Runwell

Upminster Tithe Barn

Cranham · 12 miles

The Upminster Tithe Barn is a historic building and scheduled monument located in Upminster in the London Borough of Havering, London, England. It is a medieval agricultural building originating from around 1450. It was used as a grange barn until the dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540. Passing into private ownership, agricultural use continued up until the suburbanisation of the area in the 20th century. It has been in local authority ownership since 1937. It was used to house a small museum from 1976 to 2024. As of June 2025, the building is vacant and under renovation.

Pages Wood

Harold Wood · 12 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.

Dagnam Park

Harold Hill · 12 miles

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

Upminster Windmill

Upminster Bridge · 13 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.

Bedfords Park

Chase Cross · 14 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.

RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre

Havering · 14 miles

The former RAF Hornchurch sector station, now presented through the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre, lies in the parish of Hornchurch within the London Borough of Havering, southeast of Romford. Designated as a history museum, the centre offers insight into the airfield’s evolution from its origins as Sutton’s Farm during the First World War to its closure in 1962. Visitors can trace the development of the site from the 1915 establishment of the London Air Defence Area, when the landing ground first hosted BE2c aircraft, through its re-opening in 1928 as a key fighter station defending London and the Thames corridor. Exhibits illustrate the succession of squadrons that operated from the field, including 39 (Home Defence) Squadron, 78 Squadron and later units that took part in the Battle of Britain and the Dieppe Raid. The centre highlights the actions of pilots such as Lt William Leefe Robinson, VC, and Lt Wulstan Tempest, DSO, whose interceptions of enemy airships are commemorated in local street names. Displays also cover the airfield’s role in cross-channel operations, the deployment of barrage balloons in 1944, and its final use as a marshalling base. The heritage centre is listed on OpenStreetMap as a museum of historical type, with Havering identified as the nearest town for visitors planning their journey.