Here is another lovely story we have received recently. Thank you, Margaret!
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Magaret’s story
I want to emphasise just how important the “lung of London” is to so many people.
I’m just entering my 80th year and have lived close to Epping Forest for most of my life. I remember as a young child being regularly walked to Epping Forest by my dad. At the time we lived in Chingford Avenue and would access the Forest from Endleberry Road via Organ Lane to The Ridgeway, from there we would take the footpath between Chingford Police Station and The Kings Head pub which lead to Woodberry Way and onto Pole Hill. Although perhaps not one of the most well known places in the Forest it has an interesting history as the site of a former brick quarry and the fact that Lawrence of Arabia owned some land at the top of the hill and lived there for a while prior to his death following a motorbike accident. Some of the fruit trees planted in his garden area remained for several years.
In my younger days I remember the concrete remains of wartime gun placements situated there on the top of the hill. I remember too, at the bottom of the hill on The Plains opposite Forest View, on what is now the golf course, there were a number of prisoner of war huts. There is, of course, the Greenwich Meantime Meridian obelisk on the hill and subsequently, a smaller version was erected, a few metres away, as the original was found to be in the wrong place!
I’ve always loved Pole Hill as it was an excellent site for sledging in the winter and riding my bike in “the dips” in the summer, which I think is now no longer allowed. In the “old” days the view of London from the top of the hill was quite spectacular but much of this has disappeared since the surrounding trees have grown in height.
Another memory I treasure was riding my bike with my dad through the tracks in the Forest to The Owl Public House at Lippetts Hill. We used to sit in their garden with our refreshments, where I was always intrigued by the sign which read “Do not feed the water otter” which was situated above a metal tank with a chain that disappeared into the water. On pulling up the chain, which you couldn’t resist doing, what would appear but a kettle. I believe it’s still there to this day.
I have so many memories of the Forest which I treasure and, although not up to the walking I once did, still drive regularly through the Forest and never tire of the constant change in scene and still can’t make my mind up which is my favourite season.
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