Buckhurst Hill

This is the 5th station on the Central Line when travelling westwards. A railway station opened here in 1856 followed by a rapid expansion in the population. By 1871 six hundred new houses had been built using land from the Epping Forest. This practice of building on Forest land was stopped by The Epping Forest Act 1878.

The station was transferred to the London Underground during the 1935-40 when the line was electrified and became part of the Central line, although due to WW2 this didn't happen until  November 1948.
The station continues to change as on the day I visited it was the last day that you could buy a ticket from a staffed ticket office, from now on it will have to be done by card. It wasn't made clear though if a member of staff would be on hand if there was a problem with the barriers recognising your ticket!

This pub was built shortly after the railway arrived in Buckhurst Hill in 1856. Local records show that up to 20,000 visitors would arrive from London each Sunday to visit tea rooms and a local pleasure garden but I'm sure many would have called in here.

It is a very short walk from the station to the village High Street. This building is now called The Olde Bakehouse. No longer a bakery or shop of any description but a place of residence.

As you can see from the sign and date above the building, this is a Victorian village with names to match - Queen's Road, Alfred Road, Palmerston Road, Gladstone Road, Victoria Road and so on.

It was obvious from the type of shops on the street that this is an affluent area. I saw no charity shops or pound shops and only one betting shop. Instead there were numerous eating places and independent shops.

Restaurant ?-No, it's an award winning hair salon.

The tower of the old St James' church still remains and is attached to a block of flats.

The remains of a grotesque on the wall of the tower.

Not far from the top of the High Street you are made aware of how close you are to Epping Forest.This is the oldest part of Buckhurst hill with The Green and St John's Pond

Surrounding the pond are these Victorian houses.

Across the road from the pond is St John's Church which you enter via the memorial gate. Built in 1837 as a chapel of Ease ( a church building that is not the parish church).

A selection of interesting gravestones found in the churchyard.

A little further along the High Road is this Pub which used to be known as 'The Bald Faced Stag' and was first recorded in 1725 but is likely to be much older than that. In 1752 it was here that John Swan and Elizabeth Jeffery were hanged for shooting Elizabeth Jeffery's uncle.

Walking back towards the station I saw many large houses.

Amongst the streets of large houses I stumbled across this terrace of small Victorian cottages.

 Just across the road is a large area used for allotments.The trees in the background are part of Epping Forest.





















It is not a large village and is surrounded by forest and fields.

Returning to the station I walked through part of the Forest