28
EPPING FOREST
lightened view of their duty, but a legal difficulty
intervened. While the law allowed Local Author-
ities to purchase land for recreation purposes,
there was no provision under which they could
contribute to the cost of land to be purchased,
and owned by some outside body. In this
dilemma the writer sought the advice of the Local
Government Board. From Sir Hugh Owen the
permanent under-secretary of that department, he
received sympathetic aid. A Local Government
" Omnibus " Bill was then passing through Parlia-
ment. It was then August, and the Bill had
in fact reached the House of Lords and passed
the second reading. It might be possible, even
at that late stage, to introduce a clause legalising
the action we proposed, provided we were not
opposed. This was in fact done, and the clause
passed both Houses without challenge. Thus
new legislation was actually designed and carried
within a period of ten days at the end of a
session. This triumph was exclusively due to Sir
Hugh Owen and the Rt. Hon. C. T. Ritchie, who
piloted the Bill. It was followed by the generous
contribution by the Corporation of London of the
remaining moiety of the purchase money, and on
the 5th Feb. 1891 the land became a corporate
portion of Epping Forest.
Returning to the route, the gravel path conducts
along the south side of the lake [the opposite side
is an agreeable alternative] and finally emerges on
the tops, the open grass slope which separates
Woodford village from Chingford Hatch, and which
is now the resort of scarlet-coated golfers.
The upper portion of the slope commands a
striking view over the valley of the Lea. The
stream of the Ching may be followed up on either
side. Its right bank, i.e. its left looking up
stream, is prettily wooded, but the other affords
the driest and soundest walking after wet weather.
Immediately after passing Whitehall Road Bridge,
which must be crossed if one is on the right of
the stream, leave the latter and pass close to the
right of Forestside Cottages. Passing through the