Allen's Green

Chigwell Row Wood

Chigwell Row · 14 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.

Highams Park Boating Lake

Highams Park · 16 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.

Raphael Park

Gidea Park · 16 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.

Trent Park

Oakwood · 16 miles

The expanse of Trent Park stretches across roughly 320 hectares of green within the Metropolitan Green Belt, positioned near the Oakwood district of north London. The landscape forms part of a conservation area and holds a Grade II entry on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. Central to the grounds stands the former country house, itself a Grade II listed building together with several statues, an orangery and other ancillary structures that survive from the original estate. Historically the site originated in the fourteenth-century hunting grounds of Enfield Chase and later hosted a succession of private owners before becoming a secret World War II prisoner-of-war centre where covert recordings of German officers were made. After the war the house formed the Trent Park campus of Middlesex University until the campus was vacated in October 2012. The surrounding parkland has been known as Trent Country Park since 1973 and currently accommodates the Southgate Hockey Centre, a sports ground, and a building that formerly housed an indoor tennis court for royalty before being converted into a sports hall. A developer’s 2017 permission allows 262 new homes to be built on the former university site, with plans to retain the historic house and to house a museum on its lower floors. Visitors to the park can observe the listed mansion, its ornamental gardens and the Orangery, while the open fields support organised sport at the hockey centre. The nearest settlement is Oakwood, and the park’s status within the green belt and conservation area ensures its landscape remains largely unchanged despite recent redevelopment proposals.

Pages Wood

Harold Wood · 17 miles

Pages Wood is a 74 hectare wood and public park in Harold Wood in the London Borough of Havering. It is the largest Forestry England site in the Thames Chase Community Forest, and 100,000 trees have been planted since it opened in 2002. It also has meadow areas, 6.5 kilometres of footpaths and 2.2 kilometres of bridlepaths.

Havering Museum

Romford · 17 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.