129 



THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



Mi'KTrNC, rx Higuam I\\kk, Hpping Fokest, and 123KI) Okdinakv 



Meeting. 



Saturday, March 2ist, iSgr. 



A Field Meeting was held this afternoon (previous to the Ordinary Meeting 

 in the evening) to allow of an inspection of the portion of Highani Park, near 

 Walthamstow and Woodford, recently added to the Forest. 



The members assembled at Hale End Station about three o'clock, and walked 

 through the pretty village to the " Driftwa}'," as the green lane connecting two 

 portions of the Forest is called. The fence which formerly shut off the woodland 

 and lake of Higham Park having been recently removed, the whole becomes an 

 integral part of the forest, the average width of the belt of land being 150 yards. 



Mr. E. N. Buxton (V^erderer) was to have led the party, but a letter from him 

 was read expressing regret for his unavoidable absence. Mr. Andrew Johnston 

 (Chairman of the Essex County Council) kindly acted as cicerone^ and gave some 

 account of how the purchase of the woodland and lake came about. Mr. Johnston 

 said that he had the pleasure on the 17th of May last, at a meeting in the Forest, 

 of making the first public announcement to the Club of the project Mr. Buxton 

 entertained about this addition to Epping Forest, a project which he thought 

 they would all say had been most satisfactorily accomplished. He thought they 

 would all agree with him that to Mr. Buxton belonged the credit of having, with 

 indomitable resolution, carried the scheme through. 



[The proceedings in connection with this important acquisition were alluded to 

 in the last volume of the ESSEX N.\TUKALIST (vol. iv. pp. 127 and 230) and the 

 matter forms the subject of a separate article in the present number.] 



At the entrance to the Driftway, Mr. Johnston pointed out the ugly elbow of 

 land belonging to the Walthamstow Charity Trustees, which abutted into the 

 green lane, and would considerably mar its beauty. If about half an acre of this 

 land could be acquired, it would be possible to make a nice bend, and Mr. Buxton 

 hoped eventually to be able to make this improvement. 



Mr. W. Cole read, from the " Rolls of the Court of Attachments of the Royal 

 Forest of Waltham," several references to the enclosure of the " Sale," showing 

 that the land recently thrown out was in a sense a restoration, it having originally 

 been part of the Forest of Waltham {;inde the article in the present number). 



The lake and woodland having been inspected and much admired as a charm- 

 ing and useful addition to the Forest, the party walked by Chingford Lane, skirting 

 " Hatch Plain " and the " Lops " to Woodford Green, where, at the kind invitation 

 of Mr. Johnston, a halt was made at the " Wilfrid Lawson " Temperance Hotel 

 for refreshment. Then the ramble was continued through the very pretty forest- 

 land to the west of Woodford, over " Rushy Plain " and b}' "Gilbert Slade " in 

 search of the usual " high tea," which was served at the " Eagle Hotel," Snares- 

 brook. 



In the evening the 123rd Ordinary (and Special) Meeting was held in the 

 Drummond Room, Wanstead, Mr. E. A. Fitch, President, in the chair. 



The following were elected members of the Club : Messrs. S. T. Taylor, .M.B., 

 Thomas Tyrer, F.C.S., F.I.C., and Frederick West, C.C. 



I ; 



