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Hornchurch Country Park is a 104.5-hectare park on the former site of Hornchurch Airfield, south of Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering,
The River Ingrebourne passes through the park and if forms part of Thames Chase Community Forest. The most popular part of the park is to the west of the Ingrebourne, where the ground is flat and paved and frequently visited by dog walkers. The woodland to the east of the river is somewhat inaccessible. Some southern parts of the park that reach into Rainham have been historically used as
At a ceremony on March 23, 2022, the Mayor of Havering joined representatives of the Council, Borough, voluntary sector and families of the deceased to officially open the COVID-19 Memorial Woodland in the south of Hornchurch Country Park. The opening ceremony coincided with the National Day of Remembrance, marking the second anniversary of the first UK Lockdown.
The Memorial Woodland consists of over 4000 trees planted by volunteers, alongside sponsored memorial benches, wildflowers and a wetland area, aims to remember all those who lost their lives, the significant efforts and sacrifices of key workers and all that our communities endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The location of the memorial is significant as it is centrally located within the borough and acknowledges the role that our parks played in supporting the mental and physical health of our residents during lockdowns.
Alongside honouring those who lost their lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Memorial Woodland also contributes to fighting climate change and aiding local biodiversity. For example, a swale (a shallow dry channel) was included to combat flooding in the area, a variety of trees have been planted (including berrying and flowering species) to aid birds and insects, and grass rides were incorporated to create an excess of woodland edge, the ideal habitat for butterflies.
'Home of the woodpecker-riding weasel': Park sign makes it 'official'
{{LB Havering Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Havering Country parks in London
east London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
.
Site
The River Ingrebourne passes through the park and if forms part of Thames Chase Community Forest. The most popular part of the park is to the west of the Ingrebourne, where the ground is flat and paved and frequently visited by dog walkers. The woodland to the east of the river is somewhat inaccessible. Some southern parts of the park that reach into Rainham have been historically used as landfill
A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
.
There is a fishing lake located within the park alongside many paths that connect neighbouring areas, such as Upminster, Dagenham
Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross.
It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...
and Rainham.
There are a number of Pillboxes and other historic installations dating from the Second World War to be found in the park.
The park is a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade I. Almost all of it falls within the Ingrebourne Valley
Ingrebourne Valley is a local nature reserve (LNR) in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering. It is owned and managed by Havering Council, and has a visitor centre managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. Most of it is in Hornchurch Country Par ...
Local Nature Reserve, with the eastern edge forming part of the Ingrebourne Marshes
Ingrebourne Marshes are a 74.8 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering. Ingrebourne Valley Local Nature Reserve includes a small part of the SSSI west of the River Ingrebourne. The site ...
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.
There is access from Airfield Way/Squadron's Approach, off South End Road.
COVID-19 Memorial Woodland
At a ceremony on March 23, 2022, the Mayor of Havering joined representatives of the Council, Borough, voluntary sector and families of the deceased to officially open the COVID-19 Memorial Woodland in the south of Hornchurch Country Park. The opening ceremony coincided with the National Day of Remembrance, marking the second anniversary of the first UK Lockdown.
The Memorial Woodland consists of over 4000 trees planted by volunteers, alongside sponsored memorial benches, wildflowers and a wetland area, aims to remember all those who lost their lives, the significant efforts and sacrifices of key workers and all that our communities endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The location of the memorial is significant as it is centrally located within the borough and acknowledges the role that our parks played in supporting the mental and physical health of our residents during lockdowns.
Alongside honouring those who lost their lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Memorial Woodland also contributes to fighting climate change and aiding local biodiversity. For example, a swale (a shallow dry channel) was included to combat flooding in the area, a variety of trees have been planted (including berrying and flowering species) to aid birds and insects, and grass rides were incorporated to create an excess of woodland edge, the ideal habitat for butterflies.
References
Sources
*External links
'Home of the woodpecker-riding weasel': Park sign makes it 'official'
{{LB Havering Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Havering Country parks in London