Buildings and other structures within Parks
disparked in phases - it survived in part as a deer park into the 18th century, but was gone completely
by 1777.
Nazeing Wood, emparked in 1542 for £132, had a lodge and standing built for the sum of just £13
15s l/2d. Obviously these two buildings were not meant to be as enduring as the famous 'Queen
Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge' - a standing built for Henry Vill when he emparked 'Fayremeade' near
Chingford in Epping Forest in 1542. The cost of paling, parokes and standing(s) is stated as £1,500.
The standing was a partly open building from where the King and his guests could view a ritual
hunt. The parokes are an enclosure where deer were kept before being driven towards the standing
to he slaughtered by the King and his retinue. Fairmead Park and nearby Waltham Park were just
two of numerous parks created by Henry VIII in the later years of his life. Many had a very brief
life - Fairmead probably only 12 years, Waltham even less; started in 1542, it was still being
constructed in 1543 and was disparked in 1548, a year after Henry's death.
In 1543 the lodge of Waltham Park was under construction, being built adjacent to the park gate.
There are records of payments to bricklayers raising walls and building chimneys and to carpenters
making the timber frame. The nearby Waltham Abbey was obviously being demolished, as there
are payments for carting 'olde timber' out of the 'cherche yeard' for re-use in the construction of
the lodge.
One intriguing reference in the accounts is to the making of twelve 'sawpitts in the olde park'. The
sawpits were probably for cutting logs into usable structural timber and planking for floors - the
old park is possibly a smaller, earlier park - Cantor mentions a Waltham Park of 1335 owned by the
Waltham Monks, or it is possibly a reference to nearby Harold Park (extant c.1200) and also
owned by the Abbey (Public Records Office). Lodge Farmhouse at Galleywood, a 13* century
building, is said to be a lodge and standing combined, later converted to a farmhouse.
Although many parks have disappeared almost without trace, there are numerous clues to (lie possible
existence of a former park. The names Park Farm or Lodge Farm are frequent and also the park and
lodge element recorded in field names is also very common. The probable lodge near Stansted
Airport discussed earlier, lias the name Park Barn Field and also Bury Lodge and Little Bury
Lodge Farm nearby, indicating again the possible origin of the building.
Lord Braybrooke (1836) refers to an "ancient Hunting-tower" demolished to make way for the
Robert Adam designed 'Temple of Victory' (1771 - 1772) on Ring Hill, an Iron Age hill fort
overlooking Audley End. This may have been a very early hunt viewing platform, similar in design
and function to the extant Cage at Lyme Park in Cheshire, or the stand at Chatsworth, the latter
being built about 1582 for Bess of Hardwick. As such, it may well have been unique in Essex.
Bodies of water are a recurring feature of many parks, presumably originally constructed to water
livestock (sheep and cattle, as well as deer). The medieval love of multiple land uses may have
caused some of these to become fish-ponds as well. There are numerous references to the fish-pond
in Havering Park. In 1232. Simon de Evcrdon. Archdeacon of Chester, was granted 40 bream to
stock his fish-pond at Aungre (Ongar). On the same date, a further 180 bream were granted to
various other individuals (carp had not yet been introduced to Britain). Also in 1232, the King's
fisherman was sent to Havering with six casks (dolia) to pick-up bream to stock the King's fish-
ponds in London.
Essex Parks: Section 1 - Parks in Essex
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