Visit North Weald Places

Welcome to Visit North Weald Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in North Weald

  

North Weald Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about North Weald

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North Weald history

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In 1086 North Weald was one of the most thickly wooded places in Essex. Peter de Valognes’ manor in North Weald was said to contain woodland sufficient for 1,500 swine, showing how wooded the area was. The ‘wood of Henry of Essex’ in North Weald was mentioned in 1248. In 1260 Philip Basset, Henry’s successor as lord of the manor, complained that many robberies were being done in this wood near the road between Ongar and Waltham, and he secured the king’s permission to assart (turn forestry into arable land) 6 acres of the wood. Norden’s Map of Essex, 1594, does not show North Weald as a densely wooded parish. In 1777 there was apparently no woodland there apart from Weald Hall Coppice. This is specially interesting in view of the survival of large woods in neighbouring parishes. Weald Hall Coppice still survives, and there is also a small wood at Canes farm. North Weald formed 1,739 acres of the Ongar Hundred. The ancient manor houses were Weald Hall, near the centre of the parish, Canes, Marshalls and Paris Hall at Hastingwood. In addition to the four manor houses there were probably substantial medieval dwellings at Tylers Green, Bowlers Green, Bridge Farm (near Weald Bridge), and possibly one or two other places. The parish church, St Andrew’s, which dates from the 14th century, is ½ mile east of Weald Hall. Apart from the church the oldest existing building in the parish is probably Tylers. This is a timber-framed and plastered house consisting of a central block with a gabled cross-wing at each end. It may date from the 16th century but there is some evidence that the central block was an earlier open hall with a screens passage at its south-west end. The ‘King’s Head’ at Weald Gullet is a timber-framed building probably of the same period. It was restored about 1927. Two ancient timber-framed cottages which formerly stood on the north side of the main road near the end of Church Lane were destroyed in a German air raid in 1941. Until the 17th century the Epping-Chelmsford road was probably the most important in the parish. In 1786 a petition was presented to the Epping Highway Trust by the people of North Weald asking that the road should be taken over by the trust. An Act of Parliament for this purpose was passed in the following year. A toll-gate was erected at the junction of the main road and Woodside. The gate-keeper lived at first in a rented cottage but a toll-house was built about 1818. This still survives: a single-story building of brick, now plastered, with a tiled roof. In 1801 North Weald, with 620 inhabitants, was one of the more densely populated parishes of the area. In the 19th century the population followed the trend normal in rural Essex until about 1861: there was an increase to 886 in 1831 and a subsequent slight decrease. But between 1861 and 1901, when the agricultural depression was depopulating most villages, the population of North Weald rose from 842 to 1,135. This was clearly due to the coming of the railway in 1865. New places of worship in the 19th century were the Congregational chapel in Weald Bridge Road, built about 1830 but closed about 1874, the Chapel of Ease at Hastingwood (1864), the Iron Mission Church at Thornwood (1888), and the Wesleyan churches at Thornwood (1883) and Weald Gullet (1888). The original school was relinquished in favour of a larger building and the new school was extended in about 1842 and again in 1871. In 1865 coach travel in this area was superseded by the opening of the railway through Epping to Ongar, with a station at North Weald. This brought London within easy reach. This line was electrified in 1957 but closed to regular passenger traffic in 1994. Beyond Ongar public transport was poor until the introduction of motor buses. There are now infrequent bus services to Epping, Ongar, Brentwood. North Weald was late in getting its own post-office, probably because it was served directly from Epping. In 1883 a day mail was established at North Weald. A telegraph office was set up in 1886. The telephone service was introduced in 1920. The population rose very little during the first 20 years of the 20th century, and was only 1,239 in 1921 with the Post Office Radio Station established at Weald Gullet in 1921. There was an increase to 1,642 in 1931 and then a burst of building lasting until the Second World War. A few council houses were built before 1939. In the 1940s, the North Weald Bassett Parish was formed and North Weald was removed from the Ongar Hundred and placed, along with Thornwood, Hastingwood and various other small villages in the parish. Since 1945 three large housing estates have been built. In 1953 the estimated population of North Weald was 3,200-an increase of almost 100 per cent. on 1931. The iron mission church at Thornwood was replaced in 1923 by a brick church and in 1931 the Wesleyan church at Weald Gullet was rebuilt. In 1939, however, the Wesleyan church at Thornwood was closed owing to lack of support. A village hall was built in 1928, on the south side of the village. In 1967, the village hall was rebuilt.

North Weald landmarks

The Redoubt / Mobilisation Centre at North Weald was built in about 1880. It was one of several built to provide ammunition to protect London if war ever broke out. The home guard were stationed here during the war to guard against sabotage and to assist in filling in bomb craters as the Luftwaffe used to try to knock out the transmitters.

North Weald geography / climate

North Weald Bassett in approximately 20 miles (32 km) north-east from the centre of London. The parish abuts the outskirts of Harlow to the north and Epping to the south-west, and is split between these post towns for postal addresses. It is rural, with large sections of the parish land at the south west used by North. Weald Airfield was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain. Latton Priory was a small priory of Augustinian Canons Regular, the remains of which are a Grade II* listed building.

You can visit North Weald places with Walkfo North Weald to hear history at North Weald’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo North Weald has 26 places to visit in our interactive North Weald map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout North Weald, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at North Weald places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to North Weald & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 26 audio facts unique to North Weald places in an interactive North Weald map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit North Weald Places Map
26 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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North Weald historic spots	North Weald tourist destinations	North Weald plaques	North Weald geographic features
Walkfo North Weald tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in North Weald

  

Best North Weald places to visit

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North Weald has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied North Weald’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo North Weald’s information audio spots:

Dial House, Essex Dial House is a self-sustaining anarcho-pacifist open house since 1967. The house is located in the countryside of Epping Forest in Ongar Great Park, an area covering 5-by-3 kilometres. It has been used as a base for a number of cultural, artistic, and political projects.

Visit North Weald plaques