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Report of Committee on the
exposed part of the fortification. We are sorry to report that,
in the course of the construction of a recently designed
"Green Ride" through the Forest, a considerable portion of
the western glacis has been cut away, and the original
appearance of the rampart at that spot completely destroyed.
The position of the camp is remarkable; and, considered
from a military point of view, it is perhaps the most
advantageous in the whole Forest district. It occupies the
southern headland of an elevated plateau, many parts of
which are densely wooded. From the southern side of the
camp an extensive view may be had looking towards the
south-east, bounded by the Kentish hills beyond the Thames.
The Lea Valley to the west is shut out by the long ridge
forming High Beech, which is higher than the ground occu-
pied by the camp. At the northern angle of the camp the
elevation is about 310 feet above the Ordnance datum. The
ground gradually trends away towards the southern rampart,
and then suddenly dips down to Debden Slade, a low marshy
valley distant about 1000 feet to the south, and the level of
which is only 160 feet above datum, showing a fall of about
120 feet from the southern aspect of the camp, or 150 feet
from the higher plateau ground at the northern end. From
the western side the ground descends even more abruptly to
form a smaller valley, the levels showing a fall of about
70 feet. This valley falls to the south to join Debden Slade.
From the north-west corner of the camp the higher ground
forms a headland to this valley, and is continued for a
distance equal to about half the length of the camp into a
spur towards the south. This tongue of land, being some
10 feet higher than the western rampart, and running almost
parallel with it, may possibly have been originally included
in the plan of the fortification; but any evidences of en-
trenchment have probably suffered so much from recent
gravel diggings, that no safe conclusions can be drawn
therefrom. Mr. Cowper, however, thought he could trace a
lower trenching round the head of the valley, continuing for
some distance along the crest of the spur.
The high plateau ground, from which this spur springs, is