased the estate. It formed one of a number of such avenues radiating from Wanstead House . Consisting of sweet chestnuts and forming one of the main approaches to Wanstead House, much of this

3478-634: The Flats. During the Second World War , Wanstead Flats was used as a site for anti-aircraft guns, rocket launchers , searchlights and barrage balloons to defend against German bombers, especially during the Blitz . In 1944, a hutted camp was built on the Flats as an assembly point for troops preparing for the Normandy Landings ; the same buildings were later used to house Axis prisoners of war . The effects of bombing in areas close to

3572-620: The MP for Epping , threatened to lie down in front of the bulldozers if the scheme was approved. Finally, in April 1947, the government announced that although the Epping Forest Act did not prevent the land from being compulsorily purchased, the scheme would not go ahead. In March 2010 the area surrounding Alexandra Lake was cordoned off following the deaths of more than 80 wild birds. Two men, Mark Page and Terrance Webb, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of illegally dumping chemical pesticides near

3666-601: The area of these land uses in England. At that time the forest extended slightly further south to the Romford Road in the Forest Gate area of West Ham ; this is the originally Roman A118 road from Aldgate on the City of London wall to Stratford , Romford and Colchester (and also known as the Great Essex Road ). There was a coppice woodland on the Romford Road called Hamfrith Wood (meaning

3760-524: The areas character and ecology, this is particularly evident with the pollarded trees, which were cut back to the bolling , the permanent base of the pollard, every 13 years or so. The bolling was cut just above the browse line of wild and domestic grazing animals. However, the Forests pollards have not been cut since the passing of the Epping Forest Act, have now grown massive crowns of thick, trunk-like branches with correspondingly large boles . This gives

3854-491: The availability of the area for activities such as the flying of model aircraft and kites, bird watching, botanising and the exercising of people and dogs. Portions of the Flats are also maintained as football pitches. Fishing in Alexandra Lake is no longer undertaken and model boating in the old Model Yacht Pond ceased when the pond no longer retained water. The area near the petrol station on Aldersbrook Road (where

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3948-459: The casual visitor. The most important event in the ramblers' calendar in the area is the traditional Epping Forest Centenary Walk , an all-day event commemorating the saving of Epping Forest as a public space, which takes place annually on the third Sunday in September. High Beach in Epping Forest was the first British venue for motorcycle speedway and opened on 19 February 1928. The track

4042-473: The city to purchase the 19 forest manors. The consequence of this victory was that only 10% of Epping Forest had been lost to enclosure (mainly in the south), compared to 92% of Hainault Forest. Under the terms of the Epping Forest Act 1878 , the forest ceased to be a royal forest and was purchased by the City of London Corporation whose Epping Forest Committee act as Conservators . The committee

4136-455: The city's favour in 1874 leading to the Epping Forest Act 1878 , which preserved Epping Forest, including Wanstead Flats, as a public amenity and entrusted its administration to the city. A fair has been held on Wanstead Flats during the Easter holiday since the mid-19th century, following an earlier tradition of an annual cattle market. Alfred Hitchcock who grew up nearby in Leytonstone ,

4230-489: The deity is held every alternate year in the month of March and taken through the city Sirsi, Karnataka . It is attended by a very large number of devotees. It is also most famous and biggest fair (Jaatre) of the India. Devotees from all around the state participate in this enormous event indulging themselves in the procession. Amusements for children, circuses, variety of shops, dramas and plays and many such things are set up for

4324-569: The effects of this long interruption of historic management methods. The forest gives its name to the Epping Forest local government district , which covers part of it, and to Forest School , a private school in Walthamstow towards the south of it. The area that became Epping Forest has been continuously wooded since Neolithic times. Embankments of two Iron Age earthworks – Loughton Camp and Ambresbury Banks – can be found in

4418-408: The establishment of an enclosed deer sanctuary of 109 acres (44 ha) near Debden, to maintain a stock of deer which can be released back into the forest when the population levels become too low. Red deer were once found in Epping Forest, but the last survivors were rounded-up and taken to Windsor Great Park at the end of the 19th century. The last recorded sighting of roe deer in the forest

4512-565: The forest from Epping to Buckhurst Hill along the Epping New Road. Horse riding is popular in Epping Forest. Riders need to be registered with the Epping Forest conservators before they are allowed to ride in the forest. Running as a form of recreation in Epping Forest goes back almost to the birth of the sport in the 1870s, including hosting the inaugural English Championships in 1876. Orienteering and rambling are also popular. There are numerous guidebooks offering shorter walks for

4606-581: The forest from The Warren, modern offices built in the grounds of Grade II* listed Warren House, Loughton . Warren House, formerly known as the Reindeer Inn, was built around a smaller hunt standing, known as the Little Standing. Its grounds were redesigned by Humphry Repton in the early 19th century. Until the outbreak of BSE in 1996 commoners still exercised their right to graze cattle and every summer herds of cattle would roam freely in

4700-468: The forest in 1888. Cricket is played on forest land at Woodford Green, Bell Common (Epping), Buckhurst Hill, and High Beach. One historic match is recorded in the forest in 1732 between London Cricket Club and an Essex & Hertfordshire side . The result is unknown. The match is the earliest known reference to both Essex and Hertfordshire as county teams. The forest has three visitor centres: Public transport serves most locations in and around

4794-744: The forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London built-up area. South of Chingford the forest narrows, and forms a green corridor that extends deep into east London , as far as Forest Gate ; the forest's position gives rise to its nickname, the Cockney Paradise . It is the largest forest in London. It lies on a ridge between the valleys of the rivers Lea and Roding . It contains areas of woodland, grassland, heath, streams, bogs and ponds, and its elevation and thin gravelly soil (the result of glaciation) historically made it less suitable for agriculture. The forest

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4888-567: The forest was always narrower but enclosure and other destruction in the 19th and 20th centuries mean that this is now more pronounced. The southernmost point of the Forest is now Wanstead Flats but it formerly extended slightly further south, to the Romford Road . The forest occupies a ridge of higher ground, the Epping Forest Ridge, set between the valleys of the Rivers Lea and Roding . These valleys were formed by arms of

4982-488: The forest's ecology; however local recreational users of the forest were crucial in saving the forest when it was threatened with enclosure and destruction in the late 19th century. The huge public outcry led the City of London Corporation to buy and so save the site in what was the first major success of the environmental movement in Europe – the Corporation still owns the forest. This environmental milestone came at

5076-746: The forest, despite inducements offered for him to stop. The matter came to the public attention in 1866, when Willingale's son and two nephews were fined for damaging Maitland's trees, and were sent to prison for seven days when they refused to pay. Willingale was encouraged to continue the dispute by Edward Buxton and other members of the Commons Preservation Society , however a court action against Maitland lapsed in 1870 when Willingale died. In July 1871, around 30,000 East Londoners gathered on Wanstead Flats to protest about fences which had been erected there by Earl Cowley to enclose forest land. Despite clashes with police, including

5170-498: The forest, run by Field Studies Council provides a variety of courses. There are 60 pitches for football with changing facilities on forest land at Wanstead Flats, which are used by amateur and youth teams. There is a public 18-hole golf course at Chingford Plain, which is also used by the Royal Epping Forest Golf Club, Chingford Golf Club and Chingford Ladies' Golf Club. The course was established in

5264-456: The forest. The forest is accessible from most London Underground Central Line stations between Leytonstone and Epping and London Overground between Wood Street and Chingford and at the very southern end by the Elizabeth line at Manor Park . In the 1980s, the name "Forest" was given to one of the districts in which London's buses was divided, covering east London, and including

5358-522: The granting of a holiday status to a fair or protections against arrest for specific laws for the duration of the fair. Officials were authorised to mete out justice to those who attended their fair; this led to even the smallest fair having a court to adjudicate on offences and disputes arising within the fairground. These courts were called a pye powder court (from Old French pieds pouldres , literally "dusty feet", meaning an itinerant trader, from Medieval Latin pedes pulverosi ). The chaotic nature of

5452-439: The greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time" and it thus became "The People's Forest". The City of London Corporation still manages Epping Forest in strict conformity with the Epping Forest Act. This care is funded from ' City's Cash ', the private funds of the Corporation rather than any money for its upkeep coming from local rates or taxes. The Conservators administer

5546-559: The installation by the building's residents was rejected by the High Court of Justice shortly beforehand. On 15 July 2018, a heatwave and dry conditions led to a huge grass fire on Wanstead Flats, which became the largest incident of its kind ever dealt with by the London Fire Brigade . The easternmost section of the flats, between Aldersbrook Road and Forest Drive, was used to site a temporary mortuary in response to

5640-456: The junction between Aldersbrook Road and St Margaret's Road, whilst the other was the strip running along Capel Road between its junctions with Centre Road (the A114 ) and Ridley Road. As part of Epping Forest, the Flats is managed by the City of London Corporation . Wanstead Flats is surrounded by the heavily built-up areas of Leytonstone ( Waltham Forest ) to the west, Wanstead (Redbridge) to

5734-486: The lake. The two men each admitted two counts of using a pesticide without approval and two counts of theft. On 16 November 2010, a planning application was submitted by the Metropolitan Police to the London Borough of Redbridge to build a police hub on Wanstead Flats. This planning application was granted, and subsequently a Parliamentary Order (the Legislative Reform (Epping Forest) Order 2011) allowed

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5828-641: The larger Alexandra Lake was excavated in 1907 as an unemployment relief scheme and named after Queen Alexandra , the wife of King Edward VII . On the night of 17/18 August 1915 during the First World War , German Zeppelin L10 dropped a string of bombs on the Wanstead Flats, fortunately resulting only in broken windows in 73 nearby houses. In October 1915 an emplacement for an anti-aircraft gun and searchlight with huts for their crew were built on

5922-852: The majority of them created through gravel extraction. Several were formed as part of a landscape design and a few were the result of Second World War bombs and V-2 rockets . Activities allowed on the waters include angling which is permitted in 24 of the lakes and ponds. A wide range of freshwater fish can be caught. All of the lakes and ponds are accessible to the public and are located on or close to forest paths. A wide range of animals are found, including fallow deer ( Dama dama ), muntjac ( Muntiacus reevesi ) and European adder ( Vipera berus ). The fallow deer found in Epping Forest are of an unusual black colouration, perhaps descended from some black deer presented by King Christian IV of Denmark to James I in 1612, although there are earlier records of black deer in England before this date. By 1878 when

6016-533: The need to protect its sister forest , Epping Forest. Epping Forest had fragmented ownership which made it harder to enclose in the same way, though individual landowners began to make encroachments. The urbanisation of nearby areas increased the forest's importance as an area of public recreation helped lead to the establishment of the Open Spaces Society in 1865, whose aim was to protect commons in and around London. The Mile End branch, founded in

6110-416: The north with Manor Park (Newham) and Forest Gate (Newham) to the southeast and south respectively. To the north-west it is connected by way of Bush Wood to Leyton Flats, and to more northerly reaches of Epping Forest. Roads and houses almost completely surround Wanstead Flats. To the east a low wall and high railing separate it from the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium . Three roads actually cross

6204-421: The north–south direction, but no more than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from east to west at its widest point, and in most places considerably narrower. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London built-up area. South of Chingford the forest narrows, and forms a green corridor that extends deep into East London, as far as Forest Gate . The southern part of

6298-447: The people. It depicts the story of the goddess killing Mahishasura . Fairs attracted great numbers of people and they often resulted in public order issues and sometimes riots. The holding of fairs was, therefore, granted by royal charter . Initially they were only allowed in towns and places where order could be maintained due to the presence of a bishop, sheriff or governor. Later various benefits were granted to specific fairs, such as

6392-439: The police had gone, the crowd broke down the fences and smashed them "to matchwood". In 1853, the City of London Corporation had purchased Aldersbrook Farm adjacent to the Flats for the construction of the City of London Cemetery. Critically, this made the City Corporation a forest commoner and enabled them to take the forest landowners to court, claiming that the enclosures impinged on their ancient grazing rights. The court ruled in

6486-543: The police to erect a "muster, briefing and deployment centre" on Wanstead Flats from 23 June 2012 to 20 September 2012, for the purposes of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games . The centre was removed after the Games had ended. Another precaution for the security for the 2012 Summer Olympics was the siting of surface-to-air missiles on the roof of Fred Wigg Tower, Leytonstone, a residential high-rise building adjacent to and overlooking Wanstead Flats. Legal action to prevent

6580-424: The pond was often dry. The smallest water is the round pond by Capel Road, Angel Pond. This was named after Lewis Angell , the first borough engineer of West Ham , who was responsible for the construction of the pond during the winter of 1893–94. The spelling soon became corrupted, as early postcards show. This is a circular muddy hollow which can dry out completely in hot weather. The only other semi-permanent pond

6674-535: The prescribed practice of Judaism . In the Middle Ages , many fairs developed as temporary markets and were especially important for long-distance and international trade , as wholesale traders travelled, sometimes for many days, to fairs where they could be sure to meet those they needed to buy from or sell to. The most famous were the Champagne fairs in northern France, which were spread over six towns for

6768-517: The ridge, High Beach at a similar height, is an expanse of gravel and Bagshot sand , thought to have been deposited by an unknown river which flowed northwards from the Weald of Kent before the creation of the Thames Valley . The following is a simplified list of the various parts of Epping Forest, starting from the north: The age of the forest and the range of habitats it contains make it

6862-564: The right to graze cattle in the forest. In 1871, the City brought a suit against 16 of the lords of the forest manors, claiming that the enclosures impinged on their ancient grazing rights. Following an appeal in 1874, a judgment by the Master of the Rolls , Sir George Jessel , ruled that all enclosures made since 1851 were illegal. Subsequently, two acts of Parliament in 1871 ( 34 & 35 Vict. c. 93) and 1872 ( 35 & 36 Vict. c. 95) allowed

6956-477: The sales of animals. Along with the main fair held on 4 July, the city also hosted smaller fairs throughout the year where specific types of animals were sold, such as one for horses, one for lambs, and one for ewes. The Kumbh Mela , held every twelve years, at Allahabad , Haridwar , Nashik , and Ujjain is one of the largest fairs in India, where more than 60 million people gathered in January 2001, making it

7050-549: The south part of the forest. Its logo was a squirrel above the London Transport roundel . Later, from 1989 until its collapse in 1991, London Forest part of London Buses Limited, was the name of an arms length bus operating unit of London Regional Transport in the area, with an oak tree as its logo. Epping Forest has frequently been the setting for novels, and has attracted poets, artists and musicians for centuries. Many of these artists lived at Loughton . Loughton

7144-464: The southern part of the forest. Cattle were reintroduced in 2001 but their movements are now more restricted to reduce conflict with traffic. Commoners, who are people who live in a Forest parish and own 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) of land, can still register and graze cattle during the summer months. The right to collect wood still exists but is rarely practised and is limited to "one faggot of dead or driftwood" per day per adult resident. Originally

7238-490: The sports rooms are) was used in the 1940s to house German prisoners of war. At the pointed junction of Blake Hall Road and Aldersbrook Road is a deep dip in the grass area. This was a World War II bomb crater. After the raid a wrecked United Dairies Milk lorry was found in the crater. A weekly parkrun event is held on the western section of the flats, with the start at the Harrow Road Pavilion. The course

7332-850: The trees an unusual appearance, uncommon in other forests. Often the weight of the branches cannot be supported by the parent tree, and the large amount of dead wood in the forest supports numerous rare species of fungi and invertebrates . Epping Forest has 55,000 ancient trees , more than any other single site in the United Kingdom. Predominant tree species are Pedunculate oak ( Quercus robur ), European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ), European hornbeam ( Carpinus betuloides ), silver birch ( Betula pendula ) and European holly ( Ilex aquifolium ). Indicator species of long-uninterrupted woodland include service-tree ( Sorbus torminalis ) butcher's-broom ( Ruscus aculeatus ) and drooping sedge ( Carex pendula ). The pollarded trees allowed light through to

7426-481: The woodland belonging to the Ham area) until around 1700, and an area of plain called Hamfrith Waste which lasted into the mid-1800s. Most of Waltham Forest was later legally deforested (removed form Forest Law) leaving two smaller forests, Epping Forest and Hainault Forest , both of which continued to be very heavily wooded - there was not a reduction in the physical area of woods and commons. The name "Epping Forest"

7520-481: The woodland floor, increasing the numbers of low-growing plants. Since the Act, the vast crowns of the pollards cut out most of the light to the underbrush. The plains were located in wet or low-lying areas. The area surrounding the forest is now to a great extent urbanised; the corresponding reduction in grazing has led to some former areas of grassland and heathland being overcome by secondary woodland . In recent years,

7614-545: The woodland, but pollen profiles show that Iron Age occupation had no significant effect on woodland cover. The former small leaved lime (also known as pry or linden) dominated woodland permanently changed during the Anglo-Saxon period, possibly as a result of the selective cutting of trees. Today's beech - birch and oak - hornbeam -dominated forest may be the result of partial forest clearance in Saxon times. The area

7708-406: Was abolished. In 1827, the huntsman of Sir William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley chased a forest stag as far as West Ham . The customary Easter Monday hunt was repeated annually by a large and rowdy crowd of ordinary London tradesmen and working people, who gathered at Fairmead Oak to chase a previously captured stag, which was released from a cart and usually escaped unharmed. The last of these hunts

7802-484: Was agricultural land. The Forest of Essex gradually shrank in size as land was removed from Forest Law and it was replaced by a number of much smaller forests including Waltham Forest (which gives its name to the modern London Borough of Waltham Forest . Waltham Forest was a legally defined area which included the areas later known as Epping Forest and Hainault Forest ; the rest of the Waltham Forest area

7896-433: Was backed by Leyton and Wanstead and Woodford Borough Councils , within whose borders the Flats actually lay. Leyton's town clerk said that "if West Ham want to build houses they might consider using a park of their own". A public enquiry opened on 3 December 1946, the application to build on the flats being opposed by the City of London, 379 formal objections and a petition containing 60,000 signatures. Leah Manning ,

7990-623: Was behind The King's Oak public house, and drew large crowds in its early days. The track was closed when a swimming pool was added to the pub's grounds after the Second World War, though enthusiasts and veterans still gather at the site every year on the nearest Sunday to 19 February. The remains of the track are still visible, in the grounds of the Epping Forest Field Centre behind the King's Oak. The field centre in

8084-504: Was constructed near Centre Road, it was demolished in 1957 but a circle of trees planted in 1903 shows its position. Nearby is Bandstand or Angell Pond which was completed in 1894 and a monument (originally a drinking fountain) to Joseph Fry who died in 1896, a supporter of the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association and the son of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry . Adjacent to Aldersbrook Road,

8178-412: Was first recorded in the 17th century. Although the monarch held hunting and associated rights, the land was owned by a number of local landowners. It was managed as a common where landowners benefitted from certain rights, while local commoners benefitted from common rights allowing them to gather firewood and foodstuffs, to graze livestock and turn out pigs for mast . The landscape was primarily

8272-401: Was historically managed as a common; the land was held by a number of local landowners who exercised economic rights over aspects such as timber, while local commoners had grazing and other rights. It was designated a royal forest meaning that only the monarch had the right to hunt deer. The extensive urban areas on the forest's doorstep bring many visitors to the forest, and cause a strain on

8366-543: Was in 1882 when it descended into a riot and had to be dispersed by the police. In the 1830s, the forest took its first significant harm in centuries when a new road, the Epping New Road was built through the forest, to supplement pre-existing ancient roads. In 1830, civil engineer James Nicoll McAdam, the son of John Loudon McAdam , was engaged by a turnpike trust , the Epping and Ongar Highway Trust, to construct

8460-529: Was in 1920. In recent decades, Reeves's muntjac have been reported in the southern part of the forest. The announcement of licensed culling of fallow deer and muntjac in forest "buffer land" in 2016 was criticised by local residents but defended by environmentalists as necessary to prevent over-grazing of woodland undergrowth. A wide variety of leisure activities associated with the forest, most notably rambling, cycling and horse riding. Epping Forest attracts large numbers of mountain bikers . Mountain biking

8554-479: Was only lightly wooded. In physical terms (rather than legal terms), the Forest is thought to have declined to something like its modern extent in the early fourteenth century (possibly long before), the Black Death reached England in 1348, leading to a huge decline in population, perhaps between a third and a half, which took away the pressure on woods and commons, leading to a very long period of stability in

8648-564: Was refurbished by the City of London Corporation and re-opened as a café in 2012. On 12 July 2012 The Duke of Gloucester —the official Epping Forest Ranger—opened the View interpretation centre at Chingford. The building, a former Victorian coach house and stables, together with Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge and Butler's Retreat form the Epping Forest Gateway. The forest is approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) long in

8742-522: Was strongly backed against local opposition by the Labour Government ; the housing minister, Aneurin Bevan , declaring that "I regret very much that we have had to do it, but the people of East Ham must have shelter... The Commoners of Epping Forest must surrender to the overwhelming needs of the people of East Ham". A Wanstead Flats Defence Committee led by Stanley Reed, a West Ham schoolteacher,

8836-525: Was taken overland to Barking Creek and then floated in rafts to the Royal Dockyards at Woolwich and Deptford . This exploitation continued until about 1725, when all the suitable oak trees had been felled. The City of London maintained the ancient tradition of an Easter Monday stag hunt in the forest, but official participation ended in 1807 when the office of Master of the City Hounds

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