Essex Walks: Bumbles Green
Description & Map
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View route on fullscreen map: Bumbles Green Map (Ordnance Survey) Bumbles Green Map (Google) Download GPX data only
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Title: Bumble's Green
Walk descriptionDirections
Download Description & Directions PDF here 
A. From the car parking at the top of Bumbles Green Lane head south onto the bridleway and walk uphill.
After about 200 yards you will enter Epping Forest (1). Shortly after this you might see, hidden in to brambles to your right,
a Coal and Wine Post (2).
B. As you near the crest of the hill the path forks: take the right fork. Follow the path (3) as it meanders through the thin strip of woodland called Galleyhill Green.
The path runs near the crest of a ridge and the views on both sides are lovely.
C. After half a mile or so, the woods thicken out and the path begins to descend (4). Continue on the same path for another half a mile
until you come to Black Cottage (5) and turn right in front of the cottage.
D. After a few yards the track forks in front of Lake John Fisheries; take the right fork and continue past the barrier into a green lane (6). Walk along this lane for about 300 yards then take the footpath on the left up across the fields (7).
At the treeline the path bears to the right and heads up past a telegraph pole towards a hedge on the crest of the hill (8).
E. Go straight on through a gap in the hedge: you will see a concrete bunker, an old trig point, and an oak tree. You will also see some stunning
views across London (9). Head back through the hedge gap and turn right towards a small wooded area.
As you approach the woods turn right then left so that you are walking through a meadow with the woods on your left (10).
F. Towards the end of the meadow you will see a gap in the hedge on your left and a footpath leading across the next field towards a
telegraph pole (11). Cross this field and turn left at the paddocks. Follow the path alongside the paddocks
and turn right at the end (you can see Black Cottage in the distance), heading downhill towards a lane.
G. On the lane, turn right. Go through the woods, up the hill and look for a turning on the left into Breach Barns Lane.
Proceed along the lane for almost a mile (12), keeping to the left of the nursery, until you come to the mobile homes park.
Turn left immediately before the park (13).
H. The path continues alongside the mobile home park, going along a field edge before entering a small wood (14).
Stay on the western (left) edge of this wood and look for a (dodgy) stile in the north west corner exiting into a field.
I. Continue heading north up through this field, over another stile and up through the next field keeping near the hedge on the left.
You may see deer around here. At the end of this field follow the hedge around to the right and after 50 yards you will see another
stile with a white house in the distance. Ahead you will see 2 fences, one metal and one wooden: make for the stile in between them. (15)
This takes you along an alleyway to Claverhambury.
J. Turn right along the track heading to the right of Ye Olde Claverhambury Manor (16), past the fishing lakes, and up the hill near Deerpark Wood.
As you pass the woods take the bridleway on the left.(17)
K. Continue on this path past loads of horse paddocks until you come to Harold's Park Farm Riding Centre. Go straight on through the
farmyard and head downhill (18) past more paddocks to Bumbles Green. The pub King Harold's Head is about 200 yards to the right.
L. To return to the parking turn left, then left again up Bumbles Green Lane.
History
Bumbles Green
It is believed that King Harold, the last Saxon King of England (who died in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings) had a hunting lodge at Bumble's Green. It is certainly true that he had strong links to this part of Essex, owning much land in the area. His long term common law wife Edith Swannesha lived in one of the manor houses in Nazeing, and Harold had a strong connection with Waltham Cross, having provided for the re-building of the church there in 1057 after a miraculous recovery from a paralysing condition incurred during military campaigns against the Welsh.
Coal & Wine Post
Coal and Wine Tax Posts were erected under the London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance Act, 1861, although the history associated with them goes back much further. The City of London has collected duties on coal and other coal and other goods entering London since medieval times. Initially the revenue obtained from these taxes supported measures such as the 14th Century 'Orphans Fund': in the 17th Century following the two disasters of the Plague in 1665 and the Fire of London in 1666 the duty payable was increased to create funds for rebuilding works.
Until the 19th Century heavy goods arrived in London via the sea, and duty collection was a relatively simple matter of manning ports, coastlines and riversides with revenue officers. However when the canal and railway systems opened up the process for collecting taxes became a lot more complicated. The 1861 Act allowed for taxes to be collected at all points where goods entered the City of London, and 'a Boundary Stone, or some other permanent Mark' was set up where any turnpike road, public highway, railway or canal entered the district. An official was stationed at these posts, to record the tonnage and collect the duty.
Although most of the posts were set up at the side of the major routes into London, tax collectors were well aware of the potential for wily entrepreneurs to avoid duty by simply carrying goods by foot or horse-back around these major tax collection points using more minor tracks. Therefore Coal Posts were also created along footpaths and green lanes, all around London, to deter some of this inland smuggling activity.
The revenue raised under the 1861 Act was used for metropolitan improvement schemes including the building of the Thames Embankment, the erection of the Holborn Viaduct and the purchase of the River Thames bridges, including Kingston upon Thames, Hampton Court and Walton on Thames, to free them from tolls.
Trig Points
A Trigonometrical Point (trig point) is a fixed surveying station, set up by the government, with known coodinates and elevation. Many were placed on top of hills so that they could be seen clearly from other vantage points. They usually have a metal plate in the top to secure a theodolite or reflector. They were used for surveying purposes when building and renovating major infrastructure projects such as roads and railways. These days modern GPS based systems have largely replaced the traditional trig points but they are still useful for walkers as a navigational aids, and are an interesting reminder of the skills and precision required by the engineers who laid down the infrastructure we all still rely on. The trig point you will visit on this walk is TP4887 - Monkhams Hall.
Claverhambury Manor
The manor of Claverhambury has a history dating from 1168. It formed part of the Waltham Abbey estates at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries and in 1547 was granted, along with most of the abbey lands, to Sir Anthony Denny. It remained in the hands of his family for many years. Subsequent ownership is unclear although at sometime in the 1950's it was acquired by the Clapton Stadium dog track, for use as training kennels. It is now a private residence.
King Harold's Head
According to its website the King Harold's Head dates back to 1032 (although the current building looks considerably more recent than that). This might indicate it is named after Harold I rather than Harold II.
Following the death of King Cnut in 1035 the English throne should have fallen to Hardicnut, but he was away at war against Magnus I of Denmark. In his place his half brother Harold became regent. 2 years later Harold took the English crown for himself - Harthacnut being 'forsaken because he was too long in Denmark'. Harthacnut didn't take this well, made peace with Magnus I and began to prepare for an invasion of England to depose his brother.
Before Hardicnut could launch his invasion, Harold died; Hardicnut was then crowned King. However it would appear that Hardicnut was not one to forgive and forget: he had Harold's body dug up, beheaded and flung into a marsh. He did not endear himself to his people either. He was a harsh ruler, and imposed large increases in taxation to pay for the invasion fleet he had raised, and burned down the city of Worcester following an attack on his tax collectors. Two years later Hardicnut himself died suddenly at a wedding feast in Lambeth. The judgement of history on this monarch is dismal: according to the Anglo Saxon Chronicles, Hardicnut 'never did anything worthy of a king while he reigned'.
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