Local Event Group Visits in 2018 We Took Our First Visit of 2018 at the Beginning of Mayand Returned to Capel Manor Gardens in Waltham Cross
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Local Event Group visits in 2018 We took our first visit of 2018 at the beginning of Mayand returned to Capel Manor Gardens in Waltham Cross. This was originally the grounds of a Georgian Manor House which now houses a horticultural college where many students attend. Capel Manor is quite renowned in horticultural circles and their gardens have been displayed at prestigious garden shows. The gardens are laid out in various smaller settings, so that you could copy one or steal ideas for your own garden, and they are meticulously maintained by the students. It is a place that can be visited at different times through- out the year, with each visit showing the plants that are at their best at that time. Luckily the weather was dry and it was a good start to the summer In June we visited The Abbey Church in Waltham Abbey. The first known church on this site was c.610 but obvi- ously it has changed completely since that time! Increas- ing greatly in size and then getting smaller. Following the Battle of Hastings, King Haroldʼs body was brought to the Abbey, as he was also the Earl of Essex. It is the fact that he is allegedly buried here that the Abbey is most famous for. In the 12th century Henry II gave it the status of an abbey and that’s how it is described by everyone to this day. It was visited by the nobility and Henry VIII visited here and loved this area. The building grew in size and the remnants of the old walls can be seen when you stroll through the gardens. King Haroldʼs links to the town are still celebrated to this day and are mentioned on the roadside signs as you drive into the town. July saw us visit Lee Valley White Water Centre. The Centre was built especially for whitewater rafting for the Summer Olympics in 2012. It was funded by the Olympics and the National Lottery. This is part of the Lee Valley Regional Park which is popular with local residents for walking and cycling. The centre is still used for whitewater rafting and kayaking by competitors and can be seen sometimes on the T.V. You can also hire the rafts and kayaks. It was a good time watching the fun that ensued as they let the wa- ter gush through the gates and how the ‘rowersʼ tried to keep the boats upright. From a bridge and the sides of the bank it was good to watch while remaining dry! We all thought they would ache the next day as they have to put in so much effort and still get soaking wet but they were all having such great fun. August took us to Queen Elizabethʼs Hunting Lodge in Chingford, a really lovely building that overlooks Chingford plains. The beams are very old and worn with different marks and etchings in them. It is architec- turally of great importance and when ‘Shakespeareʼs Globeʼ was constructed on the South Bank in London it was here where they took details of the beams and walls in order that The Globe was constructed as authen- tically as possible. We then walked across to The View - this is run by the City of London Corporation who are responsible for Epping Forest and shows maps and items relating to the Forest. Because it is quite high you can see over the plains across to the Forest and it was from here that Royalty and nobility shot at the deer as they were driv- en down from the Forest. There was always an annual Art Exhibition showing different mediums of painting and including one that had been painted by a member of our group! and sold! In September we visited the Gibberd Garden in be- tween Harlow and Sheering. Sir Frederick Gibberd was an Architect, Town Planner and Landscape Ar- chitect. He was appointed master planner for Har- low in 1946 and was responsible for over a hundred major projects in his lifetime including the Regentʼs Park Mosque, terminals at Heathrow and Liverpoolʼs Catholic Cathedral. However his garden is what we had gone to specially visit. His weekend house was in the garden, then he moved here permanently when he retired and it is where he lived until he died. The garden is described as ‘enticing spaces where every turn reveals a new vista or work of artʼ. The garden is rated as one of the most important 20th century gardens in the country and is truly lovely. There are lots of sculp- tures and interesting plants and it really is beautiful to visit. October saw us visit St. Andrews Church, Greensted-juxta-Ongar (or Greensted Church as itʼs known to most people). This is the oldest wooden church in the world and has 51 planks which date from 1060. The body of St Edmund, King of East Anglia - (who was Englandʼs patron saint before St. George), rested in the church in 1013 on itʼs way to Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. We had a super guide who was so enthusiastic and brought the whole story to life. It is a lovely small church with many items and interesting stories. Outside it is so pretty and the churchyard is lovingly maintained. By November the weather had become chilly and we visited Epping Forest D.C.ʼs museum in Waltham Abbey. For people outside of our area who do not know where we are, it is our District Council. We had time to explore the museum which showed us many of the items that had been found in our area. Our district council extends to the south of Harlow in the north and across past Ongar to the east. We had a very interesting talk about how the area had changed over the years and there was time for a question and answer session afterwards We are now planning outings for 2019. The first we have planned is in March, which is a visit to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in Woodford. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas of places they would like to visit please let us know. Thank you—The Local Events Group .