Ardleigh Green

Pages Wood

Harold Wood · 1.2 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.

Raphael Park

Gidea Park · 1.2 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.

Havering Museum

Romford · 1.9 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.

Upminster Windmill

Upminster Bridge · 1.9 miles

A smock mill of considerable age stands on the edge of Upminster Bridge, its four-storey tower and single-storey brick base dominating the local skyline. Designated a Grade II* listed building, the windmill was erected in 1803 for James Nokes of Hunt’s Farm and originally drove three pairs of millstones with four common sails. Over the following decades steam power was introduced, the number of millstones expanded to six, and the mill passed through the hands of the Nokes and Abraham families before being acquired by the county council in the late 1930s. A 35-year lease was granted to the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust in 2004, and a restoration programme between 2016 and 2023 returned the mill to working order and added a visitor centre. The structure comprises a 52-foot-high smock on a brick base, a boat-shaped cap with an external gallery, and a six-bladed fantail that automatically turns the cap into the wind. Four patent sails are mounted on a cast-iron windshaft, and the internal machinery drives four pairs of millstones – three of French Burr and one of Peak – by wind alone. The visitor centre, built alongside the mill during the recent restoration, is open to the public at selected times, allowing guests to view the restored sails and learn about the mill’s engineering. Access is via the surrounding footpaths; no admission fee or on-site car park is mentioned in the available information.

Dagnam Park

Harold Hill · 2.5 miles

Dagnam Park is a public park located in Harold Hill in the London Borough of Havering.

The Chase Local Nature Reserve

Rush Green · 2.5 miles

The Chase lies on the edge of Dagenham, straddling the River Rom which marks the boundary between the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Havering. Most of the site falls within Barking and Dagenham, with a smaller portion in Havering, and both councils own the land. Management is carried out by the Barking & Dagenham Parks & Countryside Ranger Service, and each borough has classified its part as a Local Nature Reserve. Together with the adjoining Eastbrookend Country Park the area is recognised as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. Formerly a gravel-extraction pit, the reserve now contains a mixture of wetland, grassland and woodland habitats. Birdlife is diverse: the River Rom supports kingfishers and a recorded total of 190 species, including skylarks, little ringed plovers and lapwings. Around three hundred green parakeets are resident, their calls becoming prominent at sunset. Mammals such as water voles, badgers and slow worms are also present, alongside great crested newts in the aquatic zones. The reserve holds six of the roughly six hundred female black poplars, Britain’s rarest native tree, and the dry acid grasslands support several uncommon plant species. Parts of the site are grazed by horses, contributing to habitat variation. Visitors can reach the wooded strip north of The Chase road via a footpath that runs from Roneo Corner, opposite Rom Valley Way, across the Havering side of the river. A second footpath follows the west bank from Dagenham Road to The Chase road. The southern, lake-rich area borders Eastbrookend Country Park and connects to Beam Valley Country Park by a footbridge over a railway line. Access is on foot; no admission charge is mentioned.