About
Us /
Getting to Epping Forest /
Epping Forest Visitor Centre /
Access /
Recreation /
Conservation /
Events and activities /
Publications /
Images /
Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge /
Wanstead Park /
Recent achievements /
Fault reporting /
Links
/
Frequently
Asked Questions /
Consultations
Epping Forest is the largest public
open space in the London area, at almost 6,000 acres. It
stretches 12 miles from Manor Park in East London to just
north of Epping in Essex. As well as being a popular area for
recreation and enjoyment it is also of national and
international conservation importance with two thirds of it
being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a
Special Area of Conservation.
In the second half of the 19th
century large areas of the Forest were being inclosed for
development, with scant regard for commoners’ rights or
general recreational needs. Such was the City of London’s
concern over this that it joined forces with the commoners who
had the right to graze their animals on the Forest and cut
wood, and fought a legal battle against the inclosures,
culminating in two ground-breaking Acts of Parliament passed
in 1878. One of these entrusted the ownership and care of
Epping Forest to the City, with the second making similar
provision for other open spaces under similar threat. The
Epping Forest Act of 1878 appointed the City of London as the
Conservator of Epping Forest and its strictures still govern
how the Forest is managed today.
Epping Forest now combines the roles of scenic open space,
important wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. It hosts
numerous
events and activities and encompasses the Grade II* listed
Wanstead Park, two Grade II* listed buildings – the
Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge and the Temple - and the
remains of two large Iron Age earthworks at Loughton Camp and
Ambresbury Banks.
The Epping Forest leaflet
Useful information (413kb) and
accompanying map (81kb) can be downloaded
here.
Please note that all images used on
this website are copyright of the City of London / David
Woodfall, Brian Gotts, Keith French, Clare Eastwood, Sophie
Lillington, Alan Woodgate, Sue Tetlow & Yvette
Woodhouse.
Please email
us if you wish to seek permission to copy any of the
images. The City of London manages over 10,000 acres of green space
in and around London for the recreation and enjoyment of the
public.
Find out more about the other spaces.
Epping Forest - Have Your Say!
A new website www.greenstat.org.uk has been set up to
record feedback and provide local residents with the opportunity to
comment on how open spaces nationwide are managed and maintained.
The Conservators will be able to access this information and
compare results on Epping Forest with other open spaces up and down
the country. This provides us as the Conservators with very
valuable feedback and will also provide everybody with a truly
national voice of what we think about our open spaces!
We would very much welcome your involvement. Please visit
www.greenstat.org.uk and click on the London
region, where you will then see a list of organisations – please
chose ‘City of London’ which is conveniently located at the very
top of the page. You will then be asked to select whether you wish
to comment on the Service provided by City of London, or to comment
on a specific Open Space. If you select option 2 ‘Park or Open
Space’ you will be given a list of City of London open spaces to
comment on – please select ‘Epping Forest’ form this list and you
will then be taken through an online survey. Alternatively, a hard
copy of the Visitor Survey is available from the Epping Forest
Visitor Centre (020 8508 0028 /
epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk).
Thank you to all those who have completed the Visitor Survey
(either online or by hard copy) to date. Your feedback is very,
very important to us.