James Ravinet and I led two free guided-walks this summer from Highams Park to the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge in Chingford. This short yet abundant 2-mile forest walk will take you via the meandering flow of the river Ching, through Hatch Forest and Whitehall Plain and onwards to the ancient trees of Barn Hoppit. The walk concludes at the Epping Forest Visitor Centre by the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge in Chingford.
‘Follow the Forest’ is a new project exploring the unique ecology, land rights and history of Epping Forest. The project draws inspiration from the organised protest and lobbying that led to the Epping Forest Act 1878, and the many residents, community groups and organisations that have succeeded in protecting the vitality of the forest environment ever since. With its protection enshrined in law, the forest is a rich ecosystem of wildlife and heritage that provides respite, meaning and exploration for residents and visitors alike.
During these walks, we will follow the forest to explore and observe the natural environment, registering the layering of social histories, governance and ecologies that converge along the way.
Walk 1: Saturday 31st August, contributors included Gordon Turpin from The Highams Park Planning Group (HPPG), Robyn Lammiman from Epping Forest Heritage Trust (EFHT) and Gary Stone from Chingford Historical Society, who each provided us with an insight into their work and knowledge around Epping Forest.
Photos by Christina Ravinet
Walk 2: Saturday 7th September contributors included Gordon Turpin from The Highams Park Planning Group (HPPG), Amy Liu from Epping Forest Heritage Trust (EFHT), Janet Laban from Ching Brook Action Group and local historian Georgina Green, who each provided us with an insight into their work and knowledge around Epping Forest.
Photos by Philippa Stewart
Illustration and Design by artist Philippa Stewart
Follow the Forest made possible by Waltham Forest Council’s Make It Happen grants programme.
Fallen tree at Highams Park, April 2024. Photo: Shaun C. Badham.
Follow the Forest is a new project by artists Shaun C Badham and James Ravinet exploring the unique ecology, land rights and history of Epping Forest. The project draws inspiration from a historic walking path that traverses the green spaces of Waltham Forest, first established in 1978 to mark 100 years of the Epping Forest Act 1878. Concentrating on a small 2-mile stretch of the route from Highams Park to the Royal Hunting Lodge in Chingford, the walk passes the London-Essex boundary line, ancient woodlands and open spaces that were once the subject of organised protest and lobbying in a bid to protect them from enclosures and development of the land. With its protection now enshrined in law, the undulating forest is a rich ecosystem of wildlife and heritage that provides respite, meaning and exploration for residents and visitors alike. Comprising a series of free public guided-walks and associated audio-work taking place later this year, participants are invited to follow the forest to explore and observe the natural environment, registering the layering of social histories, governance and ecologies that converge along the way.
‘Follow the Forest’ emerges from an earlier project titled ‘Marking the Land’ (2023), which sought to explore the preservation of public rights of way along The Essex Way; an 81-mile long waymarked route from Epping Forest to Harwich, Essex. The route was first established by students from Chelmsford Technical College in 1972, but made accessible and popularised thanks to the voluntary work of the West Essex Ramblers. This same group has strong ties to Epping Forest, working alongside conservation and community groups to uphold the protection of the forest, and maintaining or promoting walking routes in the area. In this sense, the walking route and project is indicative of how access to greenspaces can connect us, both literally and historically, promoting shared values and cultures associated with upholding the protection of access to greenspaces.
Highams Park, April 2024. Photo Shaun C. Badham