The Heritage Trail at Thorndon South
Today, Thorndon Country Park in Brentwood, is a treasure trove of extensive open space, wildlife habitat and precious woodlands, but what you see is the result of centuries of human involvement.
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he park has been working on an interpretation walking trail. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Land of the Fanns, the campaign aims to protect and re-imagine the areas fens, forests and fields and bring the history of the park to life so that visitors can imagine the landscape as it once was.
Walker map 1598
The Original Thorndon Estate Official records of Thorndon date back to just before William the Conqueror’s Domesday Survey of 1086, although there would have been settlements dating back much further. The magnificent landscape was once part of the original Thorndon estate, which dates to 1414 and the reign of King Henry V, when Welsh merchant Lewis John was granted royal permission to empark 300 acres of land around his lodge for deer hunting. A second deer park came into existence around the 16th century. The ability to hunt deer and give the gift of venison was a status symbol, as the act of enclosing the land into a park was granted by royal licence.
New Thorndon Hall
Hall Old Thorndon 18
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2021
