Epping Forest
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Epping Forest near Epping
|
|
| Area of Search |
Greater London Essex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TL475035 to TQ 405865 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 1728 hectares |
| Notification | 1990 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland near Epping, straddling the border between Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation.
It covers 2,476 hectares (6,118.32 acres) and contains areas of woodland, grassland, heath, rivers, bogs and ponds, and most of it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation. Stretching between Forest Gate in the south and Epping in the north, Epping 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 forest lies on a ridge between the valleys of the rivers Lea and Roding; its elevation and thin gravelly soil (the result of glaciation) historically made it unsuitable for agriculture. It gives its name to the Epping Forest local government district which covers part of it.
The name "Epping Forest" was first recorded in the 17th century; prior to this it was known as Waltham Forest (which gives its name to the present-day London Borough of Waltham Forest, which covers part of the modern forest).
The area which became known as Waltham, and then Epping Forest has been continuously forested since Neolithic times. Embankments of two Iron Age earthworks – Loughton Camp and Ambresbury Banks – can be found in the woodland, but pollen profiles show that Iron Age occupation had no significant effect on the forest ecology. The former lime/linden Tilia-dominated woodland was permanently altered during Saxon times by selective cutting of trees. Today's beech-birch and oak-hornbeam-dominated forest was the result of partial forest clearance in Saxon times.
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