Autumn 2019
Forest Focus
The magazine for Epping Forest Forest fungi
A winter’s tale: the charcoal burners of Epping Forest
Free
Autumn events
Autumn 2019 Forest Focus 1
Welcome Autumn is one of the most popular times of year to visit Epping Forest, with the first flush of autumn fungi on a misty morning enticing many a visitor to venture out and admire the sporing bodies of these ephemeral woodland wonders. P10. As well as the fungi, Epping Forest’s breath-taking display of autumnal hues is not to be missed. At this time of year, there is a sense of change afoot in the Forest, with increased activity as many animals prepare for autumn, gathering winter stores or finding suitable places to overwinter. Many migratory species of birds make ready to leave their summer haunts whilst others start to arrive.
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Autumn sights
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A winter’s tale: the charcoal burners of Epping Forest 2 Forest Focus Autumn 2019
Some, such as the whitethroat, make ready to undertake the mammoth journey to winter in Africa. Talking of birds, this year sees the RSPB celebrating 50 years since the creation of its first Local Group which formed here in Epping Forest. P5. With autumn come the shorter days and with nightfall quick to descend, we once again ask motorists to take special care driving along Forest roads and to be on the lookout for deer crossing the roads. During the autumn rut, testosterone charged bucks are particularly vulnerable as they roister around the Forest. P19.
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Forest fungi
We look at some new Epping Forest related publications, both of which would make great stocking fillers. P12–P13. With Christmas not far off, why not visit Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford to purchase some lovely Epping Forest and woodland inspired gifts for friends and family? P18. @COLEppingForest Epping Forest City of London coleppingforest
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Autumnal adventures
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A circular autumn ramble
P18–19 Shop talk
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Autumn events Autumn 2019 Forest Focus 3
News in brief Why not explore some of our other open spaces? The City of London owns and manages green spaces in and around London for public recreation and health, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, Burnham Beeches, City Commons, City Gardens, City of London Cemetery and Crematorium and West Ham Park. The Open Spaces Department also includes London Heritage sites: Keats’ House, The Monument and Tower Bridge. See our website for a full list of sites, locations and facilities. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ greenspaces Forest Focus is produced by the City of London Corporation.
Design by Steers McGillan Eves www.steersmcgillaneves.co.uk Print by APS Southern Ltd Front cover image: Mark Powter Photographers: Clare Eastwood, Bob Good/City of London Corporation, London Borough of Culture, Mark Powter, RSPB, Yvette Woodhouse The inclusion of advertising, logos or website links in this magazine does not constitute an endorsement by the City of London Corporation in its capacity as Conservators of Epping Forest or otherwise of the products or services so advertised.
Edited by Clare Eastwood
Keep in touch Why not sign up to receive our email version of Forest Focus? If you prefer to receive a printed copy in the post, please forward a cheque, along with your name and address, for £2.50 per edition or £10 for four editions. Please make cheques payable to The City of London and post to the address below. Free of charge copies are available from the Forest Visitor Centres and at many other venues in and around the Forest. You can also read Forest Focus online for free at www.issuu.com/cityoflondoneppingforest If you would like to receive a copy of Forest Focus in an alternative format, please contact us. Epping Forest, The Warren, Loughton, Essex IG10 4RW 020 8532 1010
@COLEppingForest
epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Epping Forest City of London
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ eppingforest 4 Forest Focus Autumn 2019
coleppingforest
Churchill Avenue The poplars that make up the landmark Churchill Avenue/Jubilee Avenue at Woodford Green, have reached the end the of their life. Following consideration of the work proposals by the London Borough of Redbridge, work is planned to start in mid-September on a ten year phased replacement of the Avenue. The Avenue is to be re-planted with Common Lime, following a public vote.
Above: Crab apples
RSPB celebrates 50 years of Local Groups The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the start of its first Local Group, known as the Epping Forest Group. Others soon followed, and the idea has now spread so widely that there are over 140 RSPB Local Groups dotted all over the UK. After many years of talks, trips, films, fund raising and much enjoyment, the Epping Forest Group came to an end but interest was still present. So about 10 years ago the North East London RSPB Local Group, which covers much the same area and even includes some of the same people, was formed.
Some 100 people attended the anniversary event at Woodford Memorial Hall, where there were displays of the group’s memorabilia as well as recollections from Richard Oakman, who was present at the outset in 1969. There was also a 50th anniversary cake, cut by TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff. Old and new friends joined the celebration and helped raise money so the RSPB can continue the fight for nature. For further information, please visit www.rspb.org.uk
TripAdvisor We were pleased to be awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and delighted to read some of the great reviews Epping Forest received, with the word ‘beautiful’ appearing frequently throughout the reviews.
Autumn
sights 1. Grey squirrel
3. Crab apples
When the season changes from summer to autumn, grey squirrels intensify their foraging for nuts and seeds which are then buried in the ground or stored in holes in the trees. Squirrels store food to ensure that they still have access to victuals over the colder months.
Crab apple thrives best in heavy, moist, well-drained soil and areas of scrub and is commonly found in Epping Forest. The fruit is much loved by mammals including mice, voles, badgers and deer. Along with holly, crab apple was designated ‘special vert’ in Epping Forest, due to its forage value to deer.
2. Fox Fox cubs are fully grown by the autumn and are becoming independent and dispersing out on their own. With their new winter coats having come through, foxes look at their magnificent best at this time of year.
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4. Fly agaric The quintessential ‘fairy toadstool’ featured in many a fairytale book, is perhaps the most recognisable of the many thousands of species of fungi in Epping Forest. Its burst of magical colouring brightens an autumn visit to the woods.
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Get Your Copy of Forest Focus If you can’t make it to one of the Epping Forest Visitor Centres for your copy of the latest edition of Forest Focus, then why not call by one of the Forest tea huts and pick one up there? The tea hut in Wanstead Park, the tea hut by Pillow Mounds in High Beach and the Original ‘Bikers’ tea hut, just up from the Robin Hood roundabout, give out 1000s of copies of Forest Focus each year.
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What better place to have a cup of tea and read the latest Epping Forest news than in the Forest itself?
5. Rose hips The rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep, is the fruit of the rose, these ones being from a dog rose. Earlier in the year, flowers decorated the bushes, but once the petals fall, the fruit forms which contains the seed of the plant. Rose hips are packed with tiny hairs, once commonly known by school children as ‘itching powder’. Birds and small mammals, such as bank voles, love to eat rosehips.
The Original Tea Hut
6. Jay It is during the autumn months that jays are at their most conspicuous when they may be seen collecting acorns which they cache away, typically in a hole in the ground. An individual jay may hoard as many as 3000 acorns in preparation for winter.
Pillow Mounds Tea Hut
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Wanstead Park Kiosk
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A winter’s tale The charcoal burners of Epping Forest
Whilst today charcoal means barbecues, bangers and burnt burgers – or perhaps a blackfingered experience at an art class – charcoal in the past was the industrial fuel of smelting, iron production and the blacksmith’s forge. Charcoal production has an ancient history, indeed a prehistory, which allowed our early ancestors to shift from fashioning bronze to the high tech, higher temperature working of iron for sharper, more durable weapons and tools. Charcoal burners tended to light their kilns over the summer and autumn and turn to woodcutting and wood stacking in the winter months when the sap content of trees is at its lowest. So, what is charcoal? Charcoal is more or less pure carbon. It’s what you get when you heat an organic substance usually wood (but also bone, vine stems or other material), without oxygen. The heat drives out the water and other volatile substances, leaving a lightweight, 8 Forest Focus Autumn 2019
flammable material that will burn at a high temperature producing little smoke or soot. Traditionally charcoal was produced in woodlands as its most common raw material, wood, was close at hand. Wood is heavier to transport than charcoal, so it made sense to take the kilns to the wood and not the other way round. Charcoal fuelled the iron industries of the early industrial revolution before the process of making coke out of coal was perfected. The massive demand for charcoal was perhaps more of a catalyst for deforestation than the more picturesque demand for naval timber. The charcoal burners – or colliers as they would have also been known
– of yesteryear in Epping Forest were likely to be itinerant workers living with their families in the woods, where the skilled charcoal burner needed to tend his forest kiln day and night for something like five days to ensure a slow but complete burn. The kiln was constructed by stacking dried wood in a circular manner around a flue or chimney, also made of wood. The site had to be carefully chosen for a base of light and loamy soil rather than heavy, damp clay; the stack had to be meticulously built and covered with fine branches bracken or similar material, and then earth, to make a barrier against oxygen but allow the heat to carbonise the wood. The charcoal burner, with the help of his family, needed to pay careful attention to sealing any cracks in the
Left: Charcoal burners in Epping Forest, Illustrated London News, November 8, 1879. Illustration from our museum collection: LDQEH.2017.50
earth covering, as these would allow in the oxygen which would reduce the quality and yield of charcoal.
Cord-wood coal Charcoal in the form of the original long pieces of wood
Epping Forest’s hardwoods, oak, beech and hornbeam, were ideal for making charcoal. Willow or alder, such as grow in the Lee Valley, were preferred for the production of charcoal for gunpowder production, hence the siting of Waltham Abbey’s Powder Mills.
Small coal Small pieces of charcoal
In 1909, the archaeologist S. Hazzledine Warren wrote an article about the revival of charcoal burning in Epping Forest and identified Cuckoo Pits as the site chosen for this work. By this time, industrial production of charcoal had largely taken over from small scale methods. Hazzledine Warren mentions a Mr. J. Cook, ‘absolutely the last of the old school of charcoal-burners of the Epping Forest area’ and describes watching and photographing Mr Cook to understand what was, by then, a dying trade. He describes some of the specialist vocabulary that Cook used:
The coal The first grade of charcoal after passing through the ‘collier’s ribbed shovel’ The article ‘Charcoal burners in Epping Forest: their primitive hut and the formation of hut-circles’, 6 March 1909, is available online in the excellent digital archive of the Essex Field Club: www.essexfieldclub.org.uk/portal. This archive is an amazingly rich resource for any Epping Forest enthusiast to browse. Whether warmed by woodfire or centrally heated, let’s remember the skilled and hard-living men whose charcoal burning knowledge and skill made possible the working of metal, the medical use of charcoal and the fireworks and firepower of gunpowder. Sophie Lillington Museum and Heritage Manager
Autumn 2019 Forest Focus 9
Fungi During a mild, damp autumn, Epping Forest can produce a huge variety of fungi.
As well as being beautiful to look at, fungi are fascinating. Trees could probably not survive without them. A close, symbiotic partnership exists between the gossamer-fine hyphae (‘roots’) of fungi and the finest roots of trees. Fungi obtain sugars in the form of sap from the tree, while the tree derives nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients from the fungi. Different species of fungi relate to different species of tree. Fly agaric forms a partnership with the birch and panther cap relates with beech.
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This ancient, intertwined mass of complex relationships between trees and fungi, passing information and resources to and from each other through a network of mycorrhizal, is sometimes called the ‘Wood Wide Web’ and there is yet much to learn about it. Be sure to enjoy looking at the Forest’s fungi this autumn but please do not pick any. It is against the Epping Forest Byelaws.
Queen Victoria and Epping Forest This year is the 200th year since the birth of Queen Victoria. During Queen Victoria’s remarkable reign, she was invited to visit Epping Forest on 6 May 1882. Four years after the City of London Corporation saved Epping Forest from illegal enclosure and fought a legal battle to secure the protection of this ancient and historic woodland with the Epping Forest Act 1878, the Queen officially opened the Forest to the public. At the opening, the address from the Lord Mayor of London celebrated the substitution of royal rights for popular right, with the Forest being dedicated to the enjoyment of the people for ever. Although the Forest was not owned by the Crown, the Crown held various rights within the Forest; it was these rights that Queen Victoria relinquished. The Queen acknowledged the address, declaring ‘It gives me the greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful Forest to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time.’ This led to Epping Forest receiving the unique and popular accolade, ‘the People’s Forest’.
To mark the occasion the City of London Corporation produced a commemorative copper medal which shows the Queen wearing a small diamond crown, sash and Orders, attended by Londinia within a Forest setting. The date of Queen Victoria’s visit has become a significant moment in Epping Forest’s history and there are some marvellous photographs, illustrations and accounts of the special day. An oak was planted on the subsequently named Queen’s Green in High Beach to commemorate the occasion. This royal oak is now accompanied by an oak tree from the grounds of Windsor Castle, which was planted by HRH The Duke of Sussex when he visited Epping Forest in March 2017 to celebrate the dedication of Epping Forest to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. Why not visit this royal area of Epping Forest this autumn? Autumn 2019 Forest Focus 11
For the bookshelf
Common or Garden Cows Karen Humpage
Woodford-born artist Karen Humpage recalls the days when cows wandered around the suburban streets adjoining Epping Forest. See how their antics caused no end of consternation for homeowners and shopkeepers, frustration for motorists and wonderment and fun for children. With the help of local people’s recollections, Karen’s gently humorous writing paints pictures of cow/human interactions, upsets to the suburban idyll and the occasional far-fetched flight of fancy, all accompanied by Karen’s gloriously colourful paintings complementing the text. Available from the Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford £12.99.
Left: Illustration from Common or Garden Cows by Karen Humpage
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London is a Forest Paul Wood
Can a city be a forest? At first glance, this does not chime with our childhood idea of the `wild wood’ – a dark entanglement of trees, where humans fear to tread. But a forest does not need to be dense and impenetrable. In London, 8.6 million people are crammed into just 600 square miles alongside 8.3 million trees and millions upon millions of other plants, insects and animals. According to one UN definition, this makes the city a forest. The Forestry Commission agree, describing London as the world’s largest urban forest. And it’s a very special, urban forest at that. Available from Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford £12.
WINNER
Saving Epping Forest William George Shakespeare Smith (1837-1903) and the Forest Fund Richard Morris, OBE
Local historian and former Epping Forest Verderer Richard Morris has written a new book about the fight to save the Forest from enclosure. The many histories and articles describing the fight to save Epping Forest from enclosure in the 1860s and 1870s include references to W G S Smith, who in 1871 became the Honorable Secretary of The Forest Fund and organised the protest meetings throughout East London, the Forest and in the City of London over the following seven years. We are fortunate that Smith kept two scrapbooks recording events between 1867 and 1882.
Underland: A Deep Time Journey Hardcover Robert Macfarlane
From the best-selling, award-winning author of Landmarks and The Old Ways, a haunting voyage into the planet’s past and future. Available from Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford £20. Winner of the Wainwright Golden Beer book prize 2019.
Out of the woods Luke Turner
Luke Turner’s revealing new book gives a very personal insight into his relationship with Epping Forest, and nature. Available from Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford £19.99. Shortlisted for the Wainwright Golden Beer book prize 2019.
This fascinating new account of the history of saving Epping Forest is now available from the Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford £5.
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London Borough of Culture in Epping Forest
Autumn is perhaps the busiest time for London Borough of Culture events taking place in Epping Forest and we’re delighted to share with you details of forthcoming events in this unique, ancient woodland you can enjoy as part of the Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture celebrations in Waltham Forest.
These events, with the exception of Giant, are part of The People’s Forest season – a series of events exploring our relationship with Epping Forest, interrogating the deep bond we have with forests and woodland, and how this relationship is culturally determined.
GIANT
Becoming the Forest
In a magical event for the whole family, travel into Epping Forest for an extraordinary theatrical concert. See oak trees transformed and branches become the stage for a performance unlike any other. Premiering new poem-songs and music, a chorus of children, guest soloists and choirs will sing to the grand giants of the Forest. As part of the project, participants aged eight years and older are invited to experience what it’s like to be in the cast of GIANT and sing from the canopy at a series of Climbing and Music Sessions in September. Booking details for these workshops can be found here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/giantclimbing-and-music-sessionstickets-62136398641
Taking place on Halloween, when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, Becoming the Forest invites you to take part in an audio journey populated by the voices of previous Forest dwellers and visitors. This is a sound-based installation celebrating the oncoming winter. Join past Forest inhabitants including Boudicca, Jacob Epstein and Algernon Blackwood, as well as the voices of the trees themselves. Expect incantations made up of beech tree divination, tree-biologists and forest historians, black metal screeches and field recordings of the Forest in this special commission with artist Una Hamilton Helle.
Friday 18 – Saturday 19 October 7.30pm Barn Hoppitt
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Thursday 31 October – Saturday 2 November Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford and Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge
Echoes
Tuesday 12 November – Sunday 5 January Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford Free audio sound installation by Epping Forest Artist-in-residence, Ellie Wilson. See opposite. For further information on these events please visit www.wfculture19.co.uk
Above: A linocut print by Kat Flint illustrating Echoes
Artist-in-residence We’ve really enjoyed working with our Artist-in-residence, composer Ellie Wilson. You can now appreciate the fruits of her labour with the arrival of the magnificent and fascinating free sound installation, Echoes, which will be available to experience at Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford from Tuesday 12 November to Sunday 5 January. Ellie’s work melds the genres of contemporary classical, folk and electronica, creating a haunting, textural sound world that explores themes of lost and fragmented memories, lingering traces of the past and the spirit of place. Echoes unearths the stories of the Forest comprising of a set of new music compositions exploring the human impact on Epping Forest through the centuries: Iron-Age hillforts, WWII bomb craters and Ellie’s ancestor, Thomas Willingale – a local labourer who contributed to the saving of the Forest during the nineteenth century enclosure
movement. The work includes a self-penned folk song, field recordings and a graphic score based on a map of Loughton Camp. Simply pop along during opening hours (Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm) and pick up some headphones to enjoy a different perspective of the ancient woodland around you. Ellie Wilson is currently busy as a performer and composer, having just been commissioned by Shakespeare’s Globe to compose music for their autumn productions of Henry VI and Richard III. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience her interpretation of Epping Forest this autumn. For further information visit our website, or Ellie’s website elliewilsonmusic.co.uk
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A circular autumn ramble
from Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge 1. Warren Pond Pretty Warren Pond with its landmark ancient oaks. 2. River Ching The River Ching is a charming little stream that wends and winds its way from Connaught Water, joining the River Lea by the Banbury Reservoir in South Chingford.
3. Warren Hill There is a press report dated 1849 which mentions that ‘vast numbers of rabbits are netted for the London markets in that portion of Epping Forest, known as The Warren, lying near the Roebuck at Chingford’. Today, a small stand of heather and large and impressive oak tree called Qvist’s Oak, after a former Superintendent of Epping Forest, stand at the top of the hill. Rabbits still graze here, albeit now with only the fear of a passing fox or buzzard. 4. Connaught Water Named after the Duke of Connaught, who was the first Ranger of the Forest, Connaught Water is popular with both people and waterfowl. At one end is a boardwalk crossing the lake and providing an ideal look out spot for birdwatchers.
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5. Chingford Plain This once extensive grassland area was under arable cultivation up to 1878 and to this day the troughs and ridges of the once furrowed soil are still evident. 6. Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge The Hunting Lodge is a unique example of a surviving timberframed hunt standing still surrounded by its medieval royal hunting forest. Built on the orders of Henry VIII in 1543, the Hunting Lodge has seen various uses over the years, including serving as a manor court, Keeper’s Lodge, a retreat providing refreshments and natural history museum. Today, you can enjoy exhibitions on Tudor history and soak up the atmosphere of this incredible building, nearly 500 years on.
Distance: 2 miles Time: I Âź hours Terrain: Surfaced rides and unsurfaced woodland trails. Can be boggy in places.
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Autumnal adventures… In the October half term, why not enjoy some free, family fun in the Forest? Autumn is a great time of the year for children to experience the sights and sounds of Epping Forest. Fungi season is usually at its peak around the time of the October half term with the wonderful colourful and abstract forms of the fungi emerging from the woodland floor. The promise of spotting these fascinating fungi is the perfect way to entice little ones outdoors for an autumnal walk. Please do remember not to touch or disturb the fungi, as it is against the byelaws to remove fungi from Epping Forest, and some fungi can be extremely poisonous.
However, simply finding the different fungi and perhaps photographing or drawing them is a great activity for all the family to enjoy. Lots of art projects can incorporate the different shapes and shades of the autumn leaves which have fallen to the Forest floor. Why not collect as many various coloured leaves as you can and arrange them at home on some card for an autumnal art project? Of course there are lots of interesting wildlife to look and listen out for too as the creatures of Epping Forest busy themselves preparing for the long, winter months ahead. See pages 6–7 for more about what to look out for and page 10 for more about fungi in Epping Forest.
Shop talk! Check out what’s new at Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford this autumn.
£5.95 Apple plate
£4.95 Blue tit plate
£29.95 Traditional rounders set 18 Forest Focus Autumn 2019
Deer crossing It seems that many of us drive past the highway ‘deer crossing’ signs without much thought that a deer might actually cross in front of our car, but in Epping Forest this is a common occurrence and never more so than during the rut. The breeding season for fallow deer, known as the rut, takes place from the autumn equinox, 23 September. During the rut, the bucks’ behaviour
Your furry friend…
escalates from resonating groaning and parallel walks, where they size each other up, to fighting with violent clashing of antlers, sometimes inflicting horrific injuries. The fighting establishes the dominant buck that holds a rutting stand and its associated does. There is increased movement of deer during the rut as bucks that are unable to maintain and defend a rutting stand move around seeking out receptive does. They become bolder, losing some of their usual shyness, and this can make them more vulnerable when crossing roads. There are, sadly, several deer and other wildlife casualties each year on Forest roads, so we once again appeal to motorists to please slow down when driving through Epping Forest for both your own safety and that of Forest wildlife.
from £27
Woollen blankets from £27.00 Tweedmill dog coats available in three sizes from £35.00 and dog beds from £50.00
This is just a sample of some of our favourite autumn picks but there’s much more in stock, including books, toys, artwork and more.
A taste of the Forest… from £35
Epping Forest honey £6.75 a jar Epping Forest venison and beef Autumn 2019 Forest Focus 19
Autumn events September Family event: Bushcraft
Saturday 14 September 10am–12 noon or 1– 3pm Wanstead Park Epping Forest Field Centre event in partnership with the Friends of Wanstead Parklands
The Annual Epping Forest Celebration Walk
Sunday 15 September 9am–5pm Discover more about Epping Forest by walking the entire length in one day or take part in one of the local sections of the long walk from south to north. Formerly called the Centenary Walk. Visit www.efht.org.uk for meeting points. Free event. No booking required. Organised by Epping Forest Heritage Trust, West Essex Ramblers and the The City of London Corporation.
Further information 020 7332 1911 cityoflondon.gov.uk/ eppingforestevents Book Epping Forest events through Eventbrite www. eppingforest.eventbrite.com 20 Forest Focus Autumn 2019
Open House: Weekend welcome
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September During opening hours Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford and Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford, was developed from an early 20th century stable complex. It offers exhibition space, a Forest viewing balcony and shop. Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge, a Tudor hunt standing is just a few steps away. Paths lead directly into 6000 acres of Forest trails. Drop in and join the self-led drawing activities for all ages plus Tudor dressing up in Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge. Free event. No booking required. City of London Corporation event
Open House: Wanstead heritage walk
Sunday 22 September 10am –12 noon Meet outside Wanstead Underground Station A guided walk to The Temple, Wanstead Park, taking in the history and architectural heritage of Wanstead House. The walk finishes at The Temple and will include an optional private tour of its displays. Free event. Booking required. Booking opens 20 August. City of London Corporation event
Open House: Hollow Pond and Leytonstone heritage walk
Sunday 22 September 10am –12 noon Meet at Leytonstone Underground Station, outside Church Lane entrance Guided walk from Leytonstone Station linking local heritage buildings, Alfred Hitchcock and Epping Forest’s Hollow Pond. Discover how public campaigns led to the Forest being saved in 1878 and its 141 years as a City of London open space. Free event. Booking required. Booking opens 20 August. City of London Corporation event
Heritage Open Day – Gilwell Park celebrates its history with Epping Forest Sunday 22 September Gilwell Park Gilwell Park event
October Taster Session: Printing inspired by nature
Wednesday 2 October 10.30am –12.30 pm Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford Join Alison Pearson, experienced community Arts Lecturer, in creating wonderful woodland prints using nature. Explore colour, light and shade and make lasting memories of the Forest to cherish. No booking required. Free course. Adults 19 years+. Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service in partnership with City of London Corporation
Walk: North from Chingford
Sunday 6 October 10am –1pm Chingford Plain car park Epping Forest Heritage Trust event
Adult course: Identifying woodland fungi in Epping Forest
Saturday 12 October Epping Forest Field Centre Epping Forest Field Centre event
Epping Forest Conservation Volunteers are a volunteer group actively involved in the conservation and management of Epping Forest. The group undertake tasks on most Sundays as well as a monthly Tuesday task. Working at your own pace it is an opportunity to meet like-minded people, who enjoy the open air and care for the beauty and variety of Epping Forest. www.efcv.co.uk Parkrun
Adult course: Traditional hedge laying workshop Family event: Orienteering
Epping Forest Conservation Volunteers
Thursday 24 – Friday 25 October Epping Forest Field Centre Epping Forest Field Centre event
Wanstead Flats park run is a free weekly 5km event for runners of all standards, which takes place every Saturday at 9am at Wanstead Flats. It is not a race but a 5k timed run. www.parkrun.org.uk London Borough of Culture For London Borough of Culture events, see pages 14–15.
Saturday 5 October 10am–12 noon or 1– 3pm Wanstead Park Epping Forest Field Centre event in partnership with the Friends of Wanstead Parklands
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events continued Adult course: Woodland ecology and management – the basics Saturday 26 October Epping Forest Field Centre Epping Forest Field Centre event
Family event: Autumn in Epping Forest
Tuesday 29 October 10am –12 noon Epping Forest Field Centre Epping Forest Field Centre event
Family event: Forest survival
Wednesday 30 October 9.30am – 4pm Epping Forest Field Centre Epping Forest Field Centre event
November Taster session: Autumn identification of trees and plants
Wednesday 6 November 1.30pm – 3.30pm Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford Cathy McLoughlin is an experienced Environmental Educator and Lloyd Park’s Community Gardener. Join her on a relaxing walk to enjoy the beautiful autumnal colours of the Forest and learn the names of trees and plants as you wander. No booking required. Free course. Adults 19 years+. Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service in partnership with City of London Corporation event
Sound installation: Echoes
Tuesday 12 November to Sunday 5 January Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford See page 15 for further information.
Family event: Nature walk
Saturday 30 November 10am –12 noon or 1–3pm Wanstead Park Epping Forest Field Centre event in partnership with the Friends of Wanstead Parklands
A visit to the Deer Sanctuary
Sunday 10 November 10.30am –12.30pm Genesis Slade car park Epping Forest Heritage Trust event
Family event: Spooky Forest
Thursday 31 October 10am – 12 noon or 1–3pm Wanstead Park Epping Forest Field Centre event in partnership with the Friends of Wanstead Parklands
Our Forest partners Copped Hall Trust www.coppedhalltrust.org.uk Epping Forest Field Centre www.field-studies-council.org Epping Forest Heritage Trust www.efht.org.uk Friends of Wanstead Parklands www.wansteadpark.org.uk Gilwell Park www.gilwellpark.co.uk Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 www.wfculture19.co.uk Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service www.walthamforest.gov.uk
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Visit us Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford Rangers Road, Chingford, E4 7QH Tel 020 7332 1911 Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am–5pm Open Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day)
The Temple Wanstead Park, E11 2LT Tel 020 7332 1911 See website for opening times. The Temple, a Grade II listed building, dates from the 1760s and is a survival from the heyday of Wanstead Park.
Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford, with its displays and regularly changing exhibitions, is the perfect place to start your exploration of Epping Forest.
Epping Forest Visitor Centre at High Beach
Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge
Tel 020 7332 1911 (outside of opening hours)
Rangers Road, Chingford, E4 7QH Tel 020 7332 1911
For opening hours, please visit website.
High Beach, IG10 4AE Tel 020 8508 0028 (during opening hours)
Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am–5pm* Open Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day)
Snuggled in the heart of the Forest, the Centre is located adjacent to the High Beach easy access path. The Centre is run by Epping Forest Heritage Trust.
The Hunting Lodge is a Grade II* listed building built for Henry VIII in 1543 and is an amazing survival of an intact Tudor hunt standing.
* Subject to closure for private hire or school visits. Please check website.
Contact us Epping Forest Headquarters, The Warren, Loughton, Essex IG10 4RW Email: epping.forest@ cityoflondon.gov.uk Tel 020 8532 1010 (24hrs)
@COLEppingForest Epping Forest City of London coleppingforest www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ eppingforest