History of Hainault

Steeped in history, rich in wildlife and just half an hour from England’s capital, visiting Hainault is an unmissable experience.

Ancient trees

Ten thousand oaks of one hundred years are no substitute for one five hundred year old oak tree’. Oliver Rackham

Ancient trees are nature’s cathedrals. They play host to a huge array of organisms, play a colourful role in our culture and are a stunning asset to our landscapes.

The ancient trees at Hainault Forest are very special. The forest has many  hornbeams and English oaks that have been there for hundreds of years.

These bestow the wood with character and are loved by the wildlife, providing nesting holes for birds such as woodpeckers, owls and nuthatches.

Traditionally, these trees have had their branches regularly cut for firewood and charcoal. This type of cutting or pollarding creates a distinctive ancient woodland landscape that the Woodland Trust is working to maintain for future generations

When you visit Hainault, take time to admire its historic ancient trees and, if you feel as passionately about them as we do, join the Ancient Tree Hunt.

From middle ages to present day

The King’s Forest

The existence of Hainault Forest was first recorded in Norman times during the reign of Edward the Confessor in the 11th century, when large areas of Britain was put under Forest Law.
 
The Law stated the King had exclusive rights to the game at Hainault and the woods yielded a rich source of venison, with roe deer providing entertainment for hunters.

In these times, poaching was punishable by death and merely disturbing game could lead to a sentence of blinding or maiming. In reality fines were demanded in most cases, helping to line the royal coffers.

But local people did have rights to use the land to meet essential needs like cutting firewood and feeding livestock. The pollarding practises being reintroduced today had been the normal way of working the trees for centuries

The early landscape of the Forest was characterised by these pollarded trees amidst a relatively open grazed landscape rather than the thick woodland we see today.

A refuge from the Plague

By the 17th century, the enforcement of Forest Law had slackened and Daniel Dafoe noted in his Diary of a Plague Year that many lived wild in Hainault, seeking refuge from the ravages of the plague.

The Forest began to be seen as a lawless wasteland with illegal enclosures constantly changing the boundaries and poaching and theft of timber rife.

The demise of Hainault

In 1851, an Act of Parliament led to the enclosure and disafforestation of the Forest. This meant the removal of ancient laws protecting the monarch’s deer and so nearly 779 hectares (1,900 acres) were given to the Crown to compensate for lack of revenue.

Soon after, trees were grubbed up from an area covering around 1,215 hectares (3,000 acres) to make way for farmland.

Public outrage followed; many believe it sowed the seeds for the conservation movement that exists today.

Saving the Forest

Many feared the destruction of Hainault would signal a similar fate for nearby Epping Forest and the campaign to save Epping brought with it passionate calls to rescue what remained of Hainault.

In the early 20th century, West London was seeing a population explosion and it became clear more open space was necessary.

Campaigners tirelessly fought to win the forest back for the nation including one Edward North Buxton whose passion was said to ‘ignite a new public attitude towards the natural world.’

On 21 July 1906, crowds of people attended a ceremony in which the Earl of Carrington declared ‘the new Hainault Forest’ officially open. The securing of Hainault Forest was declared the ‘grandest thing’ London County Council had ever done.

The modern Forest

Following the declaration of the ‘New Hainault Forest’, experts advised the replanting and management of the area. The guiding principle was to ‘preserve its natural beauty without interference.’

During the course of the 20th century, the Forest became a favourite leisure destination and its use was heavily affected by economic factors. In the First and Second World Wars, land was commandeered for various uses including training schools, airfields and food production.

In 1963, the Greater London Council was formed and they established a plantation of ornamental species to provide trees for London’s streets and parks.

In fact, their management of the Forest was likened to that of a park. Sports pitches and summer camps were set up and the keepers’ main brief was to ensure the wood was ‘safe for the public’.

Areas of the Forest continued to be destroyed into the 1970s, with housing developments eating up many hectares, leaving the ancient woodland vulnerable and fragmented.

In 1985 eminent naturalist Oliver Rackham produced a report on Hainault which stated:

‘The Forest is now in a dark and overgrown state, and the plains have mostly been overgrown with trees or taken over as playing-fields. This has impoverished the flora and the potential of the Forest as a habitat.’

Hainault today

In 1986 when the Greater London Council was disbanded, the Forest was divided between the London Borough of Redbridge, Essex County Council and the London Borough of Havering.

In 1998, Essex County Council leased its share to the Woodland Trust. Now we manage just over 100 hectares (280 acres) of the ancient woodland to the north.

Working with our partners, we ensure the remaining ancient woodland is protected and cared for to maximise its potential for wildlife and people.

In our care, we expect these vulnerable, precious pockets that have hung on in the forest for hundreds of years will not only survive, but thrive.

The forest grows

In 2006, the Woodland Trust acquired 54 hectares (135 acres) of land adjacent to the Forest. This was the first time since its enclosure it has been possible to extend the forest.

Around half the new area was part of the original Hainault Forest, with the other half once the deer park belonging to Havering Palace.

With the help of local people and thousands of children, we have planted a new woodland on the parts that were previously forest.

Grazing has been restored to the deer park land with a view to re-establishing it as a way to manage the landscape once again.

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Grazing Pilot Project: Hainault Forest (2009-2012)

Summer 2009 is an important time for Hainault Forest…..we hope to see cows grazing amidst the trees!  For many the thought of livestock in the forest seems unusual. Hainault Forest has however been shaped by centuries of grazing with many species of plants and insects dependant on the ‘pasture woodland’ habitat that was formed. Stopping grazing early in the 20th century meant previously open areas began to scrub up and eventually turned into the thick woodland we know today.

Why do we want to graze?

Expert studies at Hainault have shown that species that prefer the former pasture woodland habitats have benefited by recent work to open parts of the woodland up. The newly opened areas are kept open by cutting each year by tractor. However we would like to see cattle grazing in the forest once again. They are the best and most traditional means for stopping the open areas from scrubbing back up.

What do we want to find out?

Over the next three years we are trialling grazing in a small area of the forest. The area chosen has a mix of wooded and open areas which allows us to see how the cattle get on in different habitats. It is also close to people with paths inside and outside the fenced area and is ideal for exploring the practicalities of combining people and livestock.  We hope to have sufficient information on the effectiveness of grazing for managing the habitats and also on visitor’s feelings and needs to better plan any possible longer term grazing in the forest.

How to let us know what you think?

Between 2009 and 2012 cattle will be grazing in the trial area at various times. Daily welfare checks will be made on the livestock and staff will be onsite regularly to discuss the trial with visitors. Meetings will be hosted for people to meet-up and discuss the longer term practicalities of grazing in the forest. Monthly monitoring of the habitats through the trial period will be undertaken to observe the changes that occur.
If you want to comment on the trial and also be kept informed about the trial please email us at woodlandoperations@woodlandtrust.org.uk