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Chigwell Row Wood

Chigwell Row · 0.6 miles

Chigwell Row Wood is a 14.1 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Chigwell in Epping Forest district, Essex. It is owned by The Chigwell Row Recreation Ground Charity, of which the district council are the trustees, and managed by council staff and volunteers.

Valence House

Becontree · 3.7 miles

A timber-framed building surrounded partly by a historic moat now serves as a museum in Valence Park, off Becontree Avenue in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The structure, the sole survivor of five manor houses that once stood in Dagenham, dates back to the 13th century and has accommodated a manor, a family residence, a town hall and the borough’s library headquarters before its current role. Listed at Grade II* since 1954, the house lies within a 27.8-acre park that was created from the former estate after its purchase by the local council in 1926. The museum presents permanent displays focused on the history and everyday life of Barking and Dagenham, including material from the 1945 Becontree Estate, and it regularly hosts special events and school visits. A 2018 exhibition showcased restored film-making models from the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, a project inspired by local resident Alan Friswell and funded by the borough council. Following extensive refurbishment funded partly by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the venue reopened in June 2010 with a new archive and local studies centre. Admission is free; wheelchair access is limited, and opening hours are listed on the museum’s website. The site is managed by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and work on the moat received National Lottery Heritage Fund support in February 2026.

Bedfords Park

Chase Cross · 3.7 miles

Spanning roughly 215 acres of mixed parkland and deciduous wood, Bedfords Park lies on a south-facing slope near Havering-atte-Bower in the London Borough of Havering, with Chase Cross as the nearest settlement. The terrain rises to about 110 metres above sea level, offering outlooks across east London and the River Thames towards Kent. A ridge capped by chalky boulder clay supports the Round Pond, while the park narrows at the crest and widens as it descends southwards, creating a varied natural setting that has earned it designation as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and a local nature reserve. The area originated from the medieval Bedfords and Earls estates, linked to families such as de Bedford in the late 13th century and later to the Arundel earldom. Ownership passed through figures including Thomas Cooke, future Lord Mayor of London, and the Heaton family, who rebuilt the house as a two-storey brick mansion before it fell into disuse. Romford Urban District Council acquired the land in 1933, opened it to the public the following year and established a natural-history museum and a herd of red deer. During the Second World War the house served the Auxiliary Fire Service, later becoming council archives before being demolished in 1959; the surviving stable block and an avenue of mature horse chestnut trees trace the former lane. A visitor centre, now operated by the Essex Wildlife Trust, occupies the mansion’s former site, while the historic Queen Anne Oak, removed in the late 1980s, was replaced by a commemorative planting. Access is provided by a vehicle entrance on Broxhill Road to the north, pedestrian routes from Lower Bedfords Road on the southern edge, and a permissive footpath from Orange Tree Hill. The park is managed by Havering Council, and the visitor centre offers information and facilities, though no specific admission charges are recorded. The Green Flag Award recognised its standards from 2007 through at least 2013.

Havering Museum

Romford · 3.7 miles

The former Ind Coope Romford Brewery now accommodates a local museum that records the history and artefacts of the five towns forming the London Borough of Havering. Situated in Romford, the building is one of the few remaining reminders of the area’s brewing past and offers separate displays for Havering-atte-Bower, Hornchurch, Romford, Rainham and Upminster. Visitors can explore the permanent exhibition as well as temporary shows that illustrate the borough’s development. The museum originated from the initiative of local historian Ian Wilkes, who established the Friends of Havering Museum in 2000. After a partnership with the borough council in 2008 and a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the museum opened its doors in May 2010. It is entirely volunteer-run, with a core team of around 30 people handling collections, education, front-of-house duties and administration, supported by interns. Facilities include a Learning Zone and an Exhibition Room at opposite ends of the building, both available for school groups and community organisations, and a small shop selling related items. Opening times are published on the museum’s listing, and the venue is self-funded, relying on donations and volunteer effort. Access is straightforward from Romford town centre, and the museum provides a modest space for learning and local heritage.

Raphael Park

Gidea Park · 3.7 miles

A stretch of green lies north of the railway line that runs between Romford and Gidea Park, forming part of a chain of parks that run in that direction. The southern gateway opens onto Main Road – once called Hare Street – while the northern entry sits just south of the A12 Eastern Avenue. Along the western edge the park follows Black’s Brook, which was dammed before the park’s creation to produce Black’s Canal, a lake ranging from 12 to 20 ft in depth. The dam sits beside the eighteenth-century Black’s Bridge, which still carries Main Road across the water. Within the grounds the lake supports angling, and a bandstand occupies the southern sector. Near the lake’s far end a rockery provides a setting for the Romford Summer Theatre. The open area expands eastwards to hold football pitches in winter, cricket pitches in summer, and sunken tennis courts whose level reflects historic sand extraction for nearby housing. A children’s play area, remodelled in 2009, lies north of the courts; the site previously held water known locally as the “Spoon Pond”. Two ancient pedunculate oaks, recorded by the Woodland Trust, survive among the mature woodland and grassland. The park takes its name from Sir Herbert Raphael MP, who presented the land to Romford Urban District in 1904, and it features a statue of Percy the Park Keeper, inspired by a real keeper who worked here. Admission is free and the park is accessible from both Main Road and the A12 frontage.

Highams Park Boating Lake

Highams Park · 4.3 miles

The lake, created in the early 19th century when landscape gardener Humphry Repton redirected the River Ching, forms the water-centre of Highams Park in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Repton’s 1793 plan turned a flood-prone site into the present lake, which later became part of the grounds of the Manor of Highams – a house built in 1768 and subsequently used as a Crimean-War hospital before becoming Woodford County High School for Girls. The water feature was opened to the public in the late 19th century and now lies within the larger parkland that borders Woodford Green and the Highams Estate. Boating has been a long-standing activity on the lake, with an “old boathouse” serving the community for more than a century. The building is currently leased from the Corporation of London by the Waltham Forest South District Scouts, who have restored it for use by local sailing clubs. Historically the lake hosted child-size Flies built by club owner Ken Ford and larger yachts such as the Moth IV; a 1970s appearance on the BBC programme *Blue Peter* highlighted a large yacht being lifted from the boathouse for a sea transfer. Recent engineering reports have classified the lake as a Category A reservoir, prompting plans to raise the dam while preserving Repton’s landscape design. The lake is identified on OpenStreetMap as a natural water feature near the Highams Park neighbourhood, and can be reached on foot from the surrounding residential area. As a public amenity, it does not require an admission charge, and the adjacent park provides open access for walkers and visitors.