Coordinates: 51°42′01″N 0°06′31″E / 51.7004°N 0.1087°E / 51.7004; 0.1087

Epping
Part of Epping high street, and church of Saint John the Baptist.
Epping  Epping shown within Essex
Population	11,047 [1]
OS grid reference	TL455025
District	Epping Forest
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EPPING
Postcode district	CM16
Dialling code	01992
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Epping Forest
Website	www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk
List of places: UK • England • Essex

Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of Loughton, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) south of Harlow and 10.9 miles (17.5 km) north-west of Brentwood.

The town retains a rural appearance being surrounded by Epping Forest and working farmland, and has many very old buildings, many of which are Grade I and II listed buildings. The town also retains its weekly market which is held every Monday and dates back to 1253.^[2] In 2001 the parish had a population of 11,047^[1] although this has increased marginally since then.

Epping has been twinned with the German town of Eppingen in north-west Baden-Württemberg since 1981.^[3] Although the once-famous Epping Butter, which was highly sought after in the 18th and 19th centuries, is no longer made, the equally well-known Epping sausages are still manufactured by Church's Butchers who have been trading on the same site since 1888.

History[link]

"Epinga", a small community of a few scattered farms and a chapel on the edge of the forest, is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. However, the settlement referred to is known today as Epping Upland. It is not known for certain when the present day Epping was first settled. By the mid-12th century a settlement known as Epping Heath (later named Epping Street), had developed south of Epping Upland as a result of vigorous clearing of the forest for cultivation. In 1253 King Henry III conveyed the right to hold a weekly market in Epping Street which helped to establish the town as a centre of trade and has continued to the present day (the sale of cattle in the High Street continued until 1961).^[4]

The linear village of Epping Heath developed slowly into a small main-road town and by the early 19th century considerable development had taken place along what is now High Street and Hemnall Street. Up to 25 stagecoaches and mailcoaches a day passed through the town from London en route to Norwich, Cambridge and Bury St. Edmunds. In the early 19th century, 26 coaching inns lined the High Street.^[5] A couple survive today as public houses, e.g. The George and Dragon and The Black Lion. The advent of the railways put an end to this traffic and the town declined, but it revived after the extension of a branch line from London in 1865 and the coming of the motor car.

A number of listed buildings, most dating from the 18th century, line both sides of the High Street although many were substantially altered internally during the 19th century. Some of the oldest buildings in the town can be found at each end of the Conservation Area, e.g. Beulah Lodge in Lindsey Street (17th century), and the attractive group of 17th and early 18th century cottages numbered 98-110 (even) High Street.^[6]

The original parish church, first mentioned in 1177, was All Saints' in Epping Upland, the nave and chancel of which dates from the 13th Century.^[7] In 1833, the 14th century chapel of St John the Baptist in the High Road was rebuilt in the gothic style. It became the parish church of Epping in 1888 and was again rebuilt. A large tower was added in 1909.^[8]

Today[link]

Epping, as it stands today, has grown as a favoured town of residence for those who work in London. Particularly sought after is the hamlet of Coopersale St where house prices have bucked the national trend and held their values. Its market still brings shoppers in from surrounding villages and towns every Monday. Perhaps the most prominent building in Epping these days is the District Council's office with its clock tower, designed to bring balance to the High Street with the old Gothic water tower at the southern end, built in 1872, and St John's Church tower in the centre. The centre of Epping on and around the High Street is a designated conservation area.^[9]

Epping's increasing popularity with young professionals and families, along with the Government's East of England Plan has led to the current situation: Epping is experiencing the biggest threat to its rural status yet and a number of sites (the largest being St. Margaret’s Hospital) are being proposed for redevelopment as new housing estates.

The various developments would see Epping’s housing stock rise by around 20% and has caused strong opposition from residents who wish to retain Epping’s rural ‘charm’, they state the town does not have the infrastructure to cope with a large influx of new residents and vehicles. Residents point to the regular traffic congestion, lack of parking spaces, low water pressure and total lack of an NHS dentist as examples. This opinion has been echoed by Epping Town Council, who have stated that Epping will not be able to cope with any new housing estates for at least 10 years.^[10]

Governance[link]

Epping is part of the Epping Forest parliamentary constituency, represented by Conservative MP Eleanor Laing. From 1924 to 1945, the old Epping division of Essex (which included Woodford, Chingford, Harlow and Loughton as well as Epping) was represented by Winston Churchill. It now sits in the Epping and Theydon Bois division of Essex County Council which is Liberal Democrat held. The town is divided into two district council wards. Epping Hemnall encompasses most of the town south-east of Epping High Street (B1393) including Ivy Chimneys, Fiddlers Hamlet and Coopersale. The rest of Epping lies in Epping Lindsey and Thornwood ward, as does Thornwood in the adjacent parish of North Weald Bassett. Both wards elect three councillors each.

As well as the County and District Councils, Epping has a Town council consisting of 12 councillors, six each elected from Epping Hemnall and Epping Lindsey wards, one of which is elected Mayor of Epping and acts as Chairman of Council, as well as a civic and ceremonial head of the local community.

Epping Forest District Council’s headquarters are located in Epping High Street.^[11]

Geography[link]

Epping lies 17 miles (27.4 km) north-east of the centre of London towards the northern end of Epping Forest on a ridge of land between the River Roding and River Lea valleys. Epping is north of the small village of Theydon Bois.

Most of the population live in the built up area centred on and around the High Street (B1393) and Station Road. About a thousand people live in the small village of Coopersale which, while physically separated from Epping by forest land, is still part of the civil parish. A few dozen households make up the hamlets of Coopersale Street and Fiddlers Hamlet. Much of the eastern part of the present parish was until 1895 in the parish of Theydon Garnon.

The Town lies north-east of junction 26 (Waltham Abbey, Loughton A121) of the M25 motorway and south-west of junction 7 (Harlow) of the M11 motorway.

Transport[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010)

Bus route 541 at Epping Tube Station

Epping is served by a number of bus routes, serving many surrounding towns and villages including; Thornwood Common, Harlow, Abridge, Waltham Abbey, Ongar and Brentwood. The bus services are either commercial services (routes 7/7A/7B, 19/20/21, 575 and X5), or operated under contract to Essex County Council (routes 213, 381/382, 501 and 541). There are no London Buses services in Epping..

Epping is served by Transport for London rail services, and is the eastern terminus of the Central Line of the London Underground. The Central Line now terminates at Epping. However until 30 September 1994, it used to serve stations at North Weald, Blake Hall and Ongar where services terminated. The station has a car park with 508 spaces and is the second largest car park on the London Underground network,^[12] a toilet, a ticket machine, a pay phone as well as seats for sitting outside of the station to wait for buses.

Main Line train services are available from a number of neighbouring towns, with the closest stations to Epping being Roydon, Harlow and Chingford, these are served by the West Anglia Main Line and are operated by Greater Anglia. However there is no direct public transport to Roydon and Chingford stations from Epping, making Harlow station the most accessible.

Train[link]

Central Line from Epping Station.

Education[link]

• St John's CE Secondary School, the only secondary school in Epping, is now designated as a specialist Engineering College. The school has an active charity fundraising group led by a Student Executive team. In 2006 two students were awarded the Rotary Prize for 'Service to School' by the local Epping Rotary Club.
• Coopersale Hall School], a private primary school at the end of Flux's Lane, Epping.
• Ivy Chimneys Primary School], a primary school located in Ivy Chimneys, Epping.
• Epping Junior School, a primary school located in the heart of Epping's town centre in St John's Road.
• Coopersale's Primary School (confused with private above not in Coopersale). Founded in 1850 in Coopersale Street, now a house but bell tower still visible, in September 1970 the school was moved into its new premises in the village of Coopersale and has since been called Coopersale and Theydon Garnon C.E. (Vol.Cont.) Primary School.

Sport[link]

Epping Town played in the Isthmian League until folding during the 1984–85 season. Epping FC currently play in the Essex Olympian League. Both have played at Stonards Hill.

Notable residents[link]

• Singer Rod Stewart
• Ex-professional football player and manager Glenn Hoddle
• Actor and television presenter Bradley Walsh
• Actor Nick Berry
• Ex-professional footballer Dennis Rofe
• Former lead singer of rock band Uriah Heep, David Byron
• TV presenter and comedian Griff Rhys Jones
• Television presenter Ben Shephard
• Screenwriter and novelist Julian Mitchell
• Writer and illustrator Jill Barklem
• Politician Philip Hammond
• Supermodel Lisa Snowdon
• Actor James Buckley
• Comedian Alan Davies
• Actress Jessie Wallace
• Band CRASS

Trivia[link]

• Epping's famous weekly market changed from being held every Monday to every Friday from 1575 up until just after the First World War, at which point it returned to being held on Monday.^[13]
• Epping is the starting point for the Essex Way, which is a long distance path between Epping and Harwich.^[14]
• Epping is home to the first ever Clinton Cards shop which was opened in 1968.^[15]

Twin town[link]

Sign showing twin towns of Epping

Epping is twinned with:

• Eppingen, Germany^[16]

Location grid[link]

		Harlow
	Waltham Abbey		Chipping Ongar
		Epping    East
		Theydon Bois

References[link]

• Epping Forest District Council (2005). Key Facts: 2001 Census. http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/Library/files/planning/key%20facts%20-%20final.pdf. 
• Epping Town Guide. Plus Publishing Services (on behalf of Epping Town Council. 2002. 
• Jenkins (2001). Churchill. Macmillan. pp. 391–392. ISBN 0-330-48805-8. 
• Parish Profile: Epping - information about Epping from the 2001 census (PDF file)

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Epping

• Epping Forest District Council
• Essex County Council
• Epping Forest - Information about Epping Forest, which is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation.
• Epping Weather - Weather records from the Epping Weather station.
• Epping to Ongar - Chronicles the history of the now defunct Ongar branch line.
• Epping Forum - Website for Epping residents to discuss local issues.
• Plainly Say No - The official website of the campaign against Bellway Homes' purposed development of 351 homes on part of the St. Margaret’s Hospital site.
• Photos of Epping and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk

Rick Epping is a California-born musician who has immersed himself in American old-time and Irish traditional music since the 1960s. He is an accomplished player of the harmonica, concertina, banjo and jaw harp.

During the 1970s he lived in Ireland where he studied traditional Irish music. He was the 1975 All-Ireland Harmonica champion and a member of the successful folk group Pumpkinhead. He has recorded with many other Irish and American musicians and groups over the years, including Christy Moore, Mick Hanly, Bob Zentz, George Winston, Mary Staunton, Priscilla Herdman and Robbin Thompson.^[1]

Epping worked for the Hohner company for many years and during that time patented the "Extreme Bending" harmonica, which includes additional reeds that allow players to "bend" notes that cannot be so altered on traditional diatonic instruments. He currently conducts workshops internationally for Hohner harmonicas.^[2]

Epping has recently involved himself with a number of musicians and projects, including the trio "The Unwanted", which features himself, Dervish singer Cathy Jordan and fiddler Seamus O'Dowd.^[3] Their 2009 CD Music Of The Atlantic Fringe was picked in Irish music publication Hot Press as one of their top ten albums of the year.

Discography[link]

• Pumpkinhead – Pumpkinhead (Mulligan LUN 001; 1978)
• Jiggin’ the Blues (G2CD7011) with Frankie Gavin and Tim Edey
• Music Of The Atlantic Fringe with the Unwanted (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

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