Swaines Green

Size: 9.64 hectares

Grid Reference: TL 45403 02541

Owners: City of London (Epping Forest) and Epping Town Council

Access: Open public access via public footpath and reserve entrances. No formal car park. Street parking.

Site Description: Swaines Green is located on the northwest side of Epping Town, where it forms a vital green corridor between the main section of Epping Forest and the Lower Forest to the North. It is bordered by the Lower Swaines recreation ground and housing to  its south and has the impressive hedgerow of Bolt Cellar Lane and farmland to the north.

Essentially Swaines Green has developed from four former agricultural fields (named below), which have been left untouched since the early 1980’s. Today, nature has taken over and the site is a mosaic of open grassland, scrub and developing woodland bordered by thick hedgerows. The seed source for the woodland coming from the major hedge bordering Bolt Cellar Lane.

• Forties Field is best described as developing woodland with large thickets of scrub typically oak, ash, hawthorn and blackthorn slowly merging together. Other species such as field maple, dogwood, hazel, hornbeam and spindle are also present in significant distribution adding a surprising diversity. Currently, there are still open areas of grassland within this area with species such as bugle, knapweed and oxeye daisy, however these areas are rapidly infilling.
• Middle and Lower Lincoln's Field are also being colonised by clumps of oak which are developing rapidly. Lower Lincoln’s Field offers the most diverse grassland sward and with Middle Lincoln's possibly an area of unimproved grassland with a natural flush present within it. This field is characterised by more water plants, including lady’s smock, rush and sedge species
• Lovelocks Meadow is the one field with very few large trees although even this does have scrub encroachment. In May 2006 a significant invertebrate survey of the field was undertaken.

Today, the future of the site is secure as it is owned by the City of London and Epping Town Council. It is managed as a partnership between the two landowners, Countrycare and the Friends of Swaines Green (FoSG) and is a designated Local Wildife Site.

Countrycare has been involved with Swaines Green since 1992 and much has happened over this time for a full history on the site please read on.