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THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
Meeting in Hicham Park, Epping Forest, and 123RD Ordinary
Meeting.
Saturday, March 21st, 1891.
A FIELD MEETING was held this afternoon (previous to the Ordinary Meeting
in the evening) to allow of an inspection of the portion of Higham Park, near
Walthamstow and Woodford, recently added to the Forest.
The members assembled at Hale End Station about three o'clock, and walked
through the pretty village to the "Driftway," as the green lane connecting two
portions of the Forest is called. The fence which formerly shut off the woodland
and lake of Higham Park having been recently removed, the whole becomes an
integral part of the forest, the average width of the belt of land being 150 yards.
Mr. E. N. Buxton (Verderer) was to have led the party, but a letter from him
was read expressing regret for his unavoidable absence. Mr, Andrew Johnston
(Chairman of the Essex County Council) kindly acted as cicerone, and gave some
account of how the purchase of the woodland and lake came about. Mr. Johnston
said that he had the pleasure on the 17th of May last, at a meeting in the Forest,
of making the first public announcement to the Club of the project Mr. Buxton
entertained about this addition to Epping Forest, a project which he thought
they would all say had been most satisfactorily accomplished. He thought they
would all agree with him that to Mr. Buxton belonged the credit of having, with
indomitable resolution, carried the scheme through.
[The proceedings in connection with this important acquisition were alluded to
in the last volume of the Essex Naturalist (vol. iv. pp. 127 and 230) and the
matter forms the subject of a separate article in the present number.]
At the entrance to the Driftway, Mr. Johnston pointed out the ugly elbow of
land belonging to the Walthamstow Charity Trustees, which abutted into the
green lane, and would considerably mar its beauty. If about half an acre of this
land could be acquired, it would be possible to make a nice bend, and Mr. Buxton
hoped eventually to be able to make this improvement.
Mr. W. Cole read, from the "Rolls of the Court of Attachments of the Royal
Forest of Waltham," several references to the enclosure of the "Sale," showing
that the land recently thrown out was in a sense a restoration, it having originally
been part of the Forest of Waltham (vide the article in the present number).
The lake and woodland having been inspected and much admired as a charm-
ing and useful addition to the Forest, the party walked by Chingford Lane, skirting
"Hatch Plain" and the "Lops" to Woodford Green, where, at the kind invitation
of Mr. Johnston, a halt was made at the "Wilfrid Lawson" Temperance Hotel
for refreshment. Then the ramble was continued through the very pretty forest-
land to the west of Woodford, over "Rushy Plain" and by "Gilbert Slade" in
search of the usual "high tea," which was served at the "Eagle Hotel," Snares-
brook.
In the evening the 123rd Ordinary (and Special) Meeting was held in the
Drummond Room, Wanstead, Mr. E. A. Fitch, President, in the chair.
The following were elected members of the Club: Messrs. S. T. Taylor, M.B.,
Thomas Tyrer, F.C.S., F.I.C, and Frederick West, C.C.
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