| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 Centenary Walk trail, south ofHigh Beech | |
| Location | Greater London Essex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TL475035 toTQ 405865 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area |
|
| Notification | 1990 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Epping Forest is a 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) area ofancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border betweenGreater London andEssex. The main body of the forest stretches fromEpping in the north, toChingford on the edge of the London built-up area. South of Chingford, the forest narrows and becomes a green corridor extending deep intoeast London, as far asForest Gate; the forest's position gives rise to its nickname, the Cockney Paradise.[1] It is the largest forest in London.[2]
It lies on a ridge between the valleys of the riversLea andRoding. It contains areas of woodland, grassland, heath, streams, bogs, and ponds, and its elevation and thin gravelly soil (the result of glaciation) historically made it less suitable for agriculture. The forest was historically managed as a common; the land was held by a number of local landowners who exercised economic rights over aspects such as timber, while local commoners had grazing and other rights. It was designated aroyal forest, meaning that only the monarch had the right to hunt deer.
The extensive urban areas on the forest's edges bring many visitors to the forest, and cause a strain on the forest's ecology; however, local recreational users of the forest were crucial in saving the forest when it was threatened withenclosure and destruction in the late 19th century. The huge public outcry led theCity of London Corporation to buy and so save the site in what was the first major success of the environmental movement in Europe – the corporation still owns the forest.[3][4]
The forest gives its name to theEpping Forest local government district, which covers part of it, and toForest School, a private school in Walthamstow towards the south of it.
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The area that became Epping Forest has been continuously wooded sinceNeolithic times. Embankments of twoIron Agehill forts –Loughton Camp andAmbresbury Banks[5] – can be found in the woodland, butpollen profiles show that Iron Age occupation had no significant effect on woodland cover. The formersmall leaved lime (also known as pry or linden) dominated woodland permanently changed during the Anglo-Saxon period, possibly as a result of the selective cutting of trees. Today'sbeech-birch andoak-hornbeam-dominated forest may be the result of partial forest clearance in Saxon times.[6]
The area is thought to have been given legal status as aroyal forest byHenry II in the 12th century. At the time, it was part of the much largerForest of Essex, which covered nearly all of the county. The term "forest" was a legal term, meaning thatForest Law applied, so only the king had the right to hunt deer. The term did not mean the land was well wooded; the large majority of theForest of Essex was agricultural land.
The Forest of Essex gradually shrank in size as land was removed from Forest Law, and it was replaced by a number of much smaller forests, includingWaltham Forest (which gives its name to the modernLondon Borough of Waltham Forest. Waltham Forest was a legally defined area which included the areas later known as Epping Forest andHainault Forest; the rest of the Waltham Forest area was only lightly wooded.
In physical terms (rather than legal terms), the forest is thought to have declined to something like its modern extent in the early 14th century (possibly long before).[7] TheBlack Death reached England in 1348, leading to a huge decline in population, perhaps between a third and a half, which took away the pressure on woods and commons, leading to a very long period of stability in the area of these land uses in England.[8] At that time, the forest extended slightly further south to the Romford Road in theForest Gate area ofWest Ham; that is, the originalRomanA118 road fromAldgate on theCity of London wall toStratford,Romford, andColchester (and also known as the Great Essex Road). On the Romford Road lay a coppiced woodland called Hamfrith Wood (meaning the woodland belonging to theHam area) until around 1700, as well as an area of plain called Hamfrith Waste, which lasted into the mid-1800s.[9]
Most of Waltham Forest was later legally deforested (removed from Forest Law), leaving two smaller forests, Epping Forest andHainault Forest, both of which continued to be very heavily wooded; no reduction in the physical area of woods and commons occurred. The name "Epping Forest" was first recorded in the 17th century.
Although the monarch held hunting and associated rights, the land was owned by a number of local landowners. It was managed as acommon, where landowners benefitted from certain rights, while local commoners benefitted from common rights allowing them togather firewood and foodstuffs,to graze livestock, andturn out pigs for mast. The landscape was primarily a mixture of wood pasture and open plains, rather than thick woodland, and both of these land-use types were grazed by cattle.
InTudor times,Henry VIII andQueen Elizabeth I may have hunted in the forest, though no documentary evidence has survived to prove it. In 1543, Henry commissioned a building, known as Great Standing, from which to view the chase atChingford. The building was renovated in 1589 for Queen Elizabeth I and can still be seen today in Chingford. The building is now known asQueen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, and is open to the public. Another hunt standing now forms the core of the forest headquarters at The Warren,Loughton.[10]
Following theRestoration of the Monarchy in 1660, although the deer herd was restocked, royal hunting in the forest never recommenced. The forest was principally used as a source of shipbuilding timber for theRoyal Navy, which was taken overland toBarking Creek and then floated in rafts to theRoyal Dockyards atWoolwich andDeptford. This exploitation continued until about 1725, when all the suitable oak trees had been felled.[11]
The City of London maintained the ancient tradition of anEaster Monday stag hunt in the forest, but official participation ended in 1807, when the office of Master of the City Hounds was abolished. In 1827, huntsman ofSir William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley chased a forest stag as far asWest Ham. The customary Easter Monday hunt was repeated annually by a large and rowdy crowd of ordinary London tradesmen and working people, who gathered at Fairmead Oak to chase a previously captured stag, which was released from a cart and usually escaped unharmed.[12] The last of these hunts was in 1882, when it descended into a riot and had to be dispersed by the police.[13]
In the 1830s, the forest took its first significant harm in centuries when a new road, the Epping New Road, was built through the forest, to supplement pre-existing ancient roads. In 1830, civil engineer James Nicoll McAdam, the son ofJohn Loudon McAdam, was engaged by aturnpike trust, the Epping and Ongar Highway Trust, to construct a road from Woodford Green to Epping through the heart of the forest, to avoid Goldings Hill on the old road through Loughton and shorten the distance by one mile. The Epping New Road, once part of theA11 and now part of theA104, was completed in 1834.[14][15]
With the arrival of railway stations in towns close to the forest from the 1850s, theworking class people ofEast London began to use the forest for recreation on Sundays and public holidays, in ever increasing numbers.[16] Others arrived byhorsebus, which could drive directly to popular spots like High Beach. OnWhit Monday 1880, a parliamentary committee estimated that up to 400,000 people had visited Epping Forest on that day.[17]
In the first decades of the 19th century, the Lord Warden of Epping Forest, William Long-Wellesley, acquiesced to theenclosure of 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of forest land, about a third of the remaining total, by thelords of the manors who heldfreeholds in the forest. The government was keen to enclose land for farming and building development and allowed theCommissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues to sell off further freeholds in the forest.[18]
In 1851 nearbyHainault Forest, where the Crown owned most of the land, was privatised (enclosed) and nearly all of the trees grubbed out to turn the area into poor-quality farmland. The modern conservation movement grew out of public disgust at the destruction of Hainault Forest and the need to protect its sister forest, Epping Forest.[19] Epping Forest had fragmented ownership, which made enclosing it in the same way difficult, though individual landowners began to make encroachments.[20] The urbanisation of nearby areas increased the forest's importance as an area of public recreation helped lead to the establishment of theOpen Spaces Society in 1865,[20] whose aim was to protect commons in and around London. TheMile End branch, founded in the February of that year, was particularly important in mobilising East End environmentalism.[21]
By 1870, the unenclosed forest had shrunk to only 3,500 acres (1,400 ha). One landowner, Reverend John Whitaker Maitland, who had enclosed 1,100 acres (450 ha) in his manor of Loughton, was engaged in a long running dispute with a commoner calledThomas Willingale and his family, who insisted on maintaining his right tolop trees in the forest, despite inducements offered for him to stop. The matter came to the public attention in 1866, when Willingale's son and two nephews were fined for damaging Maitland's trees, and were sent to prison for seven days when they refused to pay. Willingale was encouraged to continue the dispute byEdward Buxton and other members of theCommons Preservation Society, however a court action against Maitland lapsed in 1870 when Willingale died.[22]
| Epping Forest Act 1871 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to amend the Act twelfth and thirteenth Victoria chapter eighty-one; and to extend the provisions of that Act and The Metropolitan Commons Act, 1866, so far as regards that part of Waltham Forest known as Epping Forest. |
| Citation | 34 & 35 Vict. c. 93 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 21 August 1871 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
| Amended by |
|
| Repealed by | |
| Relates to | Metropolitan Commons Act 1866 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Epping Forest Amendment Act 1872 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to enlarge the powers of the Epping Forest Commissioners; and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 35 & 36 Vict. c. 95 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 10 August 1872 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | Epping Forest Act 1871 |
| Repealed by | |
Status: Repealed | |
| Epping Forest Act 1875 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to extend the Time for the Epping Forest Commissioners to make their Final Report. |
| Citation | 38 & 39 Vict. c. 6 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 19 March 1875 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 |
Status: Repealed | |
In July 1871, around 30,000 East Londoners gathered onWanstead Flats to protest about fences which had been erected there byEarl Cowley to enclose forest land. Despite clashes with police, including a mounted element, the crowd were able to break down and smash the enclosing fences. The action attracted nationwide attention, much of it critical of the government.[23][24] At this stage theCity of London Corporation became involved, since in 1853, the city had purchased a farm atManor Park for the construction of theCity of London Cemetery; this made the City Corporation a forest commoner with the right to graze cattle in the forest.[25] In 1871, the City brought a suit against 16 of the lords of the forest manors, claiming that the enclosures impinged on their ancient grazing rights.[26] Following an appeal in 1874, a judgment by theMaster of the Rolls, SirGeorge Jessel, ruled that all enclosures made since 1851 were illegal.[27] Subsequently, twoacts of Parliament in 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 93) and 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 95) allowed the city to purchase the 19 forest manors.[28] The consequence of this victory was that only 10% of Epping Forest had been lost to enclosure (mainly in the south), compared to 92% of Hainault Forest.[29]
Under the terms of theEpping Forest Act 1878, the forest ceased to be a royal forest and was purchased by the City of London Corporation whose Epping Forest Committee act asConservators. The committee is composed of twelve members of theCourt of Common Council and fourVerderers who are residents of the forest and are elected by the Commoners. A Superintendent is responsible for operational management, supported by twelveEpping Forest Keepers.[30] In addition, the Crown's right tovenison was terminated, and pollarding was no longer allowed, although grazing rights continued. This act laid down a stipulation that the Conservators "shall at all times keep Epping Forest unenclosed and unbuilt on as an open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the people". In compensation for the loss of lopping rights, Lopping Hall in Loughton was built as a community building.[31] This was the first major victory, in Europe, for the modern conservation movement.[20]
WhenQueen Victoria visitedChingford on 6 May 1882 she declared "It gives me the greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time" and it thus became "The People's Forest". The City of London Corporation still manages Epping Forest in strict conformity with the Epping Forest Act. This care is funded from 'City's Cash', the private funds of the Corporation rather than any money for its upkeep coming from local rates or taxes. The Conservators administer the forest from The Warren, modern offices built in the grounds ofGrade II* listed Warren House,Loughton.[33] Warren House, formerly known as the Reindeer Inn, was built around a smaller hunt standing, known as the Little Standing. Its grounds were redesigned byHumphry Repton in the early 19th century.
Until the outbreak ofBSE in 1996 commoners still exercised their right to graze cattle and every summer herds of cattle would roam freely in the southern part of the forest.[34][35] Cattle were reintroduced in 2001 but their movements are now more restricted to reduce conflict with traffic.[36] Commoners, who are people who live in a Forest parish and own 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) of land, can still register and graze cattle during the summer months.
The right to collect wood still exists but is rarely practised and is limited to "onefaggot of dead or driftwood" per day per adult resident.[37]
Originally a barn built in the mid-19th century theGrade II listed buildingButler's Retreat is one of the few remainingVictorian retreats within the forest. The building, which is adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge, takes its name from the 1891 occupier John Butler. Retreats originally served non-alcoholic refreshments as part of theTemperance movement. After closing in 2009 the building was refurbished by theCity of London Corporation and re-opened as a café in 2012.[38]
On 12 July 2012The Duke of Gloucester—the official Epping Forest Ranger—opened the View interpretation centre at Chingford. The building, a former Victoriancoach house and stables,[39] together with Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge and Butler's Retreat form the Epping Forest Gateway.[40]
The forest is approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) long in the north–south direction, but no more than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from east to west at its widest point, and in most places considerably narrower. The main body of the forest stretches fromEpping in the north, toChingford on the edge of the London built-up area. South of Chingford the forest narrows, and forms a green corridor that extends deep into East London, as far asForest Gate. The southern part of the forest was always narrower but enclosure and other destruction in the 19th and 20th centuries mean that this is now more pronounced. The southernmost point of the Forest is nowWanstead Flats but it formerly extended slightly further south, to theRomford Road.[41]
The forest occupies a ridge of higher ground, the Epping Forest Ridge, set between the valleys of theRivers Lea andRoding. These valleys were formed by arms of theScandinavian ice sheet during thelast glacial period, around 18,000 BC. The ridge consists ofboulder clay topped with loam, while towards its southern end it is overlain with glacialgravel. The highest points are nearAmbresbury Banks to the south of Epping, which is 111 metres (384 feet) above sea level, whilePole Hill near Chingford reaches 91 metres (299 feet). On the western edge of the ridge,High Beach at a similar height, is an expanse of gravel andBagshot sand, thought to have been deposited by an unknown river which flowed northwards from theWeald of Kent before the creation of theThames Valley.[42]
The following is a simplified list of the various parts of Epping Forest, starting from the north:
The age of the forest and the range of habitats it contains make it a valuable area for wildlife, and it is designated as aSite of Special Scientific Interest. Its former status a common, with wood-pasture and plains has had a great effect on its ecology. Although the Epping Forest Act almost certainly saved the forest from total destruction, it has to some extent had a deleterious effect on the area'sbiodiversity.[43]
The areas historic land use has had an enormous impact on the areas character and ecology, this is particularly evident with thepollarded trees, which were cut back to thebolling, the permanent base of the pollard, every 13 years or so.[44] The bolling was cut just above the browse line of wild and domestic grazing animals. However, the Forests pollards have not been cut since the passing of the Epping Forest Act, have now grown massive crowns of thick, trunk-like branches with correspondingly largeboles. This gives the trees an unusual appearance, uncommon in other forests. Often the weight of the branches cannot be supported by the parent tree, and the large amount of dead wood in the forest supports numerous rare species of fungi andinvertebrates. Epping Forest has 55,000ancient trees, more than any other single site in the United Kingdom.[45]
Predominant tree species arePedunculate oak (Quercus robur),European beech (Fagus sylvatica),European hornbeam (Carpinus betuloides),silver birch (Betula pendula) andEuropean holly (Ilex aquifolium). Indicator species of long-uninterrupted woodland include service-tree (Sorbus torminalis) butcher's-broom (Ruscus aculeatus) and drooping sedge (Carex pendula).
The pollarded trees allowed light through to the woodland floor, increasing the numbers of low-growing plants. Since the Act, the vast crowns of the pollards cut out most of the light to the underbrush.
The plains were located in wet or low-lying areas. The area surrounding the forest is now to a great extent urbanised; the corresponding reduction in grazing has led to some former areas of grassland and heathland being overcome bysecondary woodland.
In recent years, the Conservators have experimented with pollarding in selected areas of the forest, lopping some old pollards back to the bolling (with mixed results) or creating new bollings. A herd of EnglishLonghorn cattle has been reintroduced to graze the heathland and grassland.[46]
Over 100 lakes and ponds can be found within the forest varying in size and age.[47] They all provide important habitats for numerous species of fauna and flora. Many of them are man-made with the majority of them created through gravel extraction. Several were formed as part of a landscape design and a few were the result of Second World War bombs andV-2 rockets.[48] Activities allowed on the waters includeangling which is permitted in 24 of the lakes and ponds. A wide range offreshwater fish can be caught.[49] All of the lakes and ponds are accessible to the public and are located on or close to forest paths.
A wide range of animals are found, includingfallow deer (Dama dama),muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) and European adder (Vipera berus).
Thefallow deer found in Epping Forest are of an unusual black colouration, perhaps descended from some black deer presented by KingChristian IV of Denmark toJames I in 1612, although there are earlier records of black deer in England before this date.[50] By 1878 when the Epping Forest Act gave the deer firm legal protection, poaching had reduced the herd to twelve does and one buck; however, numbers had recovered to around 200 by the start of the 20th century.[51] In 1954, it was noted that common lighter-brown fallow deer had begun to interbreed in the forest and some black examples were sent toWhipsnade Zoo to preserve this variety.[52] Subsequently, losses to traffic and dogs prompted the establishment of an enclosed deer sanctuary of 109 acres (44 ha) near Debden, to maintain a stock of deer which can be released back into the forest when the population levels become too low.[51]
Red deer were once found in Epping Forest, but the last survivors were rounded-up and taken toWindsor Great Park at the end of the 19th century. The last recorded sighting ofroe deer in the forest was in 1920.[51] In recent decades,Reeves's muntjac have been reported in the southern part of the forest.[53] The announcement of licensedculling of fallow deer and muntjac in forest "buffer land" in 2016 was criticised by local residents but defended by environmentalists as necessary to prevent over-grazing of woodland undergrowth.[54]
A wide variety of leisure activities associated with the forest, most notably rambling, cycling and horse riding.
Epping Forest attracts large numbers ofmountain bikers. Mountain biking is generally permitted except around the Iron Age camps, Loughton Brook and other ecologically or geomorphologically sensitive areas. Despite clear signposting, a minority of mountain bikers and horse riders continue to cause damage in these areas,[58] and the Conservators of Epping Forest have expressed their concern.[59] A number of clubs organise rides, particularly on Sunday mornings. The forest is also used as a training area for many national level mountain-bike racers as it is highly regarded for its fast and tight flowing single track trails. This type of terrain is known within the mountain bike fraternity as cross country (or XC). Epping Forest was a potential venue for the mountain-biking event of the 2012 Summer Olympics, though the final choice was nearHadleigh Castle.[citation needed]Stage 3 of the2014 Tour de France passed through the forest from Epping to Buckhurst Hill along the Epping New Road.[60]
Horse riding is popular in Epping Forest. Riders need to be registered with the Epping Forest conservators before they are allowed to ride in the forest. Running as a form of recreation in Epping Forest goes back almost to the birth of the sport in the 1870s, including hosting the inaugural English Championships in 1876.Orienteering andrambling are also popular. There are numerous guidebooks offering shorter walks for the casual visitor. The most important event in the ramblers' calendar in the area is the traditionalEpping Forest Centenary Walk, an all-day event commemorating the saving of Epping Forest as a public space, which takes place annually on the third Sunday in September.[61]
High Beach in Epping Forest was the first British venue formotorcycle speedway and opened on 19 February 1928. The track was behind The King's Oak public house, and drew large crowds in its early days. The track was closed when a swimming pool was added to the pub's grounds after the Second World War, though enthusiasts and veterans still gather at the site every year on the nearest Sunday to 19 February. The remains of the track are still visible, in the grounds of the Epping Forest Field Centre behind the King's Oak.[62] The field centre in the forest, run byField Studies Council provides a variety of courses.
There are 60 pitches forfootball with changing facilities on forest land at Wanstead Flats, which are used by amateur and youth teams.[63] There is a public 18-holegolf course at Chingford Plain, which is also used by the Royal Epping Forest Golf Club, Chingford Golf Club and Chingford Ladies' Golf Club. The course was established in the forest in 1888.[64] Cricket is played on forest land at Woodford Green, Bell Common (Epping), Buckhurst Hill, and High Beach.[65] One historic match is recorded in the forest in 1732 betweenLondon Cricket Club andEssex & Hertfordshire. The result is unknown. The match is the earliest known reference to bothEssex andHertfordshire as county teams.[66][67]
The forest has three visitor centres:
Public transport serves most locations in and around the forest. The forest is accessible from mostLondon Underground Central Line stations betweenLeytonstone andEpping andLondon Overground betweenWood Street andChingford and at the very southern end by theElizabeth line atManor Park.
In the 1980s, the name "Forest" was given to one of the districts in whichLondon's buses was divided, covering east London, and including the south part of the forest. Its logo was a squirrel above theLondon Transport roundel. Later, from 1989 until its collapse in 1991,London Forest part of London Buses Limited, was the name of an arms length bus operating unit ofLondon Regional Transport in the area, with an oak tree as its logo.[69]
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Epping Forest has frequently been the setting for novels, and has attracted poets, artists and musicians for centuries. Many of these artists lived atLoughton. Loughton is also home to theEast 15 Acting School and its Corbett Theatre.
SculptorJacob Epstein lived on the very edge of the forest for a quarter of a century at Baldwins Hill, Loughton. Epstein in his Autobiography (1955) says that he wanted his sculptureVisitation, now in theTate Collection, to be sited overlooking the forest. In 1933, he exhibited 100 paintings of the forest, and continued to paint during the war. Hisgouache, an essay in green tints and textures,Pool – Epping Forest, of Baldwins Hill Pond, was exhibited in 1945. Many of his forest painting are in theGarman Ryan Collection at theNew Art Gallery, Walsall
Elizabethan poets such asGeorge Gascoigne andThomas Lodge lived in and around the forest. The writerLady Mary Wroth lived atLoughton Hall.Ben Jonson, best known for hissatirical playThe Alchemist, was a frequent visitor to the forest withGeorge Chapman.[70]
InDaniel Defoe's novelA Journal of the Plague Year (1722), a group of Londoners try to escape the plague by settling in and around Epping Forest.
In the 18th century,Mary Wollstonecraft, writer, philosopher andfeminist, spent the first five years of her life growing up in the forest.[71]
In the 19th century, the poet and humoristThomas Hood publishedThe Epping Hunt in 1829, about the rowdy annualEaster Monday deer hunt for Londoners which started at Buckhurst Hill. In 1832, Hood and his wife moved to the Lake House in Wanstead Park, which was later incorporated into the forest, and his 1838 novelTylny Hall is set there.[72]Charles Dickens' novelBarnaby Rudge begins with a description of the forest in 1775.[73]Alfred, Lord Tennyson lived at Beech Hill House, High Beach, from 1837 to 1840, where he wrote parts ofIn Memoriam A.H.H.. Suffering from depression, he stayed as a guest at Dr. Martin Allen's asylum, where he would have encountered poetJohn Clare, whose behaviour became so erratic that he was removed to the asylum in 1837.[70]William Morris, artist, writer and socialist, was born inWalthamstow in 1834, and spent his early years in what was then rural Essex, close to the outlying sections of the forest.[74]Arthur Morrison, "the EnglishZola", lived successively at Chingford, Loughton, and High Beach in the forest, and – particularly inTo London Town – the forest is used as a contrast to the East London deprivation he wrote about.Horace Newte, his contemporary and friend, lived atLoughton andTheydon Bois.Rudyard Kipling andStanley Baldwin spent a seminal long holiday as boys inLoughton adjacent to the Forest, which they loved. This has been documented in detail by Janice Lingley in herLoughton Idyll (Alderton Press 2020).
The poetEdward Thomas was posted to a temporary army camp at High Beach when he enlisted in theArtists' Rifles in 1915.[75] Although the conditions in the camp were squalid, Thomas enjoyed the forest and the following year moved with his wife to a cottage at Paul's Nursery,[76] close to High Beach.[77] One of his last poems,Out in the dark, was written at High Beach at Christmas 1916, shortly before he was killed in France.[78]
During the 20th century, several writers used the forest as a setting for their novels, includingR. Austin Freeman'sThe Jacob Street Mystery (1940), partly set at Loughton Camp.Dorothy L. Sayers' 1928 mysteryUnnatural Death includes the discovery, in Epping Forest, of the body of a young woman possessing knowledge that could incriminate a murderer. Thehorror writerJames Herbert used Epping Forest as the setting for his novelLair (1979). In the book, a horde ofGiant Black Rats establish a colony in the forest and embark on a murderous campaign against humans. Herbert mentions a now obscure legend attached to the forest – the legend of thewhite stag. Supposedly, the sighting of this animal is an omen of trouble and death.Natural historian and authorFred J Speakman lived at the Epping Forest Field Studies Centre, High Beach.[79] He wrote several books about the area, includingA Poacher's Tale with Alfred T Curtis, aWaltham Abbey-bornpoacher,[80] andA Keeper's Tale, describing the life of forest keeper Sidney Butt.[81]
T. E. Lawrence owned an estate atPole Hill, Chingford; this was added to the Forest in 1929 and Lawrence's hut re-erected in the Forest Headquarters at the Warren, Loughton, where it remains, largely forgotten, today.[82]
Actor and playwrightKen Campbell (1941–2008) lived in Loughton, adjacent to Epping Forest; his funeral took the form of a woodland burial in the forest.[83]
The song "The White Buck of Epping" bySydney Carter (1957) refers to a sighting of (and subsequent hunt for) a white buck in the forest.[84]
A track onGenesis' 1973 albumSelling England by the Pound is entitled "The Battle of Epping Forest", and refers to a real-lifeEast End gang-fight.[85]
The interior of thegatefold sleeve of theprogressive rock bandEmerson, Lake & Palmer's third studio albumTrilogy[86] features aphotomontage showing multiple images of the band in the forest carpeted with autumn leaves.
TheWings albumLondon Town includes the song "Famous Groupies" (written byPaul McCartney) with the lyrics, "There was a lead guitarist / Who lived in Epping Forest / And all he ever wanted was to blow".[87]
Damon Albarn's song "Hollow Ponds" (2014) is based on his memories of locals swimming at Hollow Ponds in Epping Forest in the heat wave of 1976, and other childhood memories of the area.
The forest featured heavily in an episode ofLiving TV'sMost Haunted Live over New Year 2003/2004 as the team, made up ofYvette Fielding andDerek Acorah, investigated the forest in the hope of discovering the spirit ofDick Turpin. The team got lost in the forest live on air, and a ranger was required to find them.[88]
In the BritishBBC soap opera screened in February 1999,EastEnders, fictional characterSteve Owen (Martin Kemp) accidentally killed his stalkerSaskia Duncan (Deborah-Sheridin Taylor). He later panicked and buried her body in the forest. It was discovered 10 months later.[89]
An episode of the BBC seriesNew Tricks which was set in the forest was broadcast on 3 September 2013.[90]
In the episode "Day Trippers" of theThames Television sitcomRobin's Nest, first broadcast on 27 November 1978, the main characters picnic in the forest.[91]
The forest was featured in theBBC programmeCountryfile broadcast on 21 June 2020 presented byAnita Rani.[92]
As of 2013, Epping Forest has been used as a location in fourteen films[93] including the Black Knight sequence in the 1975filmMonty Python and the Holy Grail.[94]
The forest has long standing criminal associations. In the 18th century, Epping Forest became notorious as the haunt ofhighwaymen, who preyed on the coaches of wealthy racegoers on the road from London toNewmarket.[95]Dick Turpin andTom King used the forest as a hideaway, andJack Rann, known as "Sixteen String Jack", had apub named after him inTheydon Bois.[96] Turpin had a hideout there.[97] The tree cover and the forest's location close to London have made it notorious as a burial area for murder victims. Triple policeman murdererHarry Roberts hid out in the forest for a short time before his arrest in 1966.
In addition to its police, who must be strapping six-footers, the City boasts its own magistrates' courts and health and engineering departments. It maintains four spans over the Thames, including historic London Bridge, and large recreational areas outside the City, such as Epping Forest.
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