Forest Focus Winter 2017

Winter 2017

Forest Focus The magazine for Epping Forest

Forest Frost Fair

Snows of yesteryear

Free

A unique look at the Forest’s cattle

Welcome Now, more than at any other time of year, I enjoy walking the dog in Epping Forest. The crisp, frost spangled mornings or long, low shadows cast by the afternoon sun add a magical atmosphere to this already beautiful woodland.

If you’re tempted to explore the Forest further, why not purchase a copy of the new Short Walks in Epping Forest book, due out this winter, and treat yourself to the recently updated Official Map of Epping Forest.

As well as the surfaced rides, there are hundreds of twisting, winding woodland paths to investigate.

With fewer people venturing out over the winter months, one can achieve a true sense of peace and tranquillity.

Chingford Golf Club celebrates its 130th anniversary year in 2018. The New Year also sees the 200th anniversary of the death of Humphry Repton, so do check out our website and future editions of Forest Focus to find out more about these anniversaries.

6–7

Snows of yesteryear

8–9

Top 15 winter activities 2 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

15

Frost Fair in Epping Forest

There’s lots of fun for all the family at the Frost Fair at The View on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 December.

Even if you weren’t lucky enough to get tickets to visit Santa, the event is well worth attending. For just £4 per child, children can take part in a number of festive woodland activities.

@COLEppingForest Epping Forest City of London coleppingforest

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Clare Eastwood, Publications Officer

16–17

Cattle reminiscences

10–11

Connaught Water in winter Autumn 2017 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.

Forest Focus is produced

by The City of London Corporation.

Edited by Clare Eastwood Design by Steers McGillan Eves www.steersmcgillaneves.co.uk Print by Gemini Print Southern Ltd Photographers: Alison Tapply, Nicky Bamber, Clare Eastwood, Karen Humpage, Luke Randall, Chris Shepherd, Layton Thompson, Yvette Woodhouse

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ greenspaces

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

E pping Forest City of London

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ eppingforest 4 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

c oleppingforest

New benches in Wanstead Park New benches have been installed near the Heronry Pond at Wanstead Park.

In 2016, The Friends of Wanstead Parkland made a grant application through Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ programme and, with the support of visitors to the Park, secured over one thousand signatures. The scheme was then put to a vote within local Tesco stores, culminating in a generous award of £8000.

The benches were opened this summer by Philip Woodhouse, Chairman of the City of London Corporation Epping Forest and Commons Committee.

Above: The Stubbles

Good news for Upshire Millennium Field The Upshire Millennium Trust holds a lease with the City of London Corporation for the informal use of the field. The Trust has secured an ÂŁ8000 grant from Tesco PLC towards an Improving Accessibility Project and will be installing a surfaced easy-access path using materials similar to those that we use for our easy-access paths at High Beach, Knighton Wood, Connaught Water and Jubilee Pond. The path is intended to run from the entrance to the field, running parallel to the boundary with Warlies Drive up to a pair of existing benches.

Sad loss of two Forest champions

New information boards

It is with sadness that we have recently learned of the loss of founder member of the Friends of Epping Forest, Harry Bitten and videographer and founding member of the friends group for Wanstead Park, Stuart Monro. Both Harry Bitten and Stuart Monro were great champions for Epping Forest and they will be greatly missed.

With the help of Heritage Lottery Funding, a number of new visitor information boards have been installed across the Forest.

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 5

A winter scene 1876

The snows of yesteryear

In The View’s Epping Forest museum collection we have some images of Epping Forest under snow. With our 21st century mild, wet winters, we may look back with some nostalgia to imagined White Christmases, and the jolly snowmen and snowball fights of yesteryear.

But what was the Victorian winter really like?

An engraving and article published 22 January 1876 in the popular Victorian journal, The Pictorial World, is a bit of an eye opener.

Above: A winter scene in Epping Forest (The Pictorial World January 22 1876) 6 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

The engraving shows a motley crew of badly drawn children having fun. They are all boys (the girls presumably are having ‘fun’ sewing and helping mother). They are described as ‘gaining health in the most delightful of exercises’, ready to ‘deprecate with all the vehemence of their boy nature’ any interference.

They are juxtaposed in picture and text with men ‘who have their bread to win’. This is all about the casual and harsh world of the prerefrigeration ice trade. In 1876, two years before the City of London took over management of the Forest by virtue of the 1878 Epping Forest Act, these grim-faced, hard-working men were out collecting ice to sell.

The article describes their activity: ‘These poor men have a rickety cart... to which they are carrying their ice, and when the vehicle is loaded they will drive up to town and sell what they so laboriously gathered for a few shillings… to a

fishmonger or pastrycook’. It goes on to describe what has been the Victorian commercialisation of the ice trade with larger scale operations collecting, storing and even importing ice from Norway so that fresh fish can be preserved.

This engraving shows the subsistence end of the trade, the manual effort of piercing the ice, the buckets carried on a yoke, the horse driven cask – and the bizarre contraption looking like a transparent bath tub in which the shawled and hatted woman is curiously sitting (see page 2 for full image).

Perhaps the article was already hinting that this casual ice collection was becoming a thing of the past?

When you look at the weather of the time, it must certainly have been a precarious as well as a harsh way to earn a living for 1876 was a wet winter.

How do we know that? In the 1870s, weather stations were reporting by telegraph to the Meteorological

Office. The Met Office’s meticulous records show dreary rain through November and December 1875, an ‘overcast and cloudy’ Christmas Eve; a wet Christmas Day. No white Christmas, Dickensian or otherwise.

‘clear and bright but very heavy snow and rain have fallen during the night’. Those who dashed out to buy their copy on the day of publication might have found this illustration very apt.

Was the engraver, F. Barnard, completely inventing this scene?

There was some snow in early December and on 8 January ‘as much as 10 or 11 degrees of frost registered during the night’.

This temperature is reported in Fahrenheit and equates to about -12 degrees Celsius. Furthermore – and despite all those Victorian smog-inducing coal fires burning – ‘the thermometer in London fell as low as 19 degrees [-7 degrees Celsius] in the shade and 10 degrees (-12 degrees Celsius] on the grass’. Was this the wickedly cold episode that inspired a quick sketch (and then an engraving) of snowy goings on in Epping Forest?

Whilst we’re talking about historic images of ice in Epping Forest, please remember not to walk on frozen ponds or lakes. Don’t risk yourself, your children or your dog.

Over 20 people have drowned in the last 10 years in the UK through falling through ice. The majority were trying to rescue dogs or other people.

Sophie Lillington Museum and Heritage Manager

On 22 January, the morning that Pictorial World was published, it was Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 7

Top 15 activities to do in Epping Forest in the New Year 1. Have fun at a Forest event

There are a variety of events running across the year, from guided walks, bushcraft sessions to open air theatre. Find out what’s going on by checking the events page on our website. See page 14–15.

3. Visit Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge

This magnificent Grade II* Tudor hunt standing is a must to visit.

Built on the orders of Henry VIII in 1543, it is open for visitors to enjoy the exhibitions on Tudor food and fashion. Soak up the atmosphere of an incredible building and take respite from the outside chill.

6. Ride a horse

There is perhaps no better way to enjoy Epping Forest and get closer to nature than from the back of a horse. Either bring your own (but don’t forget to purchase a licence to ride beforehand) or book up for a hack at a local riding school, where lessons for all abilities are available.

See page 19.

4. Go cycling

Epping Forest is a fun place for a gentle bike ride, offering a varied terrain of hills and valleys. Either bring your own bike or hire one from Go Further Cycling at Chingford Plain.

2. Enjoy a walk

Covering some 6000 acres, Epping Forest can cater for all walkers.

For those seeking a leisurely stroll, there are four easy access paths located at High Beach, Connaught Water, Knighton Wood and Jubilee Pond. Why not explore the waymarked Holly Trail, which is one of nine waymarked trails in Epping Forest, all routes can be found on our website? Treat yourself to lunch or a snack from the newly opened, Holly Trail Café, beside the Golf Course at Chingford Plain? See page 19.

8 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

7. Learn about Epping Forest 5. Volunteer for Epping Forest

The Forest relies heavily upon its team of dedicated volunteers. We are always looking for more people to join the team and there are a variety of roles, both outdoors and indoors. Visit www.cityoflondon. gov.uk/eppingforest

The Forest is a fantastic, accessible learning resource for subjects ranging from art to zoology for all ages and abilities. Visit, www. cityoflondon.gov.uk/eppingforest and www.field-studies-council.org

8. Go fishing

Whether you are a first time fisherman or a seasoned angler, you can find peace and tranquillity by the water’s edge in Epping Forest. There are 25 lakes and ponds that you may fish in, as long as you obtain a rod licence and observe the fishing rules.

9. Get fit

11. Book a round of golf

Chingford Golf Course is a beautiful 18-hole public golf course owned and managed by the City of London Corporation. Forming part of Epping Forest, the course is laid out in two returning loops, and plays a maximum 6342 yard, par 72. The course offers a good challenge for all players with special offers often available www.chingfordgolfcourse.co.uk.

Whether you want a quiet lakeside stroll or to train for a marathon, the Forest is the perfect place for running and beats an expensive gym environment any day.

Feeling the love on Valentine’s Day? If you go ahead and pop the question, don’t forget that you can book your wedding at Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge.

The Lodge is a licenced venue for weddings and civil partnerships.

This Grade II* listed Tudor hunt standing forms a sensationally unique setting for such ceremonies.

15. Seek tranquillity

The level of tranquillity that people feel has been found to relate to the amount of greenery and amount of man-made noise around them.

So why not experience a sense of tranquillity in the peace and quiet of Epping Forest?

10. Get closer to nature

Bring your binoculars and take time to be still, watch and wait. You will soon be rewarded by the sight of the Forest’s wildlife, from mammals such as deer and foxes to birds and invertebrates. The more you look, the more you see.

14. Get married

12. Enjoy a kick around

Follow in the footsteps of John Terry, Jermain Defoe, Ledley King and Sol Campbell with a game of football at Wanstead Flats. We run different types of hire across a variety of pitches, there’s something for players of all ages and abilities.

For further information about any of the activities mentioned on this page, please visit www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ eppingforest

13. Throw a party

Adjacent to Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge, The View houses a community room which is ideal for parties, gatherings and meetings.

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 9

Connaught Water in

winter

Woodlands have the greatest variety of bird species and when woodland adjoins a large expanse of water, such as Connaught Water, the variety of species can increase considerably; especially in winter when migratory species arrive.

Connaught Water is an artificial lake, with four islands, constructed in 1881 and enlarged in 1893. The lake was designed by William D’Oyley for Queen Victoria’s visit to Epping Forest in 1882. It is filled by drainage off of the Forest.

1. Pintail This stunning looking Amber List* species is real treat to see in Epping Forest. Wintering birds arrive from September with numbers peaking in December.

It was once used as a boating lake in summer and skating lake in winter.

Although skating is not allowed on Forest ponds and boating is now only available at Hollow Ponds, Connaught Water remains a popular destination for anglers, bird watchers and those looking for a picturesque area for a walk.

2. Tufted duck A year-round resident at Connaught Water but winter numbers increase with migrants from Russia and Scandinavia.

During your visit to this popular Epping Forest destination this season, why not try to spot some more unusual waterfowl, in addition to the ubiquitous mallard?

1

2

3. Goosander This handsome duck is a member of the sawbill family, with its long serrated bill making it highly efficient at catching fish.

3

4. Teal The increase in Teal seen at this time of year is due to continental birds from around north-west Europe, the Baltic and Siberia. It is an Amber List species.

4 * The UK’s bird species can be split into three conservation categories - red, amber and green. Red is the highest conservation priority, with species needing urgent action. Amber is the next most critical group, followed by green.

Right: Mallard

Available this winter…

5

6

Short Walks in Epping Forest This is an excellent guide to 20 walks of varying distances, covering the length and breadth of the Forest. This book features extracts from The Official Map of Epping Forest and is the perfect guide for getting out and enjoying the Forest at any time of the year.

5. Smew This beautiful winter visitor comes from Scandinavia and Russia.

Numbers can increase further when freezing weather hits Holland and Denmark.

6. Mandarin duck These colourful little ducks breed and forage for beech mast in the surrounding woodland, occupying an unusual niche. They are present year-round and appear to be thriving at this location.

Available this winter from the Epping Forest Visitor Centres and all good local book shops. £6.99

7. Shoveler Shovelers are surface feeing ducks with huge spatulate bills. There is an influx of these unmistakable continental birds from further north.

New Official Map of Epping Forest

7

Produced by the City of London Corporation, this newly updated version of the Forest’s bestselling map will be available this winter. This is the essential map for outdoor activities in the Forest and includes all the surfaced and unsurfaced paths as well as local areas of interest.

Available this winter from the Epping Forest Visitor Centres and all good local book shops. £4.95

Please remember that there is no need to feed the Forest’s birds; there is plenty of natural food available for them.

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 11

Wanstead Flats, Wanstead Park and a view of the Roding A winter walk joining up Wanstead Flats, the Park and the Roding Valley – fragments of the earlier, much larger Epping Forest This walk gives you the chance to join up the ‘pieces’ of Wanstead Flats, Wanstead Park and the Roding Valley. A crisp winter’s day provides the ideal opportunity to take a slightly longer walk to explore this fascinating area.

Distance: 5/6 kilometres Time: 2.5 – 3 hours Terrain: Level ground, mostly on good tracks Start: The circular route may be accessed from any convenient point.

Public transport: Wanstead underground and Leytonstone High Road, Wanstead Park and Manor Park overground stations.

1. Wanstead Park The Park is a relic of a great estate first enclosed from the Forest in 1545. In 1715, a Palladian mansion was built, where the owner could entertain in lavish style. In 1810, the estate passed to Catherine Tynley- Long, then said to be the richest heiress in the country. She married William Pole-Wellesley. The garden was developed; the house was richly furnished and became one of the most splendid in the country. Regrettably, her husband’s 12 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

reckless spending led to vast debts.

The contents of the house were auctioned off, and then the building was demolished in 1824. Even many of the trees were sold off.

Part of Wanstead Park remained and was acquired by the City of London Corporation in 1880. The park opened to the public in 1882.

2. Roding Valley Park The Roding is one of the northern tributaries of the Thames, with its source in the county of Essex.

3 City of London Cemetery In 1854, the City of London had purchased 200 acres of Aldersbrook Farm, now the City of London Cemetery, making the City a commoner in the Forest. This involvement by the City of London helped to secure the 1878 Act of Parliament that saved the Forest and made the City of London the Conservators of the Forest.

4. Wanstead Flats Thousands of years ago, Wanstead Flats was part of the flood plain of a much wider River Thames and the gravelly soil remains. This large open area in the Forest was later used for grazing and long distance drovers used the Flats for overnight stops.

There was even a market here and the only area of the Forest where sheep were allowed to graze.

Just after WWII, the Flats were used for temporary housing for a number of years.

Now, 150 acres of the Flats are used as football pitches and for other sports as well as providing a haven for wildlife in an urban setting.

5. Jubilee Pond In the later part of the 19th century, the Conservators planted many trees and also created Alexandra Lake, along with the Bandstand Pond and the Model Yacht Pond, now known as Jubilee Pond.

6. Evelyn Avenue One of the main avenues from the original Park, now stretching across the Flats, it was laid out as part of the extensive Wanstead Park landscaping scheme centuries ago.

Wanstead

1

6

Leytonstone High Road

2

5 4

Wanstead Park

Š City of London/ HarperCollins

3

Manor Park

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 13

Winter events December Deer walk

Sunday 3 December 9.30am-1.30am Lodge Road car park Join Forest Keeper, Michael Collins, on a super walk looking for sights and evidence of the Forest’s deer. Learn about how the deer are managed, including a visit to The Deer Sanctuary. £5 pp. Booking required. City of London Corporation event.

Art Exhibition: Winter printer and painter.

Saturday 9 December 2017 – Sunday 28 January 2018 The View A collection of work from local artists reflecting the mood of the season. Free. No booking required. City of London Corporation event.

A Christmas trail through the Forest

Sunday 10 December 10.30am–12.30pm The Pillow Mounds Free. No booking required.

Friends of Epping Forest event

Frost Fair

Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 December 10am– 4pm The View See opposite.

Christmas crafts at The Temple

Sunday 17 December 11am–1pm The Temple, Wanstead Park Friends of Wanstead Parklands event.

January 2018 Walk: Loughton’s Forest Monday 1 January 10.30am–12.30pm Staples Pond Free. No Booking required.

Friends of Epping Forest event.

Taster Session: Printing inspired by nature

Wednesday 24 January 1.30pm–3pm The View Join Alison Pearce, experienced community Arts Lecturer, in creating wonderful woodland prints. Explore colour, light and shade and make lasting memories of the Forest to cherish. Free. City of London Corporation in partnership with Waltham Forest Adult Education Service.

Big Garden Birdwatch

Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 January 11am-2pm High Beach Visitor Centre Friends of Epping Forest event

Children’s Christmas craft activities

Saturday 9 December 11am– 2pm Epping Forest Visitor Centre, High Beach Free. No booking required.

Friends of Epping Forest event.

Wanstead Park Nature Club Birdwatch Further information 020 7332 1911 cityoflondon.gov.uk/ eppingforestevents To book, visit: http://goo.gl/iUI8bt Forest partners’ events: friendsofeppingforest.org.uk wansteadpark.org.uk

Sunday 28 January 11am-1pm The Temple, Wanstead Park Friends of Wanstead Parklands event

February

Exhibition: Epping Gothic

Thursday 1 February – Wednesday 28 February The View An exhibition of Forest-themed paintings and prints by Emily Ault.

Free. No Booking required. City of London Corporation event.

Epping Forest Frost Fair Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 December 10am–4pm The View

Taster Session: Winter identification of trees and plants

Thursday 8 February 1.30pm–3pm The View Maria Casarrubios has been a practising horticulturalist for 30 years. Take a relaxing allweather walk with her through the Forest, take in the winter scenery, learn the names of the trees and plants as you wander – then return to The View for a group chat about what you’ve found. Free.

City of London Corporation in partnership with Waltham Forest Adult Education Service.

Laser tag in the Forest

Monday 12 February – Wednesday 14 February 11am–4pm The View To book, call 0800 689 4715 or email info@jsilverevents.co.uk £10 for 40 minutes or £6 for 20 minutes. Age 6+.

If you’re looking to escape the stresses of the high street at this time of year, you can discover a more authentic festive atmosphere in Epping Forest.

Our Christmas weekend is the perfect antidote to online shopping and busy high streets.

The Forest setting becomes a traditional festive scene, with mulled wine, hot chocolate and tasty seasonal hot food on offer in our pop-up après ski terrace.

The snowy cobbled courtyard will be lined with stalls offering handmade craft items, fine locally-sourced food and a variety of gifts for your family and friends.

Father Christmas will be in his grotto in the ancient hunting lodge but if you missed out on tickets this year, there are a range of craft activities on offer for children.

This £4 ticket provides 5 seasonal craft activities for young ones each creating a take home treat.

The naughty elves are back, watch out for their antics and make sure you dress warmly for the woodland trail. Can you find the woodland creatures and discover who has taken their winter hoards? There will be surprises and stories amongst the trees.

There will also be songs and storytelling and a visit to the chilly Frost Queen on her woodland sleigh.

As well as enjoying a great day out with festive cheer, you’ll also be helping us to carry on looking after Epping Forest and its wildlife.

Entrance free. Grotto tickets booked in advance only – £14.95, includes a toy. A range of children’s craft activities £4 (for five activities).

Activity: Winter trees

Tuesday 13 February – Friday 16 February 11am–4pm The View Drop in over half term and explore the art tables set up around The View. Take part in a self-led activity for adults and children and then further your inspiration with a winter stroll in the Forest. Free event. Register on Eventbrite to receive a free bag of duck food. Booking required. City of London Corporation event.

Talk: Turf wars

Sunday 25 February 1pm–2pm The Temple Booking required. Friends of Wanstead Parklands event.

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 15

Cows have taken over my life!

Karen Humpage, who received popular acclaim for exhibiting her work during this autumn’s ‘Art Trail Wanstead’, explains why cows have taken over her life.

“What started last year as a casual request on Facebook for photos of cows roaming the local streets (I remembered them from my early years) has now turned in to a fullyblown bovine art project. From hundreds of anecdotes I received (though sadly, very few photos) I began to build up scenarios in my head of peoples’ encounters with cows in the urban environment, and started putting some of these ideas into paintings. These include cows causing traffic jams, cows invading a cricket pitch, a cow stuck on a bridge, cows munching gardens.

I have just finished exhibiting the paintings at the Wanstead Art Trail and Wanstead Festival, where they were very well received – I was amazed at how many people fondly remembered the cows. I am looking forward to showing them again soon, in the Epping Forest area.

16 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

I’d love to hear from anyone with memories of the cows. I have not yet given up on the idea of putting the paintings and anecdotes into some sort of book, with a little bit of historical background added.

Cows aside, the main meat and potatoes of my art is paintings of architecture – house portraits and historical buildings. These are painted in watercolour, which is the perfect medium to convey the subtle colours of brick and stone.

I also enjoy painting structures of an entirely different kind – trees. I am drawn to the skeletal qualities of their stark outlines in winter, and have painted several from Epping and Hainault Forests”.

To see Karen’s art, visit www.karenhumpage.turnpiece.net Prints are available of all the cow paintings via the website.

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 17

Apprenticeships If you can’t wait for your career to start and have motivation and ambition to burn, then going for an apprenticeship might just be the thing for you.

The City of London Corporation provides a free apprenticeship placement service to support businesses in employing young people starting their careers. This service gives candidates a first experience of the workplace whilst boosting employer performance.

Find out what an apprenticeship is, what it could mean for you and how to apply. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

Volunteer Wardens wanted A new volunteer role, Volunteer Warden, has been established in Epping Forest.

At present there are ten new Volunteer Forest Wardens who contribute to the services that we provide. Their role includes patrolling the Forest, running our volunteer conservation tasks, leading guided walks and giving talks. They have the opportunity to get involved with many different aspects of the work in Epping Forest from monitoring the lakes and ponds to surveying trees and wildlife.

The main purpose of the Volunteer Forest Wardens is to support Forest Keepers. Volunteer Forest Warden is an extremely important role and we are looking forward to recruiting many more volunteers.

For further information, please email: epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Tim Stone, Apprentice Grounds and Greens Keeper

18 Forest Focus Autumn 2017

The Holly Trail Cafe The Holly Trail Cafe is located opposite the 18th Green at Chingford Golf Course just a stone’s throw from the wonderful ‘Holly Trail Walk’ on the edge of Chingford Plain.

Why not sit back, enjoy a nice cuppa and take in the wonderful view.

The Holly Trail Cafe use the highest quality ingredients sourced from local suppliers to create delicious food including hearty all day breakfasts, wholesome lunch and super tasty cakes, in an environment that will make you feel at ease.

Great food to eat in or takeaway or if you simply fancy a coffee and a chat, come along and say ‘hi’ and enjoy our hospitality.

Opening times 7am - 5pm weekends 7.30am-4.00pm weekdays 4 Bury Road Chingford E4 7QJ www.thehollytrailcafe.com E: info@thehollytrailcafe.com T: 020 8529 6080

High Beech Riding School • Beginner and advanced lessons • Jumping lessons • Superb hacking in Epping Forest • Childrens parties and gymkhanas • Private indoor school hire Pynest Green Lane, High Beech Waltham AbbeyEN9 3QL (Closed all day Tuesdays) For more information or to book T: 0208 508 8866 E: office@highbeechridingschool.co.uk www.highbeechridingschool.co.uk

Autumn 2017 Forest Focus 19

Contact us The View

The Temple

6 Rangers Road, Chingford, E4 7QH Tel 020 7332 1911

Wanstead Park, E11 2LT Tel 020 7332 1911

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am–5pm Open Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day) The View, with its displays and regularly changing exhibitions, is the perfect place to start your exploration of Epping Forest.

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge Rangers Road, Chingford, E4 7QH Tel 020 7332 1911 Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am–5pm* Open Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day) 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.

Open Saturdays and Sundays April – September 12pm–5pm October – March 10am–3pm 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 High Beach High Beach, IG10 4AE Tel 020 8508 0028 (during opening hours) Tel 020 7332 1911 (Monday to Wednesday) Open Thursday to Sunday and Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day) November to March 10am–3pm Snuggled in the heart of the Forest, the Centre is located adjacent to the High Beach easy access path. The Centre is run by the Friends of Epping Forest.

*Subject to bookings, please telephone for details.

@COLEppingForest Registered Charity 232 990 The Warren, Loughton, Essex IG10 4RW Tel 020 8532 1010 (24hrs)

E pping Forest City of London c oleppingforest