Historical Epping Forest: A Photographic Exploration

The Epping Forest area is full of historic buildings as well as ancient trees. Churches, chapels, hunting lodges and haunted pubs, the area is full of interesting buildings with fascinating histories (and photogenic foibles). Here are a handful of images to show you just some of the historical interest to be found here in South-West Essex, on the edge of London.

The Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge has to feature in any mention of the history of Epping Forest. From Elizabeth I to William Morris (whose first recorded interest in textiles was during a visit to the hunting lodge - read more about him here), this building has touched upon the lives of many important figures. The lodge was actually built for Henry VIII, back in 1543. The two photos above show the hunting lodge during a medieval re-enactment event, a chance to see history come to life at the hunting lodge. The hunting lodge and the newly-built visitor centre next door are excellent places to learn more about the forest (and "The View" visitor centre does indeed have fantastic views out over Chingford Plain), and there are a number of marked trails leading out from here to help you explore the woodland. Find out more about the lodge and upcoming events at the City of London website.

"The Chapel" in Chigwell Row

The Chigwell Row chapel above, dominated by very grand Plane trees, was opened in 1804 (although the frontage is probably more recent according to British History Online) and it is now a United Free Church. The building, though squat and rectangular, looks stunning when its golden bricks soak up the sunlight. Chigwell Row was an outlying hamlet on the very edge of Hainault Forest, and although development has since joined it up with neighbouring settlements it still retains some pretty village features (and some of nearby Hainault Forest still remains to enjoy).

Some of the fascinating features that can be found on buildings in the area

And in this final image, a montage of building features. On the left is one of the gargoyles which grace the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Pub in Chingford. Just around the corner from the hunting lodge, this pub is reputedly haunted (did the ghost inspire the gargoyles, or vice versa?). In the middle of the montage is a Norman Cross, part of the original Norman doorway of St. Mary's Church in Chigwell Village (built in 1160). Finally, the head to the right of the montage is part of the decorative stonework around the arched doorways at the All Saints Church in Chigwell Row (next to Hainault Forest). Besides being a very fine piece of masonry, the face seems to have a quiet dignity which is very suited to a man of stone.

To Beeches in Winter

Happy New Year to all of our readers and customers! 

It may be hard to believe we are into January 2014 now with the weather conditions remaining unusually warm (although very wet and windy) here in the UK. However, this wet and warm spell may end very soon as forecasters warn that the bitter Arctic snap which has been affecting the US will be making its way to British shores as we move into next week. So, we may finally see some snow this winter!

Snow and sunny skies last winter at High Beach in Epping Forest, Essex

Here is a wintry photo to get you all in the mood for the Arctic snap. "To Beeches In Winter" comes from my stock of images taken last winter, and although it didn't feature in the Epping Forest in Winter post or the Spring Clean Winter Photos collection it is still very high up on my list of favourite photos. The sky is a pure shade of blue, the snow shows the passage of many snow-crunching feet, and the grand, pollarded Beech tree in the foreground is balanced by a motley row of pollard trees in the background. The miniature family in the distance add a sense of scale, and a human perspective to the beautiful Epping Forest landscape.

Photos from the 2013 High Beach Festival

Although the start of September has seen a change in the weather, luckily the rain held off for the High Beach Festival on Saturday! Below are some pictures from the Festival, including the Photographic Exhibition in the Church which featured one of the Heenan Photography photos, "Hyggelig Hornbeam".

Red ribbons led visitors through the Forest between Festival sites

Photographic Exhibition in High Beach Church

"Hyggelig Hornbeam" on display as part of the exhibition

The public enjoying the festival at High Beach Church

Festival-goers sit on straw bales on the green

High Beach Exhibition 2013

The Exhibition and Competition

Heenan Photography has been shortlisted for the High Beach Photographic Competition, and will be part of a display for the 2013 Exhibition at High Beach Church. The selected photo will feature at the second annual High Beach Festival, taking place next week in Epping Forest, Essex.

Photos from a range of photographers will go on display in High Beach Church from this afternoon (Sunday 1st September), and will stay on display throughout the following week, as follows:

Monday 2-4pm
Tuesday 2-4pm
Wednesday 2-4pm
Thursday 2-4pm
Friday 2-4pm
Saturday (High Beach Festival Day) 11am-3pm
Sunday 2-4pm

"Hyggelig Hornbeam" will be featured in the Exhibition.

"Hyggelig Hornbeam" has been shortlisted for the 2013 Photographic Competition, and visitors are invited to vote for their favourite photos from the exhibition. Just write down the number of your favourite photo from the exhibition and pop it into the ballot box. People will also be able to make bids to purchase the prints on display, in order to raise money for High Beach Church. So why not go along to see the photos, and vote for your winner?

High Beach Festival -Saturday 7th September

A festival to celebrate and enjoy local heritage, in an excellent forest location. The High Beach Festival takes place from 11am-4pm, with FREE entry. In addition to the Photographic Exhibition, activities include:

• Pond dipping and mini-beast hunts at Epping Forest Field Centre (regular half-hour sessions). 
• Wildlife and sporting activities on High Beach Green, including cricket, golf and riding.
• A dog show, also on High Beach Green (register at 11am, show at 11.30am, judging at noon). £1 per entry. 
• Children's fun races (3pm- 4pm) on High Beach Green. 
• At High Beach Church try playing the bells, brass rubbing, flower arranging (11am-3pm). 
• The City of London and Friends of EF will provide information on cycling, walking, and running in the Forest.
• Lunches, hot and cold drinks, and home-made cakes will be available at High Beach Church.
• Prom in the Forest concert takes place at the Church at 7pm. Tickets are available, priced £10 each, available by ringing 07510 195877 (or on the door) 
• Refreshments will be available at the Church, King's Oak, Duke of Wellington, Forest Tea Huts.

 For more information about the event visit http://highbeachchurch.org.uk/high-beach-festival/

Working Woodland Day event

FREE event on Saturday 17th August 2013, 10.00am - 3.00pm

Kiln Road, North Weald, Epping, Essex CM16 6AD

Heenan Photography will be attending the Working Woodland Day event on 17th August, at GreenAcres Woodland Burials Park in Epping Forest. This will be a chance to see some of the photographic prints up close, have an informal chat about Heenan Photography, or get hold of some artwork of your very own. There will also be an exclusive chance to buy some of the brand new Heenan Photography designed T-shirts, before they appear on the website for sale! These feature a selection of 25 images of Epping Forest on a black cotton t-shirt, selling at £12 each. These have been specially designed for the event, but will become more generally available afterwards. More options and designs will also be available soon.

The Working Woodland Day offers a whole day's entertainment. There will be a range of other exhibits, stalls and activities for all the family, with everything from Archery, and Birds of Prey, through to Children's Yoga, Den Building activity, and a Hedgelaying demonstration. Groups such as RSPB, Essex Amphibian & Reptile Group, Epping Forest Conservation Volunteers and more will be there with Heenan Photography, making sure the day is an exciting and interesting experience!


Come and enjoy a day out in in the countryside with woodland photography, wildlife, crafts and activities. Hot food and drinks are available all day.
 
For more details on the event itself:
www.eppingwoodlandburials.co.uk
info@eppingwoodlandburials.co.uk

Spring Blues in Epping Forest

Native Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in Epping Forest

We're starting to see that beautiful sign of Spring: bluebells are popping up in old woodlands, hedges, and other spots in the countryside. With the lush greenery clothing the trees and flowers lighting up the countryside, it's easy to get enthusiastic about the change in season. Spring is the thing! These photos were taken while walking from the southern-most end of Epping Forest (near Snaresbrook), through Walthamstow Forest and Highams Park, on 11th May (after attending the BNA Conference - read more about it here). UK woodlands have half of the world's bluebells, so ancient woodlands like Epping Forest and Hainault Forest are really crucial to their persistence. We're lucky in South-West Essex to have so many valuable habitats on our doorstep!

Ancient woodlands such as Epping Forest are a common
haunt for bluebells, which do well in shady places

But the peak of bluebell flowering is late this year - The Guardian were certainly worried back in April when they hadn't appeared! The late arrival of bluebells is attributed to the weather we had in March, the coldest March since 1962! According to a recent Guardian article, the bluebells have flowered four to five weeks later than last year. There may be a silver lining to the poor March weather, however. "There is a really good link between late springs and very good summers" says Matthew Oates, nature expert at the National Trust (read the full article here).

There is an imposter in the countryside however, a blue alien. The imported Spanish bluebells have been very successful, hybridising with the native flowers and spreading to many of our gardens and other green spaces. It's even invading the woodland strongholds of the native bluebells, and I found some suspicious bluebells on my walk! How do we tell the two types of bluebell apart? The Guardian offer a few tips, and there is a very useful page on the Natural History Museum website which explains how to identify your bluebells, but some of the basic differences to look for are: Spanish bluebells have paler flowers, no scent, and an upright stalk; native bluebells are scented, they arch or droop over, and their leaves are rolled up.
  

 

Spanish bluebells are paler and more upright, and these specimens on the edge of Epping Forest seem to fit the bill

Native bluebells have a stem that
arches over at the end

The bluebells may have arrived late this year, but they are here now - so why not go explore your local countryside to see them! Talk about your own sightings and favourite bluebell spots, or discuss other signs of Spring! Post on our Facebook page or  tweet to #SpringIsTheThing!

Ferns & Forest Encounter

This branch of bracken shows some lovely autumnal colours. I remember taking this quite vividly; a damp morning last October, very quiet, in Epping Forest. As I was focussing on the ferns below me and getting some photos of their colours, a sound caught my attention. A fallow deer had trotted along the path, then skidded to a stop as it must have caught my scent - yet surprised and unsure of exactly where I was standing because I was wearing greens and browns as is often my wont! I was just as surprised, and with my camera focussed on the ferns below me, unprepared to take a shot of the deer before it dashed off again. So, I was left with just a shot of the bracken to remind me of the encounter!

Spring Clean - Winter photos

Spring is most definitely here in the UK, and we might be forgiven for hoping that the last of Winter's snow is behind us. I have been looking back over the photos I took over the Winter 2012-2013, and there are a few more that I'd like to share. Think of this as a kind of 'Spring Clean' now the warmer Spring weather is here! I also plan to expand the website Gallery in the near future, adding much more content and organising it into different themes, so keep your eyes open for updates.

A fractured Oak tree, catching the sunrise at Fairmead Bottom

 

Ancient Hornbeam Pollards by the wintry Ching Brook

 


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Buckhurst Hill Exhibition - Update

 Buckhurst Hill Parish Council's new Community Gallery project is now under way, with a selection of my prints currently up on display in the information centre in Queens Road!
The photography exhibition will run for the next three months, whereupon the Community Gallery will open up to a new phase of artists with links to Buckhurst Hill.

Some of the Photos currently on display, which all feature Epping Forest

I am the first artist to be selected as part of the arts project, and have chosen to grace the wall space with images from Epping Forest, one of our local treasures. Roughly half of the land in Buckhurst Hill is open space (BHPC), and the Forest contributes a large amount to this half; not only is Epping Forest beautiful, but ubiquitous here too. The name even refers to the trees: "Buckhurst"  was called La Bocherste in the 1100's (while England was under Norman control), and this earliest reference to the area means "a hill covered with beech trees" (Wikipedia). Is it any wonder that, growing up in Buckhurst Hill, I developed an abiding interest in trees?

Make it down to the Information Centre in Queens Road in the next three months to see the exhibition, including "The Lambent Pollard" and "Autumn Light and Leaf" (see these two pictures here). If you're an artist or photographer interested in getting involved in the next phase of the project, contact the Parish Council here.


View Larger Map

OPENING TIMES

9.30am - 1.00pm

1.30pm - 4.00pm

Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday and Friday 

Closed Thursday

More info at:
www.essexinfo.net/buckhurst-hill-parish-council/

Community Art Gallery in Buckhurst Hill

A chance to see some of my prints in the flesh! 

I have been invited to take part in a new project with Buckhurst Hill Parish Council, a community art gallery using the lobby wallspace at their offices in Queen's Road. I have submitted a selection of limited edition prints from the Epping Forest area for display, and they should be going up sometime this week. Find out office opening times and more at: www.essexinfo.net/buckhurst-hill-parish-council/

The Parish Council are also planning an Opening Event which will be announced soon, to formally kick off the community gallery. If successful this project will continue to offer a selection of local artists (people with links to Buckhurst Hill) the chance to display their works for a time. This will bring something new to Queen's Road, providing a venue for local people to view local artwork. 

If you know of any artists who might be interested in getting involved in the next phase they would be very welcome to get in touch with Buckhurst Hill Parish Council: 

62 - 64 Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex. IG9 5BYoffice@buckhursthillpc.gov.uk020 8498 9933

Photography in Epping Forest in Winter

Yesterday was a very enjoyable day; I spent the day at the Epping Forest Field Centre up at High Beach, helping with a photography one-day course "Photography in Epping Forest in Winter". I volunteer at the Field Centre from time to time, and helping out with the course allowed me to also gain some more inspiration for my own photography.

The course was led by a very experienced photographer, John Price, who has worked in publishing, industry, corporate and, for the last ten years, in conservation as a photographer. I am a fan of the Fifty Favourite Trees book that John designed and photographed (a digital version can be found at www.favouritetrees.org), and when helping out on one of his previous photo courses I found him to be very knowledgeable, affable, and full of ideas for taking nature photos beyond the ordinary. Helping John on the course and offering some advice on Wildlife Photography was John Gooday, so all told there was a wealth of photographic knowledge for attendees to tap into.

The weather was fantastic for the morning walk, with snow and sun and a very blue sky indeed. We didn't wander too far from the Field Centre, but some of my favourite trees are in this part of the forest and there were many other things to photograph besides. Lunch was taken at the Kings Oak pub, beside a blazing fire. Things then clouded over somewhat in the afternoon, but by then we had finished taking photos and had returned to the centre to look at some of the images, and to discuss different ideas and techniques. Those attending the course ranged from complete beginners to people that use photography for their work, and yet I think that everyone found the day useful. It was interesting to see the variety of pictures that were captured, and the different perspectives and techniques that people used resulted in some very different images even though they were all walking the same route!

If anyone has the chance to attend one of John Price's photography courses in the future I would highly recommend them (keep an eye on Epping Forest Field Centre courses at www.field-studies-council.org). Particularly useful for beginner and intermediate level, but there are new ideas to be had for many a more experienced photographer.

Some more pictures from High Beach yesterday:

New Year Update

Happy New Year! The Gallery page has been updated with new photos. These are some of my current favourites, and were all taken in local green spaces around Epping Forest. Here are two of the new photos:

Epping Forest is so full of beauty and interest, there is always something to please the eye and inspire the mind. The photo on the left, titled "Autumn Light and Leaf", was taken in a patch of the Forest in Chingford that has some stunning stands of hornbeam trees (including pollard and coppice compartments), and gave a very fine display of colour during the Autumn just passed. The second photo, "The Lambent Pollard", shows a much more robust Beech pollard, a grand veteran with a lot of character in the Forest near High Beach.

 [View the new photos on the Gallery page]

Warren Winter, and Merry Christmas

Two more Winter photos for you to enjoy!

In Epping Forest, on a slope of land leading down from Warren Hill to Whitehall Plain, on a wintry Wednesday when snow had fallen, I took these two photos. It was only 4pm and the sun was already westering, enough to create some beautiful soft lighting. Combined with the soft snow and soft clouds in "Warren Winter Snow", the second image is quite the opposite of the first in which a stark winter oak dominates. The lighting is also rather diametric, with the highlight of the first piece being the tracked-through snow beneath the tree in the lower part of the picture, and the light in the second piece arising from the sun and sun-drenched clouds at the top of the picture.

Much as I love the gentleness of the second photo, and the way the mogul-textured snowy landscape reflects the puffy cotton cloudscape up above, I love the first photo "Warren Wood Winter". Trees are fantastic in so many ways; this one here creates a strong focus, and the twiggy winter branches are a rough contrast to the smooth snow below. The spreading nature of the branches tell a story too, of light and life with room to reach and grow.

May winter be full of light and life for all of you, don't hibernate the whole season through!  
Merry Christmas to everyone, and all the best for the New Year.


 [View the photo gallery]

Birch Curl

Bark peeling from a birch tree in Epping Forest in elegant curls. Taken in the Warren Hill area, on a scenic route from Loughton to Buckhurst Hill. Birch trees have horizontal marks on the trunk, long lenticels that let the tree "breathe" through its bark. 

"The lady of the woods" is a slender and elegant tree, although the angle of the shot makes this particular tree look rather rugged. Birch was the first letter of the Celtic tree alphabet, and represented the first month of the year. It would also have been among the first trees to recolonise Britain after the last ice age, and this ability to take quick advantage of an opportunity can still be seen today when birches colonise a bare hillside, or occupy a gap that opens up in an established woodland.

[View the photo gallery]

Epping Forest Ancients

Two veteran trees in Epping Forest, one leaning against the other, as they slowly succumb to old age.
This is a photo I took this year, of one of my big interests: trees. Veteran trees are trees that, either through old age or a "hard life", have a huge interest for wildlife and for conservationists. The gnarls, hollows, decay and even sheer size that may be seen on such a tree mean that it can harbour many different kinds of animal, plant, and scientist.

Such trees can be used to deduce past conditions or management practices in an area; for example, these two trees show signs of pollarding, a traditional practice leading to a distinctive shape and potentially extending the life of a tree beyond its natural span.

Aesthetic value can be high in veteran trees, with their added architectural and textural complexity. They can also contain interesting little ecosystems for those who look closely, whether it be seedlings developing within a hollow or a swathe of enterprising mosses and ferns colonising the broad branches.

[View the photo gallery]

Stunning Autumn

Autumn is beautiful in Epping Forest!

In addition to working on a website and other indoors-y occupations, I have managed to get outside to take some photos of the stunning colours currently on display. Behold nature in all her autumnal glory. 

Photo taken in Epping Forest by the River Ching, in a patch of elegant Hornbeam trees. The yellow and orange of the leaves makes it feel sunny even on a grey Autumn day. 

[View the photo gallery]