when an area was illegally enclosed and cropped. In recent years (including 1991), Buckhurst Hill
Green, Woodford Green, Fairmead and Copped Hall Green have been cut: in most cases the hay has
been baled.
Not all the grasslands are undisturbed. Chingford Plain was an arable field in the late 19th century,
having been enclosed. On the enclosure map of 1877 it is shown as enclosure 470, 496 and 497 (see
page 50). Enclosure 497 included a barn (now the Butler's Retreat) which was presumably used as a
base from which the land was cultivated. The previously mentioned enclosure did not stretch quite as
far as the Ching Brook and in the vicinity of TQ 403949 is a small strip of relict ancient grassland
which escaped cultivation, with species such as Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum). Field Woodrush
(Luzula campestris), Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) and Spiny Restharrow (Ononis spinosa). In the
recent past Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) grew here as well. In common with many ungrazed
grasslands in the Forest, Chingford Plain is invaded by scrub and the coarser herbs. The invading
scrub is mainly Oak and Common Hawthorn, with a few other species such as Elder, Rose, Crab
Apple, Blackthorn and a few Gorse bushes. With the exception of Gorse, these species are fairly
consistently recorded as invading the Forest's neutral grasslands. Another problem species is the
Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia caespitosa) which comes to dominate the sward of grasslands which
are no longer, or are only lightly, grazed. It shades out less competitive species of plants. In the past
I would guess that the fertility of the neutral grasslands was maintained largely by the dunging of
grazing animals. However, in 1960, following complaints by residents about straying cattle, some of
the Forest grasslands, among them Whitehall Plain. Chingford Plain, Yardley Hill and Fairmead, were
fertilised in an effort to improve the grazing. The experiment, however, was not considered to be a
success and fortunately was not repeated. A list of plants typical of the Forest's neutral grasslands
today is given in Table 3.
In the past, the Forest's neutral grasslands. I suspect, had a rather richer flora. Richard Warner (1771)
wrote of the Harebell'... On the Forest everywhere'. It is now seen only in one or two places. To take
a specific site, Whitehall Plain, there are old records mainly collected by the late Bernard Ward of:
Meadow Rue (Thalictrum flavum). 1929; Barberry (Berberis vulgaris). 1935: Meadow Cranesbill
(Geranium pratense), 1935; Burnet Saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga). 1952; Dyer's Greenweed
(Genista tinctoria). 1953 and Betony (Stachys betonica), recorded from the Ching Brook area in 1941.
I have not seen any of these species on Whitehall Plain in recent years, although Dyer's Greenweed.
Meadow Cranesbill and Burnet Saxifrage can still be seen elsewhere in the Forest. Perhaps the richest
neutral grassland site in the Forest is that on Yardley Hill. In pH it is probably to the calcareous side
of neutral (Yardley Hill has a capping of chalky boulder clay). There is a past record (c. 1941) from
this site of Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) (EN XXVII p. 166). Yardley Hill has old-grassland
indicator species, such as Burnet Saxifrage and Pepper Saxifrage (Silaum silaus). It also has many,
possibly hundreds, of Lasius flavus ant-hills, another feature of old grasslands. Yardley Hill was
cleared of scrub in about 1976, but within 15 years, in the absence of any management, scrub once
again covers some two-thirds of the Hill, threatening the narrow belt of open grassland at the base of
the hill (Plate 30). It is to be hoped that some management will be undertaken to check the advancing
scrub. The scrub contains much Hawthorn and Oak. with lesser numbers of trees such as Field Maple,
English Elm (suckers) and Ash. Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Field Rose (R. arvensis) are frequent
species on the Forest grasslands. The Hairy-leaved Dog Rose (R. dumetorum) has been recorded from
Epping Long Green (it may be merely a form of R. canina) and one rarity noted by Burton (1983)
from the Forest is Rosa sherardii.
One plant typical of the old neutral grasslands is Adders Tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum), a small
fern. Although very inconspicuous and often difficult to find, it has noticeably declined in the Forest.
There are old records from Monk Wood, Baldwins Hill, Chingford Plain. Lippitts Hill and the Ching
Brook. I have seen it only twice in the Forest, a few in grassland opposite the Robin Hood Inn and a
large swarm of about 240 plants in an area of recently cleared scrub not far from the Warren Wood
Inn in 1988. Meadow Barley (Hordeum secalinum) is also rather uncommon in the Forest's grasslands,
but it does occur in the old Fairmead Lodge enclosure on Fairmead Bottom.
Some Forest grasslands are slightly calcareous, due mostly to the presence of chalky boulder.
Yardley Hill has been mentioned already. Clematis (Clematis vitalba) is found on the crown of the
Hill and there are old records of Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare) (EN XIX p.229) from the Lower
Forest. A few Cowslips (Primula veris) are still to be found growing on a shady bank here. They are
also to be found at Epping Long Green on a boundary bank and formerly were known from Ludgate
Plain.
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