Woodland Path, Hainault Forest Country Park - geograph

Hainault Forest Geograph-273877-by-sarah-white

Hainault Forest Country Park is a

Country Park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...

located in

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

, with portions in: Hainault in the

London Borough of Redbridge The London Borough of Redbridge is a London borough established in 1965. The borough shares boundaries with the Epping Forest District and the ceremonial county of Essex to the north, with the London Borough of Waltham Forest to the west, the ...

; the

London Borough of Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The ...

; and in the

Lambourne Lambourne is a civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It is located approximately 4.5 miles (7 km) South of Epping and 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Romford. It covers an area of , and in 2001 its population was 1,8 ...

parish of the

Epping Forest District Epping Forest is a local government district in Essex, England. Situated in the west of the county, bordering northeastern Greater London, it is named after, and contains a large part of, Epping Forest. The district, though wholly within the cou ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

Geography

With an area of , Hainault Forest Country Park is a

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 ...

. The Redbridge section of the park is managed by Vision Redbridge who manage the park on behalf of Redbridge Council. Across the border, the Essex section is managed by the

Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland Natural heritage, heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972 ...

, who hold a long-term lease for the management by its owners,

Essex County Council Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...

History

Hainault Forest is a remnant of the former

Forest of Essex The Forest of Essex was a royal forest that existed from around 1100 and was disestablished in the 13th century. Forests were legal institutions introduced by the Normans to denote an area where the King or another magnate had the right to keep ...

which once covered most of the county of Essex in SE England.

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

and

Hatfield Forest Hatfield Forest is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Essex, three miles east of Bishop's Stortford. It is also a National Nature Reserve and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is owned and managed by the National Trust. A ...

are two other remaining examples. The forest belonged to the abbey of Barking until the Dissolution of the Monasteries; it extended northwards to Theydon Bois, east to

Havering-atte-Bower Havering-atte-Bower is a village and outlying settlement of Greater London, England. It is located in the far north of the London Borough of Havering, on the border with Essex, and is northeast of Charing Cross. It was one of three former par ...

, on the south to Aldborough Hatch, and westwards to

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, S ...

. In a survey made for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

in 1544 its extent was some . The forest land was condemned as waste by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

, 1851, disafforested, the deer removed, and 92% of the

old growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

cut down. The land became marginal agricultural land and subsequently a significant proportion has been built on. The destruction was deplored by Sir

Walter Besant Sir Walter Besant (14 August 1836 – 9 June 1901) was an English novelist and historian. William Henry Besant was his brother, and another brother, Frank, was the husband of Annie Besant. Early life and education The son of wine merchant Will ...

in his works on London: the forest is also the setting for his novel ''All in a Garden Fair''. Oliver Rackham described how the outrage at the destruction of Hainault led to the modern conservation movement with the creation of conservation groups which successfully opposed such a fate happening to

Preservation

After public pressure to retain some remnant of Hainault Forest, headed by Edward North Buxton,Mr Buxton is credited in D'Anvers 1907, p. 72. a total of of land was bought for public use on 21 July 1906. It included 253 acres (1.0 km²) of woodland and rough pasture. Hainault Forest Country Park protected areas include: open space parklands — with numerous public footpaths and a large lake; Hainault Forest Golf Club; and Foxburrows Farm — which is used in part for preserving rare breeds of animals.

Gallery

File:Hainault Forest Nov 2013 1.jpg, Hainault Forest Woodland Trust section on a misty November morning 2013 File:Hainault Forest Nov 2013 2.jpg, Hainault Forest Woodland Trust section on a misty November morning 2013 File:Hainault Forest April 2014 Bluebells.jpg, Bluebells in late April in 2014 File:Hainault Forest June 2014.jpg, Damselfly on reeds at the Lake in June 2014

References

External links

Unofficial Hainault Forest Country Park websiteLondon Gardens Online: Hainault Forest Country Park websiteNatural England: Citation — Hainault Forest
* {{SSSIs Essex Common land in London Country parks in Essex Country parks in London Epping Forest District Forests and woodlands of Essex Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Havering Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Redbridge Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Essex Sites of Special Scientific Interest in London