friends of epping forest

F r i e n d s o fE p p i n g F o r e s tNewsletter Spring 2015 www.friendsofeppingforest.org.uk

Carbis cottage, next to the Chingford Assembly Hall, is a17th century timber-framed house listed as Grade II. TheChapman & André map published in 1777 (see page 10)shows a dozen or so such houses around three sides ofChingford Green with a few more extending down KingsHead Hill. This was a remote rural settlement, uphill from theRiver Lea and on the edge of Epping Forest.

When the Epping Forest Act was passed in 1878,Chingford Green was still a rural hamlet. Although therailway line to Chingford was opened in 1873, it stopped atthe junction of Larkshall Road and Whitehall Road. What wecall Station Road was known as Maddox Lane and was atrack up to the Hunting Lodge.

The sides of the road were unenclosed grass vergeswhich reverted to Epping Forest land under the 1878 Act.After the railway was extended and the present stationopened in 1878, shops were built along the road but beyondthese grass verges. Eventually the local authority wasgranted permission to incorporate this area into the highway.Today few shoppers appreciate the reason for this widepavement. Chingford Green itself and several lanes inChingford still remain as Epping Forest land today

I lived the first 22 years of my life in Endlebury Road andas a child I played with friends who lived in Fairlight Avenue.We often ventured into Mayes Lane, which runs betweentheir back gardens and those of Elmfield Road. I wellremember how there was a large tree outside my friend’sback gate and we would swing on a branch before droppingto the ground which was at a lower level. Thirty years ago I

HISTORY ON OUR DOORSTEPHISTORY ON OUR DOORSTEP

Carbis cottage: one of the dozen or so houses that Chingford Green boasted in 1777. Photo Georgina Green.

Continued on page 10

In a trip down memory lane, GeorginaGreen takes a look at remnants of theForest still present in Chingford…

Friends of Epping Forest Newsletter Spring 2015

The Friends have certainly been busy over the past fewmonths, as I hope is evident in this Newsletter. The local en-vironment in which we work is certainly changing and you’llsee from the news and in the Newsletter that the changesare at a national and global level too. The initiative of theRSPB and Wildlife Trusts (see page 6) illustrates the pres-sures they are exerting for nature and the environment to playa greater role in decision making about the economy, whichI am sure we would all welcome.

In the Forest, proposals for a Various Powers Bill are soonto be made, enabling the City of London to have new pow-ers in their armoury to help manage Epping Forest. TheFriends too are beginning to look at the Visitor Centre at HighBeach in new ways. The Centre is going very well, but thework is demanding. How can we grow and sustain it longerterm? We are definitely making a mark with this initiative, onewhich we are committed to continuing.

And even the Forest Supper saw changes this year, beingheld for the first time at Chingford Assembly Hall. The venuewas well received by the participants and it looks as if weshall be looking to hold it there next year.

It was good to see recognition of our efforts to supportGifford Wood (see page 9). I’m keen to see the new treegrowth this spring and hope for a good recovery, after set-backs due to rabbits early in 2014.

Planning work continues apace, and with the commit-ment to development our efforts will certainly be needed intothe longer term. The article on Forest remnants also reminds us just how much more there is to the Forest, beyond the larger blocks of Forest land with which we maybe more familiar. Maybe the springtime will provide you withthe chance to explore the parts you may not have visited before.

I do hope that you have had a good Christmas and that2015 is all you would want it to be. Judy Adams

In th is issueIn th is issue

PAGE

History on our Doorstep .........................................1

Dear Friend….........................................................2

Fungi: At the Roots of the Forest ...........................3

Forest Matters ........................................................5

Friends Matters ......................................................7

Cuckoo Update ......................................................8

Walk Reports ........................................................11

Mystery Quiz ........................................................14

Dates for Your Diary .............................................14

Notice of Annual General Meeting .......................15

Committee MembersCommittee MembersChairman: Judy [email protected] 020 8418 0730

Vice-Chairman: Sue McKinley [email protected] 01992 712014

Secretary: Mike [email protected] 020 8530 2564

Treasurer: Alan Curran [email protected] 020 8504 8720

Membership Sec: Jean Brockington [email protected] 020 8529 3077

Tricia Moxey [email protected] 01277 364522

Newsletter Editor: Pete [email protected] 020 8539 1052

The Friends is a Registered Charity No: 299970.Committee Members are the Trustees of the Charity.

Views and opinions expressed in this Newsletter are notnecessarily those of the Friends of Epping ForestCommittee.

Dear Fr iend…Dear Fr iend…

QR code – from phone to web

If you have a smart phone and can scana QR code with its camera, either with adownloaded app or via software that’salready installed, scan this QR code andgo to the Friends of Epping Forestwebsite.

The Hollow Ponds: the Forest’s tranquility dominates evenyards from a main road. Photo Peter Wrobel.


The densely wooded parts of Epping Forest have beencovered with trees for many centuries and largely occupythose areas which were unsuited for agriculture as the soilscontained few nutrients and the steep slopes would havebeen difficult to cultivate. These undisturbed soils containmany species of fungi – without which the Forest as we knowit would simply cease to exist.

For much of the year the hyphae or fine feeding threads ofthese fungi are invisible, hidden beneath a covering of leaflitter, actively decomposing dead matter. We know they arethere when they produce their stunningly beautiful fruitingbodies, often in the form of toadstools.

It is estimated that beneath a hectare of woodland, thesoil may contain as much as 3.5 tonnes of these hyphae, thedifferent species competing for space, water and foodresources! Some will be specific decomposers of deadleaves, twigs, wood and dung. Others will be parasitic,feeding on the living tissues of roots and trunks.

But a significant number of species are those which havea symbiotic or mycorrhizal association with the roots of thetrees and without them such trees could not thrive. They areespecially important for trees growing on impoverished soils.

The hyphae can spread for considerable distancesthrough the ground; a single tree may be supported by 19kilometres of these threads, which also have contact with thefeeding roots of other trees. An individual tree may haveseveral species associated with different sections of its rootsand older trees may have many species. These hyphae aredamaged by soil compaction. Chemicals exuded from the

hyphae help bind the mineral particles of the soil, reducingthe potential for erosion.

These hyphae produce enzymes which break down thedecaying matter in the ground, allowing the chemicals to beabsorbed by the roots. They also gather water from the soilpassing this to the host trees. In exchange, such fungi receivecarbohydrates from their host trees; the amount will varyaccording to the photosynthetic activity of each tree. It willbe less on cool cloudy days and more on warm sunny daysif there is a plentiful supply of water from the soil.

A great deal of research is being carried out to discoverwhat triggers the appearance of the fruiting bodies in theappropriate season, which for many species is limited to sixto eight weeks each autumn. The results are as varied as thenumber of species, but warm temperatures and theavailability of carbohydrates seem to be important factors.These delicate structures are easily damaged by tramplingbefore they appear above ground and once squashed do notdevelop.

Some species, such as the penny bun and the ochrebrittle gill, are known to accumulate trace elements withintheir caps along with a range of other molecules which makethem very nutritious. Many of these fruiting bodies are edible,being consumed by creatures such as deer, squirrels,volesand slugs. Fungus gnats lay eggs in toadstools and theresulting maggots help decompose the fruiting bodies oncethe spores have been shed.

Around 85 per cent of the UK’s ancient beech trees growin Epping Forest supported by mycorrhizal species such as

FUNGI : AT THE ROOTS OF THE FORESTFUNGI : AT THE ROOTS OF THE FOREST

Fly agaric toadstools.Photo Tricia Moxey.

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the false death cap, the blusher, penny bun, bay boletus andseveral species of brittlegills and milk caps.

Over the past few years Epping Forest has seen a seriousdecline in the number of toadstools produced by many of themycorrhizal species, raising concerns for the long-termwellbeing of trees. There are a number of possible causes forthis decline.

Firstly, these woods are now almost total monocultures ofbeeches, producing such a heavy shade that few plants growbeneath them. Little is known about the associations betweenthese fungi, tree roots and herbaceous plants, but there issome evidence of symbiotic interconnectivity between severalspecies in other woods. This may be lacking here.

The litter layer is largely made up of beech leaves andtwigs and with few ground plants to hold it in place it is more

likely to blow away or get washed downhill. Mycorrhizal fungithrive best when protected from physical damage,desiccation and changes in temperature by an undisturbedthick spongy layer of debris from different tree speciescontaining a wider variety of manufactured chemicals forrecycling.

Another factor is that these ancient beech trees aregrowing incredibly slowly, partly as a function of their age andsize and their ability to obtain sufficient water from the groundin dry summers. They can suffer from airlocks in the waterconducting tissue. Consequently, their photosynthetic outputmay be low or irregular, which has a knock-on effect on theirsupporting fungi, which in turn produce fewer fruiting bodies.

Pollution caused by emissions from road vehicles has animpact, in the form of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) generated byfossil fuel combustion and ammonia (NH3) from catalyticconverters. Both of these can be detoxified and assimilatedby plants at low concentrations. However, at higherconcentrations such deposition can interfere with thefunctioning of leaves and bring about changes in the soilchemistry, thus modifying the activities of the soil microbialcommunity.

Studies carried out by Sally Gadsdon in the Forestbetween 2004 and 2006 found that at many roadside sitesthe pollution levels exceeded European guidelines forprotecting terrestrial vegetation from air pollution damage. Asthe trees function less well and the soil chemistry is altered,sensitive fungi inevitably suffer too – although how thishappens requires considerably more research.

Traditionally the attitude of many people in Britain hasbeen one of mycophobia, a fear of fungi. But a change ineating habits has brought about a desire to feast on wildfungi: for some, foraging for edible wild mushrooms hasbecome a very profitable business. This is illegal within theForest, and the rise in the number of successful prosecutionsof those who have been caught is welcome.

But the removal of large quantities – 40 kilogrammes inone haul alone – indicates that a considerable amount offungal material is being gathered from the Forest. Searchingfor such quantities will inevitably cause widespread scufflingdamage to the covering of leaf litter and of course theirconsumption removes some of the very important traceelements from an already impoverished area, making it harderfor these vulnerable ancient trees to continue to flourish.

All these ancient beech trees are struggling to survive andthere is limited regeneration beneath them. Beech andhornbeam regenerate well if surrounded by young birch,which acts as a nurse species. Chemicals within birch leavesadd different components to leaf litter: as they mature theysupport several mycorrhizal fungi too, and younger trees willensure succession of tree cover. But it is highly likely thatmany venerable trees will die within the next decades – andthen the character of this part of the Forest will changebeyond all recognition.

I am grateful to Dr Sally Gadsdon for information on herpollution studies. Tricia Moxey

Ochre brittlegill. Photo Tricia Moxey.

Shaggy ink cap. Photo Ron Andrews.

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Planning update

Forest Lodge at the Wake Arms. The application for a development at Forest Lodge near the Wake Arms has beenrefused by Epping Forest District Council. The planning application included demolition of the existing motel and in-door play facility, retention of an existing four-bed house andconstruction of 19 new dwelling houses and their associatedlandscaping.

The Friends considered that this proposed developmentwas inappropriate as:

• The development, with limited scope for car parkingwithin the site, could increase car parking along Epping NewRoad;

• It would convey an impression that housing developmentis an accepted use of land surrounded by Epping Forest;

• The proposed buildings would be higher in profile thanthe existing ones and would be visible against the Forestbackdrop and from within the Forest itself;

• The premises would generate noise (including gardenmachinery) and be likely to have external lighting, both ofwhich would have considerable impact on the adjacent SSSIand Special Area of Conservation. The invertebrates, birds,bats and deer which inhabit the ancient woodland immedi-ately behind this site would be adversely affected by the de-velopment.

The Friends continue to monitor all planning applicationsand will keep a mindful eye on this site, should an appeal orfuture application be pursued.

Licensing of a mobile catering facility at High Beach. Anapplication for a licence was granted by Epping Forest Dis-trict Council for a mobile catering facility, which would oper-ate at High Beach, along Manor Road and on Fairmead Roadvery near to the existing tea hut at Crossroads.

The Friends have written to the Council and the HighwaysAuthority expressing our concerns about the potential im-pacts of this activity.

At High Beach, an additional catering facility is likely tolead to increased traffic congestion in an already busy areaand potentially increase pressure on the established facilitiesat High Beach (tea hut, café and the public house).

At Fairmead, our concern relates to the access toFairmead Oak car park. You will remember that in 2012 EssexHighways Authority made an application to close the fulllength of Fairmead Road. The Friends, along with LoughtonTown Council, councillors from the District Council and others, objected, as we considered the Fairmead Oak carpark (which would have been closed by this road closure) tobe of particular value especially for people with disabilities,enabling them to enjoy the experience of being amidst theForest.

As a result of these objections, Essex County Councilonly closed part of Fairmead Road, enabling access to thecar park to continue. The addition of a second catering facil-ity along Fairmead Road is likely to severely constrain vehi-cle access along Fairmead Road, which could cause fewervisitors to use the Fairmead Oak car park. Lower use maylead to a renewed threat of closure of the car park and to theresultant loss of a Forest amenity.

New Map for London’s Green Belt

The London Green Belt Council launched a new map of theLondon Green Belt in November 2014 – the first full and de-tailed account of the London Green Belt. The Council hopesthat the map will highlight the Green Belt’s importance toLondoners and residents of adjoining counties at a timewhen it is under considerable threat from development.

It includes Green Belt boundaries, important historicalsites, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and district andconstituency boundaries.

For nearly 70 years, the Green Belt has successfully pro-tected the open spaces around London, maintaining a cleardistinction between town and country, providing accessibleopen space for Londoners, and preserving the identity of thetowns and villages near the capital.

Despite being created under the assumption of perma-nence after the Second World War, the London Green Belt isunder threat from development. For example, some of themore recent development proposals and/or planning appli-cations are in the Green Belt, while councils, including Epping Forest District Council, are proposing in their localplans to use part of the Green Belt for housing.

The Green Belt map is available from Stanfords, 12-14Long Acre, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9LP:http://www.stanfords.co.uk. Price: £10. There may also be alocal outlet for this map in the future.

FOREST MATTERSFOREST MATTERS

Forest Lodge, near the Wake Arms. The Friends objectedto proposed development plans. Photo Peter Adams.

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Clearing silt from Highams Park Lake as part of the works being carried out by the Corporation. Photo City of London.

Highams Park Lake works

The lake de-silting works are now complete! Approximately5,000 cubic metres (out of a total silt volume in the lake of13,500 cubic metres), have been removed from the shallowernorthern third of the lake, where this gives rise to problemsdue to exposure during dry weather. The silt was dug out andput on a barge, which was then craned ashore and taken awayby vehicle.

Proposed Open Spaces Legislation

The Corporation of the City of London is considering possiblemodifications to the legislation governing its Open Spaces, in-cluding Epping Forest. To attempt to make any changes theywould have to promote a City of London (Various Powers) Bill.At this stage the proposals have not been spelled out, and be-fore doing so the Corporation wants to test the views of localinterest groups, including the Friends. The proposals currentlyhave three objectives:

• To provide a clearer and more consistent set of man-agement powers applying across its Open Spaces, while put-ting on an express footing activities currently carried out inreliance on implied powers;

• To increase the opportunities to receive revenue for thebenefit of the Open Spaces from activities undertaken onthem, provided that any such use is compatible with thepreservation of the Open Spaces and their use for publicrecreation; and

• To provide stronger enforcement powers to deal withthose making illegal or harmful use of the Open Spaces.

In such matters the devil is always in the detail. So it is im-portant to be watchful until we have heard in more detail whatis proposed. Although it is largely more than 130 years old, theEpping Forest Act 1878 (as amended) has served us and theForest well, and we will clearly need to be convinced that any

changes are positive ones for the long term good of EppingForest. We will keep you informed on this.

Proposals for a Nature and Wellbeing Act

From the front page article in our autumn Newsletter, you willhave read of increasing interest in the role and value of greenspace in terms of wellbeing, improved food security andecosystem services ( for example, absorbing water and help-ing to protect us from flooding).

The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB have joined forces with anumber of partner organisations, including the Campaign toProtect Rural England, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and But-terfly Conservation to campaign for a Nature and WellbeingAct. The proposed piece of legislation aims to bring about therecovery of nature in a generation, for the benefit of peopleand wildlife.

They have produced a Green Paper outlining their propos-als, which aim to:

• Improve the status of species and their habitats for thenext generation;

• Place the value of nature at the heart of decision-making, nationally and locally, and across all government departments;

• Ensure that local action for nature is linked across theland delivering natural green spaces and ecosystems that aremore resilient in the face of climate change;

• Better connect people with nature, giving everyone ac-cess to natural green spaces and ensuring that our childrenhave a greater understanding of our natural world and what itdoes for us.

Full details are available at: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/naturewellbeingact

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Epping Forest Visitor Centre – 10,000 visitors so far,and rising

We have now completed nine months at the Visitor Centre.It has proved to be a very valuable opportunity for theFriends, Forest visitors and the Conservators.

We reached visitor numbers of 10,000 by mid-November and are hoping to reach 15,000 by the end ofMarch. Many of the visitors have been first timers to theForest, usually enquiring about walks of various lengthsfrom the Centre, where they can cycle and what’s on offerthroughout the Forest. For us, the service provided by theCentre seems of particular value, and our support to thevisitors has received very good evaluations recorded in ourvisitor book and from comments made elsewhere.

We have recorded visitor numbers per hour, enabling usto better determine the most effective times for opening infuture. We are hoping next year to operate 10am – 3pm inthe winter and 10am – 4 pm in the summer. This would addan extra hour in the summer and an extra half hour in thewinter, enabling visitors to come in earlier and at the startof their visit.

We also operated summer hours for the full month ofOctober this year, accommodating half term and capturingthe best of the autumn colour.

Summer hours begin when the clocks change. From theNew Year, we are hoping to record where people come fromand identify the proportion of first-time Forest visitors.

Our 20 volunteers are now working very well. We ask alot of them: to work a full day shift once a fortnight,complete two days’ training and to take full responsibilityfor the building and the service on their shift. See back pageif you are interested in coming on board.

Discovering Britain walks

“The People’s Forest”, a walk in Epping Forest from BuryRoad Car Park, now features as one of the UK’s DiscoveringBritain walks, developed by the Royal Geographical Society(with IBG). The Friends of Epping Forest were consulted andfully credited for our participation.

Ken Hoy’s book, Getting to Know Epping Forest, ourarchive of information in our newsletters, and support from

FRIENDS MATTERSFRIENDS MATTERS

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Flashback to the opening of the Centre, in April 2014. Photo Peter Wrobel.


Verderer Peter Adams provided source material for theirwritten and audio guides produced for the walk.

The Discovering Britain walk project tells stories aboutthe landscape with an aspiration to inspire people toexplore why Britain is as it is today. The walks tell how ouramazing landscapes have been shaped by people, historicevents, the economy, the forces of nature and much more.“Every place has a story to tell – whether dramaticmountains, busy city centres, windswept beaches, rollingfields, leafy suburbs, quaint villages or expansive mud

flats,” as the Ordnance Survey puts it.

You can search for walks by region or filter the list bylandscape theme or settings. You can then view the resultsin list view or map view.

The Discovering Britain walks give a good insight intothe Forest and provide you with more than 100 other walksacross the country, which you might find useful on holidaytoo! See www.discoveringbritain.org/walks/region/greater-london/epping-forest.html

Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme

Unfortunately, the VISIT ENGLAND team who visited us feltthat the Centre was not in a good enough state to pass asa “quality visitor attraction”. We were sorry to hear this, buthope it may help galvanise efforts to improve the Centre forits visitors, which we would welcome. The very good newsis that the staff were “pleasant and welcoming”, with a“good knowledge of the area”! Thanks are due to all thevolunteers who are doing such a good job.

Friends Supper 2014

The Supper venue was a new departure for us, as aftermany years at Hawkey Hall (which was unavailable), we heldit at Chingford Assembly Hall. 188 booked, indicating acontinuing enthusiasm for this event in the Friends’calendar. Both hall and food were rated higher than inprevious years, so you can expect to see us there this year.

Sitting down to supper: Chingford Assembly Hall proved an excellent venue. Photo Peter Wrobel.

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CUCKOO UPDATECUCKOO UPDATEChris the cuckoo is going strong. After a much longer stayin Italy, Chris is once again in Congo in the swamp forestsin which he has spent previous winters. He made thejourney over 15 and 16 October to reach the Central AfricanRepublic, continuing on to Congo and reaching his currentlocation, close to the Site Lac Télé–Likouala Aux Herbes, on18 October.

Last year, he left that area at the beginning of December,after just a month there, and travelled even further south toreach Angola, where Skinner also spent the winter. Skinnerhas recently returned to Angola. We have just heard thatChris is now flying south again, probably to join him.

18 December – last transmission Ken Hoy(with thanks to the BTO… and Chris)


The lychgate that has beenset up at the entrance toGifford Wood, near Upshire.Inset, the plaqueacknowledging the Friends’contribution. Photo PeterAdams.

Gifford Wood

Friends are credited for our support to the Gifford WoodAppeal. If you have a chance to visit Gifford Wood (accessedby footpath, to the left of the Horseshoes Public House,Horseshoe Hill, Upshire EN9 3SN), why not give it a go?

There are great views from that entrance as you enterthe field (planted up with young trees). If you look to the rightacross and down the field, you will see the lychgateentrance to Gifford Wood.

Why not wander a little way down the hill and have a lookat this marvellous structure? On closer inspection, you willfind the wooden plaque (see photo, above) with the Friendsincluded as one of the Major Donors.

Early into spring

This is no prediction of the weather, I’m afraid… just to say,you see our spring Newsletter is a little this year, due to ouravailability to produce this issue. So there will be a slightlybigger gap before the summer issue, where you will find theAnnual Report. We are continuing with three a year, as usual.Let us know if any of you would like to receive it by emailinstead. Judy Adams

➤ FINDING WILDLIFE INFINDING WILDLIFE INEPPING FOREST EPPING FOREST byby PETERPETERWARNEWARNE

You can buy thisfascinating book fromEpping Forest VisitorCentre (Fridays,Saturdays andSundays, 10:30 am until3:00 pm) or from 2 HighView Close, LoughtonIG10 4EG (ring 0208418 0730 beforehandto make sure we are in).To receive it by post,please send a chequefor £8.99 (made out toFriends of EppingForest) with your orderto Judy Adams, 2 HighView Close, Loughton,Essex IG10 4EG, addinga delivery charge of£2.50 unless collected.


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explored Mayes Lane and realised that the tree was acoppiced field maple, probably over 400 years old.

The documentation for my parent’s house explains howthe parcel of land for Fairlight Avenue and Close wasmarketed in the late 1930s as the Grovelands Estate“Houses of Character by London’s Quality Builders”. Thenew houses were serviced by a new road, leaving MayesLane a little-used lane, still part of Epping Forest.

When I tried to explore it early in August it was soovergrown I gave up the attempt. Nearby Organ Lane wasin a very much better state and is well used as a pathway,linking the Ridgeway to Colvin Gardens, crossing EndelburyRoad and then on to Larkshall Road.

As a child I regularly walked up the northern section onmy way to Sunday School and I think this is where my loveof trees started. I still remember the rough feel of the elmleaves and how I looked at the shapes of leaves fromdifferent trees. As I walked this section recently I noticedelm suckers, sycamore, hawthorn, ash, oak, field maple,blackthorn, elder, hazel and birch. There can be no doubtthe lane is very old. Near the alley through to Pretoria Roadthere was a veteran oak which has been labelled by theForest team, though I was not able to read the number.

The southern section of Organ Lane is not in quite sucha good state but is still well used. I was interested to see anold coppiced hazel growing beside the path. As children wefrequently used this as a cut-through to LarkswoodSwimming Pool and I remember taking an interest in thecaterpillars and other creatures living on the stingingnettles. I learned a great deal from these lanes. I am pleasedthat Organ Lane is maintained to give proper access whilestill allowing wildlife to flourish and that it remains part ofEpping Forest.

Continuing my stroll, I took a less tidy pathway (thesouthernmost section of Organ Lane) from Colvin Gardenswhich came out into Larkshall Road. Another path througha wider strip of Forest led from New Road towards LarkshallFarm, now a pub. Access to the recent housingdevelopment meant that the path appeared to be blocked,but it is still there between the houses.

Whether or not children should be allowed to play inthese lanes is another matter. My parents had no qualms inthe 1950s, nor did they mind me going up to Butler’sRetreat Pond alone and “fishing” with my net made fromthe top of a stocking, a piece of wire and bamboo pole. Iwas very proud of my stickleback, “flish-flash”, which livedin an enamel dish in the kitchen for 71 days!

I hope you will have now realised that these lanes are infact ancient roads, which fell into disuse when 20th-centurybuilding made them redundant. Fortunately they remain asEpping Forest land. This becomes clear when you comparethe map drawn by John Chapman and Peter André in the1770s with the map showing the legal extent of EppingForest today. (See left.)

Another strip of hedge along Larkshall Road, beside therailway, south from Simmons Lane, has a variety of speciessuch as field maple, elm, hawthorn, oak, ash, sycamore andblackthorn. When I was a child there was a large old oaktree by the bus stop but this is now just a stump. The treeand hedge must be well over 400 years old, yet generationsof people have passed it by without a second glance. Trulythis is history on our doorstep, for those who wish to see it.

Continued from page 1

Then and now: much has changed in Chingford betweenthe 18th century and now. Above, 1777 map by JohnChapman and Peter André. Below, current map. (© CollinsBartholomew Ltd 2010, reproduced with permission)

Organ Lane South. Photo Georgina Green.


open air and a few side-shows set up for their amusement.We saw a copy of a newspaper of June 1921 with a picture ofthe visit of the Prince of Wales who came and joined in thefun. This was given to me 30 years ago by Cliff Ambrose whowas there at the time.

The next stop was at Loughton Camp, an Iron Age siteused by those who lived in the nearby river valleys, to hidetheir families and livestock at times of tribal hostility. The Campwas not shown on the 1871 Commission map as it was notidentified as an Iron Age camp until 1872. However, the site of‘Turpin’s Cave’ was shown inside the north-west bank. Giventhat there are no rocky outcrops to provide a proper ‘cave’ inEpping Forest, this was possibly the site within a gravel pit(now largely filled in with leaves) which could have beenconcealed by scrub at the time.

Lastly we visited the Lost Pond on Blackweir Hill whichwas one of many made by digging out gravel to surface theroads in Loughton before the Great War. In an interview 30years ago, Frank Askew told me how he watched the processwhich was carried out by his grandfather’s firm withpermission of the Forest Superintendent.

By this time, we had seen many trees, but the best (in myopinion) is a wonderful old coppice near the Lost Pond whichcould well have been around for centuries.

Georgina Green

Walk in Gernon Bushes (19 October 2014)

It was encouraging to have 39 people join us on a gloriouslysunny autumn morning for the annual excursion to look forfungi in this ancient woodland reserve. Although the summerhad been warm with a reasonable amount of rain, Septemberwas one of the driest on record and this meant that the

Interpreting Loughton’s Forest (2 October 2014)

About 35 people met for the walk which was on a fine day atthe very end of the summer so the Forest was dry and thestreams very low. The theme of this ‘history’ walk was to seehow the Forest has changed over the past 200 years - andwhy. To help answer this question, copies of the mapproduced by the 1871 Epping Forest Commission weredistributed. The map shows the various enclosures and howthe land was used at that time.

From the map it was easy to understand that Baldwin’sPond was created when the Clay Road was constructedc.1865, damming the Loughton Brook just below the pointwhere it is joined by other streams which drain the eastern sideof the Forest. From photographs of the pond taken in 1891and 1983 we could see that it had been very much larger thanit is now. Rains had washed silt down the streams, and reeds,willow and other plants have encroached into the pond largelyfrom the north through a process of natural succession.

Following the stream south we came across the EppingForest Centenary Trust’s Green Team volunteers who wereclearing back vegetation along the banks. The Forest betweenthe brook and the houses to the east had been largely clearedof trees before the Epping Forest Act of 1878, and the areawas shown on the Commission map as arable or grasslands.The trees higher up the hill were obviously much younger thanthe old pollards near the stream.

The walk continued to Debden Slade, where the open areawas larger in the past and had been the setting for many EastEnd children to come out for a day in the Forest and enjoy the

WALK REPORTSWALK REPORTS

Peter Adams (dark blue shirt, left, by the tree) takes a break from work with the Green Team to explain to the walkers whyvegetation is being cleared from the banks of Loughton Brook. Photo Peter Wrobel.

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majority of the expected species were not ready to producetoadstools!

On close examination, there was evidence of predation bydeer and slugs which had an impact on some species. Deereat large quantities of fungi in the autumn as they are a richsource of minerals, vitamins and some protein, helping themto build up reserves for the rigours of winter.

Luckily, with several keen sets of eyes it was possible todiscover a range of species and explain their different roleswithin the woodland. Some, like the black-and-white stripedsmall brackets known as turkey tails, are saprotrophs (whichget their nutrition from decaying material), actively involved indecomposing rotting woody matter. Others, such as the ochrebrittle gill, form a symbiotic association with the roots ofspecific tree species to ensure their wellbeing.

A number of different fairy bonnets were noted includingthe lilac pink one, Mycena pura, which is common alongsidewell used paths, and troops of the brown common bonnet,which is found on rotting wood.

Another species found beside paths is the inediblecommon earth ball which has a dark spore mass inside acrusty yellowish outer skin. This contrasted with the palecream-coloured stump puffballs emerging from well-rottedlogs. Small tan-coloured deceivers were very common and wedid locate some purple coloured amethyst deceivers too. Afew specimens of the trooping funnel were seen.

Other pieces of wood were being decomposed by thecandle snuff, a fungus which has stiff black projections withwhite tips. This is one of several species that glow in the dark.

An example of the weirdly shaped white saddle mushroomwas found in deep leaf litter beside a path, and many smallwhite brackets of the variable oysterling were decomposingwoody stems.

The shiny golden yellow caps of the butter waxcaps wereone of the special species found in unimproved grassland.

I am always encouraged by the enthusiasm of those who

join us on this excursion and their increasing delight as theynotice the varied fungi lurking in the undergrowth – once theyhave learnt how to spot them! Tricia Moxey

Fayre Mead and the Rayne Deer (9 November 2014)

We know that in 1367 reference was made to the King’s newlodge in an area between Epping, Loughton and Chingfordthat was for centuries to be known as New Lodge Walk. Thelodge was situated at the foot of Hill Wood (not far from ourstarting point at Fairmead Oak car park). By 1725 it had falleninto a “ruinous” state and following reconstruction becameknown as Fairmead Lodge. It and its surrounding enclosurewere used as a residence and farm of sorts, before becomingthe Forest’s first retreat or refreshment house. Because of itspoor condition, it was demolished and incorporated as openForest in 1899.

However it is spelled, we do not know when the nameFairmead originated, but it is not difficult to imagine why. Intimes gone by, streams drained the southern slopes of HighBeach and Strawberry Hill before meandering their way acrossa wet plain and emptying into what was known as the GreatSwamp. In the 1880s, this was largely dug out to becomeConnaught Water and the base for Rangers Road.

Even today Fairmead takes a long time to dry out, and itmust have been a popular place for Commoners’ cattle, whichno doubt helped keep it open. While the plain is now muchovergrown, the view from the lodge would have been abeautiful one and certainly justified the name Fairmead.

The famous Fairmead Oak, which had a girth of 30 feet

A half-eaten brown birch boletus. Photo Tricia Moxey.

Wet underfoot, but a good morning’s exploration of Fayre Mead. Phot

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and was thought to be some 800 to 900 years old, stood nextto the lodge but was destroyed by vandals in 1955. Afterenjoying the many children and grand-children of this tree, weheaded southwards across the plain to another of the Forest’slodges.

We crossed the Epping Road, and then stopped toconsider how the lord of the manor of Loughton hadpurchased and started to clear a huge swathe of the Forestfor residential development. Although the area is nowrecovering, he would not have been too high on the present-list of modern Forest lovers!

The timber structure which is at the heart of Warren Houseis thought to have been a small lodge built at about the sametime as the Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge. By 1747, withthe decline of the Royal Forest system, it had become an inncalled the “Rayne [King’s] Deer”.

Surrounded as it was by steep hills, wet plains and theGreat Swamp, we wondered how people would have easilygot there in the days of horse-drawn vehicles before therewere good roads in the locality. Nevertheless it had areputation, especially for its pies made up of rabbits from thelarge adjoining warren. The building had grown significantly bythe time it became a residence (Warren House) in the early18th century.

Given the wet ground conditions we made our way back toFairmead Oak car park along metalled tracks via AlmshousePlain to explore the western edges of Fairmead Bottom. Agood morning’s exploration of a time gone by in the Forest.

Peter Adams

The Festive Season at High Beach (7 December 2014)

Despite a very poor weather forecast, 35 people full of theChristmas spirit joined the December walk from the VisitorCentre at High Beach.

The Beech Trail, one of the City’s waymarked trails in theForest, starts here and this formed the basis of our route. Fromthe Easy Access Trail, we walked through some majestic beechtrees to cross the A104 to Mount Pleasant car park. The firmpath took us with a little diversion to the Lost Pond and one ofthe largest trees in the Forest. Its long history of both pollardingand lopping were evident in the twisted growth form of itsvarious trunks and branches.

Along the way, we were able to view the vegetationmanagement undertaken by Epping Forest Centenary Trust’sGreen Team. Their work opened up the Green Ride, but in away that will facilitate Conservators’ management in the future.We were also delighted to think that the proposed housingdevelopment of the 1860s had been averted by the 1878Epping Forest Act – otherwise a housing estate would havebeen our backdrop!

Our next encounter was Loughton Camp, one of two IronAge camps in the Forest. We did get caught by heavy rainhere, but fortunately for only a short period (but just longenough to get very wet). It is amazing to see how much of theearth walls of the camp remain and we wondered how manyearly peoples had passed there before us.

Entering Debden Slade, an open area alongside LoughtonBrook, we were reminded of the hordes of children brought tothe Forest by the Shaftesbury Society and others for a day outmany years ago. As we entered Kate’s Cellar (consult KenHoy’s book for the origin of this unusual name), we crossed thestream and headed uphill until we reached the A104 again.

The sun shone brilliantly by this time and the streaks of thelow winter sun made magic in the beech woods. As wereturned to the Centre, we spent time in Paul’s Nurserybasking in sunshine. No rhododendrons at this time, but agood place to come back to in the spring. Judy Adams

Pausing for a talk at the Lost Pond, near High Beach.Photo Mike Smith.

to Judy Adams.

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Thursday 26 February 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

Wanstead Park and Humphry Repton

Come and join Georgina Green, local historian, for a walkexploring Wanstead Park. Using the observations made bylandscape designer Humphry Repton in 1813, we willconsider the views from Wanstead House itself and lookagain at the islands and the Glade, and walk round to seethe “clump tree” in Reservoir Wood.

Meet at the junction of Warren Road and Raynes Avenue,Wanstead, E11 2LS. Grid ref: TQ413877

Thursday 26 March 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

A Springtime Stroll

Come and join naturalist Tricia Moxey on a gentle stroll tosee the signs of spring in the Forest’s ponds andwoodlands as the weather warms up.

Meet at the car park off Earl’s Path, Loughton. Grid ref: TQ415967

Sunday 12 April 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

Spring Migrants on Wanstead Flats

Come and join bird expert Tim Harris for an amble acrossthe Flats to see and hear some of the resident and migratoryspecies which reside in this part of the Forest. Please dobring your binoculars!

Meet at the Jubilee Pond car park, off Lake House Road,London E11 3NW. Grid ref: TQ403864

Saturday 16 May 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

May in the Forest

Join Ron and Pat Andrews to explore the Forest to thesouth of Epping. You’ll find a few early summer flowers andlots of signs of other wildlife.

Meet at Forest Gate Inn, Bell Common, Epping CM16 4DZfrom 12:30 pm for lunch or meet at 2:00 pm for the walk.Park along Bell Common. Grid ref: TL451 011

Saturday 20 June 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

A Midsummer Evening Walk

Sue McKinley leads an exploration of the woods and openfarmland just to the north of Upshire. A walk of contrastswith wild flowers, woods and views!

Meet at Copthall Green, at the junction of FernhallLane/Long Street and the Upshire village road. Nearestpostcode is EN9 3TA. Grid ref: TL421012

Wednesday 24 June, 7.15 pm

Annual General Meeting

The meeting will take place in Bancroft’s Prep School hall.For details of the agenda, see page 15.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARYDATES FOR YOUR DIARYMYSTERY QUIZMYSTERY QUIZ1 Drinker moth. The male locates the scent of the female withhis feathery antennae. Its name comes from a habit ofdrinking dew drops.

2 Araniella spider. This female was found on a bramble patch.It is a handsome green woodland spider that makes a largeorb web.

3 Southern hawker dragonfly. The “nymph” stage (larva) livesfor two years in a pond, where it is a top predator among theaquatic insect life. Hidden under its “chin” are pincer jaws atthe end of a long hinged arm. The adult dragonfly emergesin May or June of its second year.Answers

FACE to FACE in Epping Forest

Close-ups to the ‘faces’ of three invertebrates found inEpping Forest. Do you know what sort of creatures theyare ? Text and photos by Ken Hoy.

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GETTING TO KNOW EPPING FOREST GETTING TO KNOW EPPING FOREST byby KEN HOYKEN HOY

Updated 2nd edition with over 220 pages of Epping Forest information.

Reference to over 300 place names.

Over 200 pictures, illustrations and maps of the Forest area (mostly in colour) dating from the early 1800s to the present. On sale in local bookshops.

A free copy of the History of the Friends when you buy this book from us! Price£8.95 per copy. Please send cheque (made out to Friends of Epping Forest)with order to Judy Adams, 2 High View Close, Loughton, Essex IG10 4EG,adding a delivery charge of £2.50 unless collected.

ADVANCE NOTICE

FRIENDS OF EPPING FORESTNOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

AND FORM OF NOMINATION FORHONORARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 2015, 7.15 PM, BANCROFT’S PREP SCHOOL HALL,

WOODFORD GREEN(Access off Whitehall Road, just to the west of

Woodford High Road)

7:15 pm AGM8:00 pm Tea/coffee8:30 pm Talk by Mark Lewis: An Artist’s Perspective

of the Forest

Agenda for AGM:1. Minutes of the last AGM held on 25 June 20142. Matters Arising3. Chairman’s Report 2014/154. Treasurer’s Report5. Election of Chairman6. Election of Committee Members7. Election of Independent Examiner8. Any Other Business

Honorary Committee members at present are: Chairman Judy Adams (2012- 2015)Vice-Chairman: Sue McKinley (2013-2016)Secretary: Mike Smith ( 2013-2016)Treasurer: Alan Curran (2014-2017)Membership Sec: Jean Brockington (2013-2016)Committee members: Tricia Moxey and Pete Wrobel (Editor).

Committee members are re-elected each year. To submitnominations, please complete the form below and send itto: Mike Smith, Secretary, by Monday, 1 June 2015. TheAGM will be followed by a talk, An Artist’s Perspective of theForest, by Mark Lewis.

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NOMINATION FORM (either cut out or photocopy)

I nominate for the office of Chairman/Committee member:

Name

Address

Tel

Signature of candidate

Signature of proposer

Print name …………………….Tel....................

Signature of seconder

Print name …………………….Tel...................

Statement by nominee (up to 100 words on your experience and how you will contribute to the Friends).


Interested in joining our team of Information Assistantsat Epping Forest Visitor Centre?

Help us continue the service and support new groupsvisiting the Forest.

To find out more, come to the Centre Open House onSunday 25 January 2015 from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm.Have a cup of coffee, find out more about being avolunteer, chat to other volunteers about the role and geta feel for how we operate and what we do.

Visit www.friendsofeppingforest.org.uk, contact Judith.

[email protected] or phone 020 8418 0730

If you love the Forest, have a liking for people andhave some time to offer, this could be for you! Operatinghours are likely to be 10 am to 4 pm in the summer and10 am to 3 pm in the winter (November until end March).

Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays andmore days if we can. Training and uniforms provided andregular updates on what’s up.

It’s a great opportunity to share your love of the Forestwith others.

The Friends want Epping Forest to be a naturalenvironment rich in wildlife, available and increasinglyappreciated, used and understood by the public.

Our main aims are to support the preservation of EppingForest as an open space for recreation and to preserve itsnatural aspect; and to further the understanding,appreciation, enjoyment and use of the Forest.

Our activities include responding to planning applicationsand the many consultation documents that affect theForest emanating from central and local government andthe City of London, which manages Epping Forest.

We run a programme of guided walks, including the annualEpping Forest Centenary Walk, give talks and, increasingly,work with local groups around the Forest, supporting

some of their activities and contributing a Forest-wide viewon local issues and opportunities.

We also operate the Epping Forest Visitor Centre at HighBeach, open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.

We are a membership organisation funded by voluntary subscriptions and donations and run entirely byvolunteers.

Become a member of the Friends of Epping Forest andhelp us protect the Forest and help other people learnabout and enjoy it.

Contact: Jean Brockington, Membership [email protected], 020 8529 3077.www.friendsofeppingforest.org.uk/join.htm

JOIN THE FRIENDS OF EPPING FOREST

BECOME A VOLUNTEER AT THE VISITOR CENTREBECOME A VOLUNTEER AT THE VISITOR CENTRE

The Centre at Christmas, with volunteer Georgina Green checking our tree. Opening hours during the Christmasholidays brought good numbers to the Centre.

friends of epping forest

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