Epping Forest Historic Environment Characterisation Study
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EB900 Epping Forest Historic Environment Characterisation Project 2015 i EB900 Acknowledgements Thanks go to Adele Niinemae, Hassan Ahmed, Maria Kitts and Chris Neilan at Epping Forest Council for help in compiling this report. The Epping Forest Historic Environment Characterisation Project report was prepared by the Historic Environment specialists of Place Services, a traded arm of Essex County Council. The project team comprised Nigel Brown, Richard Havis, Maria Medlycott, Alison Bennett, Teresa O’Connor and Helen Saunders. How to use this report and maps The project report looks at: a) How the historic environment of Epping Forest District developed from about 500,000 years ago to the present day. b) Broad historic environment character areas drawing together information on the historic landscape character, archaeological character, and historic urban character. c) More detailed character zones, with more information on the character of these zones including the diversity of historic environment assets, their survival and documentation, group value association, potential and sensitivity to change, and amenity value. The individual character zones summarise the information listed on the Essex Historic Environment Record. Obviously they show what is known at a point in time, and it should be remembered that new features are being identified and added to the Record all of the time. This report will be useful to developers, planners and interested members of the public and schools. To learn more about any of the historic environment assets and the potential use of the zones etc., you are advised to contact Place Services Historic Environment specialists for guidance. Contact details are on the last page of this report. i EB900 Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................... I FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................................... VII TABLES ............................................................................................................................................................... IX 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT .................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 HISTORIC TOWNS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE GREEN BELT ...................................................... 3 1.3 CONSERVING AND ENHANCING THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT ............................................................ 4 1.4 HISTORIC TOWN DEFINITION ................................................................................................................ 5 1.5 KEEPING THE PROJECT ‘LIVE’ ............................................................................................................... 7 2 THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT OF EPPING ................................................................................... 8 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 THE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD (500,000-10,000 BC)............................................................................... 8 2.3 THE MESOLITHIC PERIOD (10,000 – 4,000 BC) .................................................................................... 9 2.4 THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD (4,000 – 2,200 BC) ...................................................................................... 10 2.5 THE BRONZE AGE (2,200 – 700 BC) .................................................................................................. 11 2.6 THE IRON AGE (700 BC – 43 AD) ...................................................................................................... 12 2.7 THE ROMAN PERIOD (43-410 AD) ..................................................................................................... 14 2.8 THE SAXON PERIOD (410-1066 AD) .................................................................................................. 14 2.9 THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD (1066-1537) ................................................................................................. 17 2.10 THE POST-MEDIEVAL PERIOD (1538-1900) ....................................................................................... 21 2.11 MODERN (1900 TO THE PRESENT DAY) ............................................................................................... 24 3 CHARACTERISATION OF THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT ...................................................... 27 4 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER AREA DESCRIPTIONS ............................................ 28 4.1 HECA 1: STORT NAVIGATION ........................................................................................................... 28 4.2 HECA 2: THE LEA/STORT VALLEY ................................................................................................... 29 4.3 HECA 3: THE ROYDON AND NAZEING AREA ..................................................................................... 31 4.4 HECA 4: THE COPPED HALL RIDGE AND THE COBBIN’S BROOK AREA .............................................. 33 4.5 HECA 5: WALTHAM ABBEY .............................................................................................................. 34 4.6 HECA 6: EPPING FOREST ................................................................................................................... 36 4.7 HECA 7: EPPING ................................................................................................................................ 37 4.8 HECA 8: THEYDON BOIS ................................................................................................................... 39 4.9 HECA 9: LOUGHTON ......................................................................................................................... 40 4.10 HECA 10: WINTRY FOREST AREA ..................................................................................................... 41 4.11 HECA 11: THE THEYDONS AREA ...................................................................................................... 42 4.12 HECA 12: THE RODING VALLEY ...................................................................................................... 44 ii EB900 4.13 HECA 13: LAMBOURNE AND HAINAULT .......................................................................................... 45 4.14 HECA 14: CHIGWELL AND GRANGE HILL ........................................................................................ 47 4.15 HECA 15: WILLINGALE .................................................................................................................... 48 4.16 HECA 16: CHIPPING ONGAR ............................................................................................................. 49 4.17 HECA 17: NORTH WEALD AIRFIELD AND NORTH WEALD BASSETT ................................................ 51 4.18 HECA 18: THE LAVERS AREA ........................................................................................................... 52 5 CREATION OF HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER ZONES ................................................. 55 5.1 GENERAL BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................... 55 5.2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 55 5.3 THE SCORING OF THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER ZONES ................................................. 56 5.3.1 Diversity of historic environment assets ................................................................................... 56 5.3.2 Survival ..................................................................................................................................... 57 5.3.3 Documentation ......................................................................................................................... 57 5.3.4 Group Value Association .......................................................................................................... 57 5.3.5 Potential ................................................................................................................................... 58 5.3.6 Sensitivity to Change ................................................................................................................ 58 5.3.7 Amenity Value ........................................................................................................................... 59 6 EPPING FOREST HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERISATION ZONES ....................... 60 6.1 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER AREA 1: ................................................................................ 60 6.1.1 HECZ 1.1: Lower Sheering Conservation Area ...................................................................... 61 6.1.2 HECZ 1.2: Lower Sheering riverside ...................................................................................... 62 6.1.3 HECZ 1.3: Stort Valley south of Lower Sheering .................................................................... 64 6.2 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER AREA 2: ...............................................................................