annex to a public house (one of which later expanded into a "Retreat")
and one described as a "Retreat" in Buckhurst Hill; fourteen tea
gardens and one Retreat in Chingford, although the last was actually
in Woodford Wells parish; eleven tea gardens and one Retreat at High
Beach; six tea gardens and one Retreat at Loughton; ten tea gardens
and one Retreat at Woodford. There were also similar facilities in
Leyton, Leytonstone, Walthamstow, Snaresbrook and Wanstead
which presumably provided for those who visited the southern parts
of the forest or perhaps for those whose energy had flagged before
reaching their intended destination or conversely for those who needed
food and refreshment on the homeward route.
The small cottage tea gardens were as varied in character, in the
standard of the food supplied and in the service and facilities available
as their distribution. Generally they supplied a pot of tea, bread and
butter, watercress in season (always called "creases") jam and slices
of fruit or plain cake or rock-cakes for the modest sum of ninepence or
one shilling a head. The seating in the garden was on rustic style
benches placed at similar tables. A tablecloth covered the table but
one sometimes felt that this could well have been changed more often.
A number of the cottage tea gardens were quite happy to supply a pot
of tea to accompany the packed meal brought by the visitor, or even
to supply boiling water for the party to brew their own tea. Should
the weather turn wet the cottager would either accommodate the
visitors in shed-like structures or within the cottage. The main reason
why the catering was for teas was because most people had to work
on Saturday mornings and so the visit to the forest was confined to
the afternoon and evening of that day. Sunday visits to the forest, too,
were largely afternoon and evening occasions as the family mid-day
meal on that day was still of regular observance. Incidentally, a number
of the refreshment places made it quite clear that they were not open
on Sunday.
The advent of railway travel transferred most of the passenger
traffic from the roads to the railways and the inns and public-houses
had sustained a serious diminution in the amount of their trade. The
line to Norwich via Cambridge and Ely in 1845 and that via Colchester
and Ipswich in 1849 had an adverse effect on the road traffic and
consequently upon the inns. Epping on one of the main roads to these
places and which at one time had twenty-six inns and public-houses
had only fourteen by 1866 which was one less than the town had in
1631.
In the 1870's the inns and public-houses were almost the only
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