Introduction Thames Chase - Community Forest Environmental improvements within the borders of This amazing site in Harold Hill which Thames Chase Community Forest are all around includes Hatters Wood, Fir Wood, Duck you in the many green spaces that are enjoyed Transforming Wood and Dagnam Park offers a diversity of through its 40 sq miles of countryside. different wildlife habitats. landscapes, This landscape regeneration project is now being transforming The site includes almost twenty hectares of managed by the Thames Chase Trust. There is a lives colourful wildflower meadows, over eight wide range of events to interest all ages - pick up a hectares of ancient coppiced woodland, leaflet at the Forest Centre. ponds, scrub and veteran trees. Not only that but the site also preserves a fascinating Opening Hours historical record which stretches back into Visitor Centre: Late March to October; the Middle Ages. Dagnam park, formally laid 10am - 5pm every day. Thames out by the well known Victorian landscape November to Late March; architect Humphrey Repton, preserves its 10am - 4pm each day. original 18th century boundaries together Site: Daily; 8.30am - to dusk. with a number of original landscape features Car parking Chase including copses, ponds and specimen trees. A fixed daily donation to Look out for mature conifers, horse chest- Thames Chase Trust payable at the ticket machine. nuts and cedar. Thames Chase Walks are in Walk No.1 5 The site of the original house is now partnership with the Land of overgrown, but a line of yew trees survives the Fanns in woodland close to the spot where 19th Land of the Fanns is supported by Thames Chase Circular walk via: century cast-iron gateposts flank the former drive. There is also a scheduled ancient The Land of the Fanns Landscape Dagnam Park (The Manor), Partnership Scheme seeks to restore, monument, Cockerell's moated site (of discover and celebrate one of the Duck Wood, Fir Wood Dagnam Park Farm), in the south of the site last remaining landscapes of London - now a well known breeding pond for great as it once was. Through delivery of & The Osiers crested newts. There is also evidence of 26 projects, we aim to engage the 3.2 miles (approx) medieval field patterns and see if you can community with their local heritage and environment. spot the medieval road running along the Find out more on social media and our website: 1.5 hours (approx) sites eastern boundary! www.landofthefanns.org.uk The nature conservation interest in Dagnam Park, Hatters Wood and Fir Wood is /Thames Chase @ Thames_Chase thameschase recognised in its designation by the Greater For more information and to make bookings please ring London Authority as a Site of Metropolitan 01708 642970 or call at The Thames Chase Forest Centre, Pike Lane, Upminster RM14 3NS T Importance for Nature Conservation. E-mail: [email protected] H K A L Nearby Duck Wood is also designated as a Web site: www.thameschase.org.uk M A Charity no. 1115627. Company No. 5687558 E W site of Borough Importance for Nature S CHASE Conservation. Design & Artwork by P A Vine Mobile: 07940570194 Email: [email protected] Thames Chase Trust This is a moderately difficult walk around what was once the estate of the Dagnam Manor and was developed into a nature reserve by the London County Council and London Wildlife Trust in the early 1950s to provide a local resource for the residents of the new housing estate in Harold Hill. The Manor is a mixture of mainly deciduous woodlands and 7 meadows with a wide range of wildlife, including foxes, M25 grey squirrels, terrapins, spotted and green woodpeckers, red kites, buzzards, waterfowl as well Weald Brook as a large herd of fallow deer. The Friends of Dagnam Park have excavated the foundations of the Dagnam House, stables and walled WEALD BROOK Lower Noke Close garden. 8 Most of the route is accessible to Priory ambulant disabled people but not to Pond wheelchair users. Parts of the FP136 routes can become very muddy after rain with some deep ditches. The Osiers Bus services from Romford and 6 Harold Wood use stops just PRIORY POND 150m away in Dagnam Park Drive and Whitchurch Road. Ingrebounre Way 1 Starting from the main car park turn right out of the car park and 9 walk along the road through the gates into Settle Drive. Continue passed Site of Draper’s Academy and Maylands Dagnam DAGNAM PARK MaylandsGolf Primary school on the left, then turn left House (THE MANOR) and walk down Sheffield Drive until 5 Course reaching Duck Wood Nature Reserve on 10 Lily Pond the left. (Settle Road was part of the 11 original drive to Dagnam House from Perch Colchester Road A12). Pond 2 Enter Duck Wood and take the footpath to the left through the woods for about 250m until Fir emerging onto a scrub field beside Maylands Golf Wood Course. (Duck Wood has a large collection of hornbeam and beech as well as prolific bluebells in the spring). Walk along the edge of the field with the woods 4 on the left for about 300m until reaching a line of four trees next to the fairway. 12 DEER 3 Turn left into the woods and walk along the footpath to the 13 right with the embankment of Draper’s Academy playing field P on the left and continue until arriving onto a field of The Manor. Green Walk for about 50m with trees on the right until reaching a wide Pond 1 grass footpath. *From here on you are likely to come across large groups of fallow 3 deer throughout The Manor. AcademyDraper’s Cockerels 4 Turn right through a gap between the trees and a pond on the left and Moat follow the grass path across the field into Fir Wood. Walk along the footpath through the woods of oak, beech, ash and elm (there is a deep ditch to be crossed). Continue with the golf course visible on the right until emerging out of the woods into a large meadow. DUCK WOOD 5 Walk ahead to the right of the meadow with trees on the right. Wildflowers in the meadow Duck include several species of orchid. Continue until reaching The Osiers, a long stretch of woods Wood beside Weald Brook. Nature Reserve 6 Follow the path through the woods, turning left on reaching Weald Brook (the M25 can be seen and heard on the opposite side). Continue through the woods with the river on your right until reaching a field. 2 Some parts of this path are uneven and there is a deep ditch to cross. 7 Continue along two fields with the river and the motorway on the right until reaching Lower Noke Close, a narrow lane that becomes a culvert on the right beneath the motorway. Turn left and walk up the road with meadows on both sides until the road turns a sharp right towards Chequers Road, Noak Hill. (To the left, through a large metalT gate a wide gravel path is signposted “Ingrebourne Way FP136”, which leads through The Manor, Harold Wood, Upminster, Hornchurch Country Park and ultimately to Rainham village – see TC Destination Walk D5) 8 H However, go through the stile opposite along the permissive footpath signposted “Dagnam Park”. Continue passed a building yard on the left with paddocks through the trees on the right until reaching Priory Pond. A Priory Pond was within the grounds of Priory Manor and is surrounded by snowdrops, daffodils and aconites in early spring. Shortly after the pond turn left through the stile along the path signposted “Dagnam Park” to the left and “Chequers Road” to the right. HOUSES & BUILDINGS Walk along the path through the woods behind the building yard with large fields on both sides (This path is uneven in places and gets very FARM BUILDINGS M 9 muddy after rainfall). Continue for about 500m until reaching some butchers broom bushes on the left then turn left through a gap into a large field. FACTORIES 10 Walk across the field until reaching the gravel track Ingrebourne Way FP136 again. (This track used to be the rear entrance drive to Dagnam TREES/HEDGES House.) Turn right for a short distance until reaching the site of Dagnam House on the right with the remains of a stable yard and walled garden E on the left. (Dagnam House dates back to 16th century and was occupied by several merchants including Sir Percy Neave). Walk through the FARMLAND excavation site with Lily Pond on the left and through the woods then turn right out of the woods along the side of a large, well maintained field. GRASSLAND S 11 Continue passed Perch Pond on the right then enter Hatters Woods ahead and walk left through the woods. With large rhododendron bushes to the right, continue along a narrow path to the left passing two small ponds on the right before reaching a gravel path next to Green Pond where a SHRUB variety of waterfowl will be seen. C GOLF COURSE 12 Turn right along the path, which is part of Ingrebourne Way FP136. Walk around the end of Green Pond to the left. Follow the soil path to the other side of the pond then cross between some bramble bushes and rear garden fences on the right. Cockerels Moat is ahead. The 12th century PATH Hmoat had a small manor house in the centre, which is now the nesting area for ducks, geese, coots and moorhens. - - - - - ROUTE 13 From the moat continue beside Green Pond a short distance along the Ingrebourne Way to return to the car park.