THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT OF EPPING FOREST

Epping Forest is a rich and diverse historic environment with a range of historic assets.
The Epping Forest Museum Collection contains artefacts relating to the history
summarised here and images and documents are held at the London Metropolitan
Archive.
Archaeological and Historical Summary
The earliest evidence for human activity comes from finds of worked flints recovered
form several locations in the Forest but it is not until the Iron Age that the more
tangible earthworks of Ambresbury Banks and Loughton Camp were constructed.
During the Roman period, two main roads crossed the southern part of the Forest,
not far from a villa in Wanstead Park, while a Roman tile kiln has been found in the
north of the Forest.
There is little surviving evidence from the medieval period except management of
the Forest itself, which dates back to at least the 12th century when Forest Law was
introduced to safeguard the Kings right to hunt game in the Forest. The rights of
Commoners to collect wood for fuel, graze cattle and allow pigs to forage in the
Forest were also protected; the tradition of cattle grazing has continued to the
present day. Epping Forest itself is a remnant of the once extensive Forest of Essex,
also encompassing Waltham Forest and Hainault Forest, which was finally enclosed
in the 19th century.
One of the most important aspects of the historic environment is the veteran pollard
trees, many of which are over 400 years old. Other surviving features include Forest
marks and boundaries, such as the Purlieu Bank referred to in the 1878 Act, and
other earthworks including the pillow mounds at High Beach. Many of the paths and
tracks through the Forest are ancient routes and early roads which fell out of use as
new roads were constructed, such as the drove road, Green Lanes. Evidence for
grazing is preserved by place names indicating the presence of gates or hatches
and the parish branding symbols.
Of the three known Tudor hunt standings in the Forest; the great standing
constructed for Henry VIII in 1543 survives today as Queen Elizabeths Hunting Lodge,
which is a Grade II* Listed Building. Another, the Little Standing, has been
incorporated into the fabric of Warren House, whereas the third standing at
Fairmead was demolished by the Conservators in the late 19th century. Other hunt
standings are believed to have existed in Wanstead Park and near Knighton Wood.
The area around the Queen Elizabeths Hunting Lodge was formally enparked and
later disparked in the reign of Mary Tudor.
Parts of the Forest have been enclosed as parkland with large houses, which
evolved from medieval manor houses and have designed landscapes and gardens.
The most significant of these are Wanstead Park, dating from the late 17th to the
early 19th century, and the 18th century Copped Hall built alongside a Tudor
mansion. In addition to these Grade II* Registered Parks and Gardens, the Humphry
Repton Red Book landscapes of Highams Park and The Warren, Loughton also have
the potential to be registered.
Butlers Retreat, a mid nineteenth century barn converted to a tearoom, is the last of
the Victorian retreats of Epping Forest, which provided refreshments to vast
numbers of Londoners attracted by the expanding rail network. A wide variety of

recreational pursuits continue in the Forest, and the infrastructure supporting sports
such as golf and cricket are among the oldest in the country.
The Forest also contains heritage assets from the 20th century including Second World
War defences and bomb craters, which form some of the lakes in the Forest, as well
as the obelisk on Pole Hill marking the direction of true north from the Royal
Observatory. The City owns an early 20th century hut used by T.E. Lawrence and staff
lodges across the Forest.
The Forest has a communal heritage value that derives from traditional rights of
access to the Forest safeguarded by the Epping Forest Act (1878), which ensures this
important open space is conserved and protected for the recreation and
enjoyment of the public.
Character and Designations
Today the Forests character is defined by over 7,500 acres (2,476 hectares) of
woodland, wood pasture, heath, ponds and grassland, which have evolved through
human and animal activity or are part of deliberately designed landscapes. There
are relatively few buildings and no built up areas, although urbanised areas border
much of the Forest.
Heritage assets make a positive contribution to local character and sense of place.
Designated heritage assets in the Forest include seven Listed Buildings, three
Scheduled Ancient Monuments, two Registered Parks and Gardens and 17
Conservation Areas. Parts of the Forest are also identified by the Local Authorities as
lying within Archaeological Priority Areas.
Other undesignated sites and buildings in the Forest are significant, such as the
Purlieu Bank mentioned in the 1878 Act, while some may yet be discovered. The
absence of designation does not necessarily indicate lower significance.
Much of the Forest is a Site of Specific Scientific Interest, a Special Area of
Conservation and an Ancient Woodland. Epping Forest is also accredited as a
Green Heritage Site.
Epping Forest with around 50,000 veteran pollard trees, many over 400 years old, is
one of the most significant sites in Europe. In the UK there are only five remaining sites
that support more than 2,000 ancient trees each and Epping Forest alone contains
more than 80% of all the UKs ancient Beech trees, the oldest of which are very rare
in Europe. Each tree is unique and provides a rare habitat for scarce and
threatened invertebrates, fungi and bats, some of which are only found in Epping
Forest and a small number of other locations.

Catherine Cavanagh, September 2011