London
Green Belt Way 
London
Green Belt Way
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Stage
11 - Epping
Station to
Chipping Ongar (7.7 miles)
Start: Grid
Reference TL4621601593 Post Code CM16 4HW
StreetMap
ROUTE
DESCRIPTION
From Epping
Station, we follow the Essex Way for our whole route. Thru' fields and an
ancient track to Coopersale Street, then across fields to Gernon Bushes Nature
Reserve. Cross over the M11 and go in a straight line towards Toot Hill
-
this bit can be very muddy. Thru'
Toot Hill village and fields to Greensted and onto Chipping Ongar.
Two videos at YouTube, one
by John Rogers and a
second by
voxley19,
both
cover this
whole walk.
Start at the
entrance to Epping Station. Turn right and after 50 yards turn right again to
climb and cross a footbridge over the railway.
At
Epping Station
we join the Essex Way at its start, and follow it for 8.6
miles to just after the town of Chipping Ongar.
It
is marked with Essex Way
discs
with a logo of two red poppies.
On the front
wall of Epping Station is a
plaque
which commemorates the opening of the
Essex Way
in 1972. This is a long-distance path which stretches for 82 miles across the
county and finishes by the coast at Harwich. Each year in early September a 10
stage relay race "The
Essex Way Relay"
is held along the length of the path. It starts at Epping Station and finishes
at the Old Lighthouse at Harwich. The
Tim Bertuchi
website has an informative and pictorial guide to the
Epping
as a town has been important for many centuries. It is 17 miles north of
Through the years Epping was a place where important roads ran through. It became a staging point on the way to East Anglia and in the early 17th Century, when horse racing became popular in Newmarket, it also proved to be a stopping off point for Londoners on their way to the races. By the late 18th Century there were up to 16 coaching inns in the town. This may explain why the routes to and from Epping were popular with the notorious highwaymen who held up the coaches and robbed their wealthy inhabitants.
The railway
reached Epping in 1865 when the Eastern Counties Railway Company extended the
As you cross
over the footbridge, look down to your left to see the now
closed railway line
which used to take the London Underground on towards Ongar.
A wonderful
old video
from 1980, and filmed by the driver of the train, shows the journey from Epping
to Chipping Ongar. The video last for 41 minutes. The first 15 minutes show the
line to Ongar. The rest is the return journey back to Epping and onto Loughton.
The
footbridge leads to a residential road (Hillcrest Way). Follow Hillcrest Way to
a T-junction with Bower Hill. Turn right and go downhill for just 35 yards to a
sign for Bower Court on the opposite side. Cross over onto an enclosed footpath,
signed "Essex
Way".
This
for a short distance follows an enclosed path and soon comes out into and across
an open field. Follow the path as it goes through a gap in the hedgerow into
another field and turns left. Continue gently downhill along the edge of the
field and eventually to a road (
These few
isolated houses form a tiny hamlet called
Stewards Green. A few hundred yards further along the road is one of my
favourite place names, Fiddlers Hamlet. It's
basically a crossroads with a few houses and a 19th Century pub
called "The
Merry Fiddlers"
(official
website).
Apparently, it has connections with Morris Dancers and people playing music on
violins (or fiddles) whilst enjoying a few beers
-
hence the name. There is also a small
campsite
next to the pub
The track past
the houses from Stewards Green is pleasant and enclosed on both sides with banks
and trees and on maps is called
Stewards Green Lane.
The lane acts as a bridleway and is part of an ancient road from London to
Newmarket. It is narrow and sometimes overgrown. A few years ago, it was used by
the Epping Forest District Council in a team-building exercise where they
cleared the lane of bramble, scrub and overgrown trees. I enjoy seeing local
councils out doing hands-on work like this
-
they most probably enjoyed it too.
After 0.6 miles the track leads to the tiny village of Coopersale Street. At the junction turn right along Stonards Hill, signed Fiddlers Hamlet and Toot Hill and past the Theydon Oak Pub.
To the left
just before the pub, is the entrance to Houblons Hill. This road climbs up to
the village of Coopersale; on the way it passes
Coopersale House
(17th Century) to its LHS, which has some interesting history. The
name of the road has connections to
Sir John Houblon,
Lord Mayor of
Coopersale
Street
is a small hamlet and conservation area consists of several old houses, the
oldest being Coopersale Lodge which dates from the mid-15th Century.
There are a few from the 16th Century and the inviting
Theydon Oak Pub
is 18th Century. As you can see from photos on the pub website one of
the locals is singer,
Rod Stewart.
The website also suggests the pub maybe haunted by a quiet and non-interrupting
ghost. Directly opposite the pub is
"The
Old Barn",
16th Century and now completely restored and converted to a private
dwelling. Coopersale Lodge is the last house, on the right and just before where
the road turns right. It is hidden behind trees but visible from the entrance to
its drive. The house has a very interesting tree growth forming its front porch.
Coopersale Street,
Coopersale
and
Fiddlers Hamlet
do seem to have lots of history to them, but there are only a few references on
the Internet. One of the best I have found is a book written by Fred Brown (1918
-
2005) which is available at the
Hudgell Family website.
180
yards after the Theydon Oak Pub, and immediately before the road turns right,
turn left onto a footpath, by a wooden fence and just before a drive, signed
Essex Way (at 1.4 miles).
The house to
the right of our path at this point was a former lodge of
Follow
this path for 90 yards, eventually to and through a gap into a large field. Veer
left and follow the path along the LHS of the field and for 300 yards into an
even larger field. On entering the second field,
bear left
cutting off the corner of the field. On reaching the field edge, turn right to
follow the
path
along the LHS of the field. Follow the path straight on through a wide gap and
into a third large field. Stay straight on keeping along the LHS of the field
and at the far corner and
enter a wood.
The path along
the edge of the above fields is elevated and gradually climbing with the fields
dropping away gently to the right. However, because of their size there are good
views to the right across the M11 motorway and into the distance.
Just before entering the wood is a carved wooden bench. This is a great spot to sit for a while after your long climb and enjoy the views. The wood is also a nature reserve and classified as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
Go
through gap in the fence, then over
footbridge
and turn left, by way-marker. Continue straight on with ditch on LHS and woods
on RHS (at 2 miles). Then over two footbridges and bear left up
steps
and along track.
At
way-marker, next to noticeboard and with a kissing gate to the left, turn sharp
right to follow track.
The woods form
part of the Gernon Bushes Nature
Reserve. It takes its name from Robert Gernon, Duke of Boulogne, who came over
with
Just outside the kissing gate a path leads through the car park of a nursery school to the road at the village Coopersale. Across the road the Old Rectory (now private) and just left of this is St Albans Church. The church was built in 1852 with lands and funds donated by Harriet Archer-Houblon who lived nearby at Coopersale House. She also funded the vicarage and provided the village with a school.
The
track leads past a school to your LHS and then to a kissing gate. Go through
kissing gate and stay right along the wooden fence at the south edge of a
cricket ground. At the end of the fence
turn right
down some steps and into the woods, then go straight on past a path to right.
At fork
bear right, then eventually over a boardwalk and to a junction of paths.
At
junction turn right and follow a
wide bridleway
to a
footbridge
over the
M11
motorway. Cross the bridge and continue straight on, along a wide track with
fields to the left and woods to the right. After 275 yards, and as the main
track turns right, continue straight on along a bridleway with fields still to
the left. Within a short distance this leads into a wood (Birching
Coppice)
and continues straight through for 0.8 miles
-
do not be tempted to turn away from this onto any other
path.
Note: the whole
route through here is along the Essex Way and it is well marked with
circular discs
containing two poppies. Also, as we walk along here, after a while, the wood's
name changes to High Wood and then to
Ongar Park Wood.
On
leaving the wood (at 3.7 miles), the bridleway continues straight on through
open fields, parts of which can be very muddy at times.
Part of the route
through here has been artificially elevated to keep it above the mud.
After exiting the woods, the route initially runs along a line of trees between fields. 175 yards along this line we cross the route of an old Roman Road that connected London to Dunmow. It ran in a north easterly direction, is marked on some maps and visible on Google Earth. However, I don't think it's visible on the ground.
The
bridleway stays straight on for 0.65 miles to reach the edge of a small wood, to
your RHS. Continue for 80 yards, then turn right thru a gap in the tress, signed
Essex Way (DO NOT miss this or continue uphill towards the water tower).
Thru'
trees, veer left to cross to gap in hedgerow. Then stay along LHS of field for
300 yards. At field corner cross a stile and follow path across paddock to reach
road after 200 yards. Turn left along road (School Road), staying on the LHS.
Toot Hill
village sign, on the
small green just 80 yards to the right. Just south of the village green and a
short distance along School Road is
Toot Hill Golf Club.
The golf course covers an area much larger than the village and claims to be one
of the most testing in
50 yards south
of where we come out onto School Road is an old red phone box and post box. The
red phone box
has been purchased by Stanford Rivers Parish Council and turned into a tourist
information kiosk.
There are some
pleasant old cottages along the main road through the village and also a few
large old houses and farms. One worth a mention is
Rose Cottages.
We pass it after 50 yards The pink house has an old red Post Office
mail box built into the
front wall as its letter box. I have spoken to the owner and, yes, they do
sometimes have people use it as a post box. He does understand their mistake and
always transfers the mail to the correct village post box.
Next door is The Green Man pub. It was originally a large house with stables at the rear (see link). Maybe at one time it was a coaching inn, but I can't seem to find a lot of information or even why it's named Green Man. According to Pub History it has been a pub since 1845. It also burnt down in 1896 and was rebuilt in 1907. It has a restaurant named The Courtyard, provides accommodation and was also home to the Toot Hill Folk & Music Club until they recently moved to the Village Hall. The pub sign has been changed in recent years. The older one depicted the leafy head of a green man above an image of Stonehenge. There are many pubs around the country named Green Man. They are usually connected with Robin Hood, outlaws who lived in forests, religious, pagan, witchcraft and druid traditions, with Roman Gods, life and rebirth or even ghosts. The area seems to suggest forest as this would have once been part of Epping Forest and earlier part of the extensive Forest of Essex. However, the older sign seems to suggest druids or something ancient because of the image of Stonehenge. Earlier, in stage 2 of our walk around London, we passed the old Ankerwycke Yew at Runnymede. Every time I visited the old yew it had many ribbons pinned to its trunk and, on research I know it has a witches' sect named after it, has connections with druids, religion and much more. I find it an intriguing subject, you can research it if you wish or just read the Green Man entry at Wikipedia.
Soon after the
Green Man a road to the right leads to the small
village hall.
It looks to have potential, but on my few visits, I seen very little activity
here.
Next are a few
small late 20th Century housing developments, set back behind a
communal green.
Soon to the
left is Mill Lane. The windmill was next to T-junction. It was built in 1824,
but five years later was badly damaged by lightning and the miller was seriously
injured (read
The Times Report
from 24th June 1829). Some money was raised for him and his family,
the mill was repaired and it continued to operate until 1900. It was struck by
lightning again in 1910 and then was damaged by a fire in 1928. The locals
eventually gave up on the mill and it was demolished in 1935. Very little sign
of the mill remains today and Mill Place is built on the site. On my last visit
(a few years ago) the then owner showed me some old metal weights sitting at the
front of his house and as far as he knows this is all that remains of the
windmill.
Windmill World
does have an old photo of the mill, but you need to scroll down at the link.
There are probably many famous people with connections to the village.
One,
Olly Murs, has become a
very successful singer after finishing second in 2009 The X Factor.
Continue along the road (now Toot Hill Road) staying on the LHS as there is a
grass verge. After 220 yards, and as the road turns sharp left
(at 5 miles),
turn right, past an entrance to a farm and onto a path, signed Public Footpath
and finger-posted
Essex Way.
Across
grass keeping the cottages / farm to your RHS and through a gap into a field and
turn right along RHS of field for 35 yards. Turn right to
cross footbridge, then immediately turn left and go east along LHS of field.
Go
straight on for 160 yards with a wire fence to your RHS and hedgerow to your
LHS. Cross over a footbridge, then a stile and follow the path straight on along
the LH edge of another field. After 150 yards cross over stile then footbridge
and
stay straight on along LHS of fields for 750 yards (keep hedge on your
LHS at all times).
Past
farm to your RHS (Widows Farm). At fence corner stay on along path for 40 yards
to way-marker. Turn left through wooden kissing-gate and go straight on along
the LHS of four paddocks and metal curtain gates (lift clasp and close) there
can be animals in fields
-
now going north.
After
exiting the 4th paddock bear left downhill and after 40 yards turn
left through a wooden kissing gate. Once through turn right along the
RHS of a field for 170
yards to reach Greensted Road. Bear slightly left and cross road to
fingerpost and cross
footbridge past "Keep dogs on a lead" sign (DO NOT enter Greensted Wood Farm).
As you walk
along here there is a small stream to your LHS and through the hedgerow is
Greensted Wood Farm. It sits in the southwest corner of a small wood (Greensted
Wood) mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Follow
the
path
straight on along the left-hand edge of three fields, and after 1,000 yards, at
the far side of the third field, cross over a small
footbridge onto a
part concrete lane.
Turn
right along the lane for 100 yards to a converted barn. Stay straight on through
a gate and past the tasteful front doors of the cottages built in the
old barn. Do not be
tempted to go straight use the
farm track as it is
private property. The public right of way is through the forecourt in front of
the cottages.
Once
past the barn go straight on along the lane past a large house and then an old
wooden church. Immediately after the church turn left onto
drive
- public footpath signed Ongar and with signed Essex Way disc
(at 6.8 miles).
This tiny
village, hidden well off the beating track is called
Greensted, or to give its full name
Greensted-juxta-Ongar. In literal terms this means a settlement in a green area
(or clearing) adjoining Ongar
-
most likely a clearing in what was a huge forest at Epping. The large house just
after and behind the barn is
Greensted Hall
and the small wooden church immediately past it is
Alexander
Cleeve, a
Although
Greensted Hall
dates back to at least Norman Times, the current one is mainly red-brick and
that rebuilt by Alexander Cleeve between 1695 and 1700. In later years it has
connections to other well-known people.
Julia Warren Farr
(1824 -1914) was born here as Julia Hutchinson. In 1846 she married George Henry
Farr, an Anglian clergyman. Through circumstances they immigrated to
Another
resident of Greensted Hall was Gerard
Corley Smith (1909
-
1997). He was British ambassador to Haiti in 1960, but was expelled for his
criticism of
Papa Doc Duvalier's
oppressive regime. His next post was British ambassador to
The Church of St Andrew's dates from c1053 AD, but research suggest earlier
churches on the site may date back to the 4th Century and there is
evidence of Roman occupation in the parish. It is the only Anglo-Saxon log
church still standing, is thought to be the oldest wooden church in the world
and the oldest wooden
"stave"
building in
It is recorded
that
St Edmund's
body laid here overnight in 1013 on its way from
The church and
area are also connected to the Tolpuddle
Martyrs. They were a group of six agricultural labourers from Tolpuddle in
By 1836 they
had become heroes to the people of
At Greensted
they continued their trade union activities by forming a local
Chartist
association. This did not go down very well with the wealthy
One of the
martyrs, James Brine, was married in the church in 1839 and his name can be seen
on the church register.
In 1844, due to
pressure from wealthy landlords and the local vicar, five of them moved to
The old log
church is really worth diverting the few tards to visit for a walk around the
grounds. Every time I have visited it has been open and never ceases to amaze
me. On one particular occasion, in July 2005, I came across two men replacing
the tiles on the steeple, see
photo. I spoke to the
older of the two, his name was
Peter Harknett. He was
born in the early 1930s in London and at this time was the oldest steeplejack in
the UK. The tiles he was using were oak, from trees blown down during the
Great Storm of 1987.
On adding to this section (2018), I see he's advertising his new book,
"A
Steeplejack's View of Life"
by Peter Harknett.
For a short
video, showing the exterior and interior of the church, see
YouTube.
Go
straight on for 45 yards and through a wooden gate in metal railings and through
gap into a field. Follow path for 170 yards to north eastern corner. Go through
gap and into a second field. Veer half left (barbed wire
fence
to RHS) and follow LHS of field for 200 yards. Exit field via kissing-gate and
cross straight over lane to cross a
footbridge
into a large field.
Follow
the obvious
track
straight on, gradually downhill and directly east. After half a mile go straight
on over a concrete bridge over a stream and onto a lane (Bansons Lane) follow it
straight past Sainsbury's
and up to a T-junction with Chipping Ongar High Street.
If you look
away to your left, as you cross the large field towards Chipping Ongar, you may
catch a glimpse of a steam train puffing its way along the local heritage
railway. I'll
come back to this later.
Turn
right along the pavement for only a couple of yards, to the zebra crossing, in
front of Budworth Hall, where we finish the stage
Chipping Ongar
(meaning "market
& grassland")
dates back to at least Saxon times and may be much older. An article in the
Independent on 10th
July 2004
states a substantial Roman Road had been uncovered in Leyton. Research suggests
the road stretched north east from
Most of the
town is now designated a
Conversation Area
and contains over 100 listed buildings. There are many old buildings on the High
Street and it's
a delight to see it's
not overcrowded with multi-national shops, like most high streets throughout the
rest of the
Immediately to
the right at the junction of Bansons Lane and the High Street is
Budworth Hall.
It was built in 1886 as a public hall for the recreation of the people and as a
memorial to Captain Budworth, a local Justice of the Peace. The clock on the
tower was added in 1887 to celebrate Queen
Ongar was
originally a Saxon settlement in the middle of a
"hundred"
-
an area of land which supported 100 families. Ongar Great Park, to the west of
the town, is the oldest recorded park in England, first mentioned in an
Anglo-Saxon will of 1015. It is known there was a Saxon fortification here from
before the Norman Invasion of 1066. The town was protected by Crispey Brook to
the west and the River Roding to the east. At the time of the Domesday Book it
was recorded as being owned by Eustace, Earl of Boulogne. In the 12th
Century the manor was gifted by the King Henry II to Richard de Lucy, Lord Chief
Justice of
The mound was
surrounded with water and had a wooden
"keep"
on its top. The keep was a lookout point and was the last line of defense if
attacked. It was protected by an inner
"bailey"
on its west and a larger kidney shaped outer bailey on its east. Either the keep
or inner bailey would have housed the Lord of the Manor and his family. The
baileys also housed knights and servants, and would have had a kitchen,
workshops, stables and possibly a church. The ditches around the motte and
baileys were filled with water and they were connected by drawbridges. Outside
the castle was the town with its traders, potters, blacksmiths, weavers,
brewers, bakers, builders, and ordinary people (or peasants). The whole
settlement was enclosed by a surrounding ditch.
For ordinary
people, the small farmers, most tradesmen, and all their families, even monks
and priests, times were hard. Today these are equivalent to your carpenters,
electricians, plumbers, builders, small businessmen, nurses, lower ranks of the
emergency forces and white-collar workers who can afford to live in nice houses.
There was no going to your local supermarket to stock up on food.
Meals
such as breakfast and lunch (then called dinner) usually consisted of stale
bread and hard cheese washed down with weak ale (water was not safe to drink).
Supper in the evenings was a hot bowl of a crude vegetable and oat stew called
pottage and if you were very lucky it may contain some meat. Sometimes people
even went for days without eating because they could not afford it. There was no
birth control and if you had more children than you could afford feed, new born
babies were often left in the forests to die at the hands of wolves or foxes.
Most people worked from daybreak to dusk to feed their families. The houses were
basic (if you were lucky enough to have one) usually made from mud, timber and
straw with a hard bed of rushes to sleep on. There were no toilets and diseases
flourished and killed many, even the young and strong. Underwear was not part of
the clothing, not even wonder bras, thongs or boxer shorts. Over garments were
your only clothes and these didn't
get washed very often. Women were not respected like they are today and children
had no rights apart from those granted to them by their kin. Brothels were more
common than ale houses, but condoms did not exist. It usually meant the girls
and women who occupied them were well fed and could sleep in a soft bed, but
their life expectancy was short. You could say the Lord of the Manor ruled the
roost. He controlled the gaming writes to the forest, the rivers and lakes and
if you wanted to do anything yourself you either paid taxes to make it legal or
were punished severely if you were caught doing it illegally. The only charity
came from monasteries where monks may let you in just before dark, give you some
stale bread and weak beer, a roof over your head, a hard floor crowded with many
others to sleep on and kick you out at daybreak. The common people were
basically owned by the Lord and in many instances were not even allowed to leave
the town without his permission. On the other hand, the
"well-born"
and wealthy ate to excess. Their meals were long lasting and always extravagant
with various meats and fishes, fresh bread and the best vegetables washed down
by good quality beers and wines. The leftovers ware usually fed to their pets or
thrown in the rubbish. The servants were not allowed to finish off what was
left, yet they did out of view of their masters, but were punished if caught.
Ongar was now a
very important site. It levied its own taxes, administered the laws for the
district and had its own market. The first recorded mention of the market was in
1287, but this is believed to be the successor of a previous market going back
to Saxon times. In medieval times part of the High Street was widened to
accommodate the market, a feature which it still retains today.
The castle
buildings were demolished in the 16th Century and a stone mansion was
built on top of the mound. This was demolished in 1744, but the
"motte",
"bailey"
and ditches from Norman times are still well preserved and although most of the
site is on private property and partly overgrown by trees, there is a path
around two sides of it making it easy to view these old earthworks. An
information board behind the library and next to the path has a map and
aerial view
of original Norman castle and town.
VisitEppingForest.org has a section entitled
Medieval Ongar and is well-worth a visit.
Just past
Budworth Hall
and on the same side of the High Street are the King's
Trust Cottages. They are named after Joseph King, a local property owner. A
plaque on the front states:
"JOSEPH
KING (died 28th FEBRUARY, 1679) left this row of properties in Trust to provide
out of the rents schooling for poor people of the Parish. The Trustees continue
to use the income for educational purposes".
Shortly after
King's
death the cottages were used for teaching and it was not until 1846 when a
purpose-built school was completed.
To read more
about Chipping Ongar see the start of the next stage.
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