72-564: The Magic Cottage may refer to: The Magic Cottage (novel) , a book written by James Herbert The Magic Cottage (TV series) , a children's television series broadcast on the DuMont Television Network in the 1940s and 1950s Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Magic Cottage . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
144-605: A Scottish castle. He was the subject of a This is Your Life programme in 1995, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the London Dungeon . "Herbert was by no means literary, but his work had a raw urgency," said Stephen King . "His best novels, The Rats and The Fog , had the effect of Mike Tyson in his championship days: no finesse, all crude power. Those books were best sellers because many readers (including me) were too horrified to put them down." "There are few things I would like to do less than lie under
216-600: 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
288-512: A cloudy night sky while someone read aloud the more vivid passages of Moon, " Andrew Postman wrote in The New York Times Book Review . "In the thriller genre, do recommendations come any higher?" 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
360-452: 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
432-550: 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
504-519: 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
576-532: 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
648-691: A real person, who won the honour by having the winning bid in the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Children in Need Auction. Various biographical and critical pieces by and about Herbert have been collected in James Herbert: By Horror Haunted , edited by Stephen Jones , and also in James Herbert – Devil in the Dark , written by Craig Cabell. Herbert released a new novel virtually every year from 1974 to 1988, wrote six novels during
720-530: A retired market trader and John, an insurance broker. Herbert would write his drafts in longhand on "jumbo pads". In 1979 Herbert had to pay damages when it was ruled that he had based part of his novel The Spear on the work of another writer, The Spear of Destiny by Trevor Ravenscroft. In 2010 Herbert was honoured with the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award , presented to him by Stephen King . Later in
792-624: 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,
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#1732787476925864-613: 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
936-435: 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
1008-485: 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
1080-575: Is a cynical, sleazy paparazzo who is drawn into a plot involving fed-up and underappreciated monsters. The novel The Secret of Crickley Hall , originally scheduled for release in April 2006, was eventually released in October. A long novel about a haunted country house in England, it examined the relationship between religious zealotry and child abuse. One of the characters in this novel is named after
1152-567: 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
1224-468: 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
1296-587: 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
1368-466: 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
1440-461: 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
1512-469: 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
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#17327874769251584-493: The 1990s and released three new works in the 2000s. "I am very insecure about being a writer", he stated in the book Faces of Fear . "I don't understand why I am so successful. And the longer I stay that way, the better it's going to be, because that's what keeps me on the edge, striving if you like." Herbert's final novel has an eerie political edge. Ash imagines Princess Diana and her secret son as well as Lord Lucan , Colonel Gaddafi and Robert Maxwell living together in
1656-744: The Assumption, then at 11 won a scholarship to St Aloysius Grammar School in Highgate . He left school at 15 and studied at Hornsey College of Art , joining the art department of John Collings, a small advertising agency. He left the agency to join Charles Barker Advertising where he worked as art director and then group head. Herbert lived in Woodmancote , near Henfield in West Sussex. He had two brothers: Peter,
1728-465: 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
1800-425: 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
1872-502: 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
1944-601: 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
2016-524: 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
2088-522: 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
2160-608: The characters from Fluke also turns up in The Magic Cottage . Once... includes another reference to the character of Rumbo (along with an in-joke of elven folk having names of reversed titles of Herbert's previous novels; 'Hanoj', 'Niamod', 'Noom', etc.). Nobody True continues the theme of life after death, being narrated by a ghost whose investigation of his own death results in the destruction of his illusions about his life. Herbert described Creed as his Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein . The character Joe Creed
2232-473: 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
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2304-450: The dominant species in a devastated city; the third sequel, the graphic novel The City , is an adventure set in the post-nuclear future. With his third novel, the ghost story The Survivor , Herbert used supernatural horror rather than the science fiction horror of his first two books. In Shrine , he explored his Roman Catholic heritage with the story of an apparent miracle which turns out to be something much more sinister. Haunted ,
2376-569: 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
2448-408: 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
2520-469: The first and an accidentally released chemical weapon in the second. The first print run of The Rats (100,000 copies) sold out in three weeks. Herbert wrote three sequels to The Rats : Lair , which deals with a second outbreak of the mutant black rats, this time in the countryside around Epping Forest rather than in the first book's London slums ; in Domain , a nuclear war results in rats having become
2592-565: 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
2664-581: 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
2736-468: 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
2808-744: 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
2880-620: 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
2952-488: 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
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3024-746: 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
3096-498: 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
3168-456: 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
3240-439: 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
3312-443: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Magic_Cottage&oldid=1060782427 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Magic Cottage (novel) James John Herbert , OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013)
3384-852: 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
3456-533: 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
3528-421: 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
3600-453: The release of a devastating plague by the defeated Hitler and, like The Spear , features British characters who sympathise with the Nazis. Others narrates the story of a physically deformed private detective. Herbert had previously tackled the theme of reincarnation in his fourth novel, Fluke , the fantasy story of a dog who somehow remembers his previous life as a human being. Rumbo, one of
3672-517: 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
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#17327874769253744-564: 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
3816-708: The same year, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours , presented by Prince Charles . On 20 March 2013, Herbert died suddenly at his home in Sussex at the age of 69. No cause of death was given and a spokeswoman for the publisher said that he had not been ill. He is survived by his wife, Eileen, and three daughters. His estate was valued at £8.3 million. His first two books, The Rats and The Fog , were disaster novels with man-eating giant black rats in
3888-549: 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
3960-464: 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
4032-455: The story of a sceptical paranormal investigator taunted by malicious ghosts, began life as a screenplay for the BBC, though this was not the screenplay used in the eventual film version. Its sequels were The Ghosts of Sleath and Ash . Others of Herbert's books, such as Moon , Sepulchre and Portent , are structured as thrillers and include espionage and detective story elements along with
4104-525: The supernatural. The Jonah is in large part the story of a police investigation, albeit by a policeman whose life is overshadowed by a supernatural presence. The Spear deals with a neo-Nazi cult in Britain and an international conspiracy which includes a right-wing US general and an arms dealer. '48 is an alternative history novel set in 1948 in which the Second World War ended with
4176-850: 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
4248-481: 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"
4320-481: 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,
4392-545: 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
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#17327874769254464-406: 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
4536-484: 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
4608-464: Was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 languages, including Chinese and Russian. Born in London, Herbert was the son of Herbert Herbert, a stall-holder at London's Brick Lane Market . He attended a Catholic school in Bethnal Green called Our Lady of
4680-556: 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
4752-412: 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
4824-401: 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
4896-543: 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
4968-529: 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
5040-479: 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
5112-564: 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
5184-525: 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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