Epping Forest

Epping Forest has provided food, fuel, refuge and recreation for thousands of years.

It has survived as an open space because of complicated commoners’ rights, bestowed on ordinary people during medieval times, and the City of London Corporation’s championing of these rights when the forest was threatened by enclosure.

Using a variety of interpretive media, the Epping Forest intepretation strategy enables visitors to make connections with their enjoyment of the forest today and the historic commoners rights, and between man’s long usage of the forest and the resultant spectacular range of wildlife habitats. Specific proposals included sculptural interpretive installations designed to resemble the pollarded trees of Epping that ‘whisper’ the secrets of the forest, images of foliage projected onto the ceiling to reinforce the woodland atmosphere and a huge graphic montage, period pieces and interactive opportunities.

Laura Lawson, the Branching Out Project Officer said: “Imagemakers were committed from the outset to delivering messages that the community would like to hear. Their attendance at our largest annual event, Forest Festival, helped them to gain an understanding of the local people and Forest users.”

“Imagemakers were committed from the outset to delivering messages that the community would like to hear.”