Talk:Epping Forest/Archive 1

Dating the age of woodland
how do you date the age of a woodland? The Iron age ramparts would point to some settlement activity, connected with forest cleaning, at least in Iron age, if not earlier? --Yak 12:21, Mar 9, 2004 (UTC)

Your point is a good one, Yak - undoubtedly considerable tree clearance must have gone ahead when building the Iron Age forts. I spent a year doing voluntary work in the forest and during this time was told by many different people that an "ancient woodland" was defined as one that had been continuously wooded since the last Ice Age. --Lancevortex 12:00, 5 May 2004 (UTC)

Stag or buck?
In cultural references does the book Lair really talk about a White Stag? Buck is the correct term for a male fallow deer. (you don't get red deer in the forest)

Mountain biking
Do we really need 4 external links to mountain biking websites? --Lancevortex 15:30, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Why do we not need them? OrangeAlex (talk) 14:45, 15 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Because this article is about Epping Forest, not mountain biking. See WP:LINKSTOAVOID, particularly item 13. In fact, in my opinion, none of the current external links are appropriate, but others would probably disagree. Lancevortex (talk) 11:14, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Right to collect wood
> The right to collect wood still exists but is rarely practised and is limited to "one faggot of dead or driftwood" per day per adult resident.

Is this still true. I thought it was banned. AlexMcLintock

Yup - last time I read the back of the noticeboards in the carparks it was still listed in the byelaws - next to the byelaw about rc planes. This was less than ten years ago. I was told by a keeper in 1994 that only one lady still exercised this right on a daily basis (and she also collected on behalf of her friend who was too frail). I'm pretty certain I'd have heard if it was changed, as it's so little used I can't see why they would change it either. 195.212.29.75 (talk) 16:19, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Caves in Epping Forest?
Hey I live just down the road from Epping Forest in Loughton and I was looking at the article about Dick Turpin. It mentions that he hid out in a cave system in Epping Forest...I thought Epping Forest geology was made up of alternating layers of heavy clay and flint that made it bad to farm on, hence it being left aside until it became Royal hunting ground...Anyway, how can Epping Forest have a cave, let alone a cave system if the geology (as far as I am aware) would be far, far from perfect? Is there some limestone or something...Or is the Dick Turpin misleading? --Madkaffir 10:57, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

There are no caves in Epping Forest - it is clay and gravel. There was a Victorian man-made underground folly known at Turpin's Cave near High Beach, but it has no connection with Turpin. The original versions of Turpin's tale do not mention a cave, rather a hide-out in the Forest, which it's now agreed must have been in or near Loughton Camp, probably in the hollow (caused by gravel working) known as Kate's Cellar —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Special:Contributions/ (talk)

Thanks very much...That explains it! I shall have a look next time I'm up near Loughton Camp--Madkaffir 16:25, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Centenary Walk
An anon changed the date of the Centenary Walk from the 4th Sunday in September to the 1st. The only reference I can find online (http://www.eppingforest.co.uk/forest.html) states that it's the 4th, so I have reverted it. If anyone knows of a "proper" reference, please update. Lancevortex (talk) 10:36, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

High Beach or High Beech
Hi. I've noticed the above spelling in the article has been changed to Beech as in tree. I don't think that is totally correct as I have seen the alternative spelling used as well. Any views on this? Northmetpit (talk) 06:09, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
 * "Beach" is correct and I've corrected the article. I can see why people get confused, after all it's miles from the sea and is surrounded by beech trees, and the village hall there has it spelled wrongly on its sign. Lancevortex (talk) 14:15, 7 July 2008 (UTC)


 * The Ordnance Survey begs to differ, see this map. Also see my note on the village hall in my previous comment. Lancevortex (talk) 11:26, 18 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Throughout Fred J Speakmans book A Keeper's Tale he uses the "Beach" spelling. Northmetpit (talk) 15:42, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

Jade Goody
"Jade Goody was recently buried here after losing her battle with cancer." She wasn't actually buried here. From what I can discover, that's a slightly different section from the Epping Forest that is the focus of this article. Banaticus (talk) 22:51, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I believe you're right Banaticus, and I've removed it. To be honest I'd have removed it even if the burial park was in the Forest proper, it doesn't add anything of worth to the article. Lancevortex (talk) 14:34, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
 * For the record, according to the Epping Forest Burial Park website, it is located here: CM16 6AD. That is well north of the town of Epping which is the northern border of the forest so I think that settles it really. Diliff  | (Talk)   (Contribs) 14:40, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Epping is not quite the northern border of the Forest; the roughly triangular section of woodland to the north of Epping and the old Epping-Ongar tube line and to the west of the M11 is also part of the "official" Forest. But that of course doesn't change the fact that the Burial Ground is not within Epping Forest. Lancevortex (talk) 22:23, 16 April 2009 (UTC)