Norton Heath Common

Size: 4.3 Hectares

Grid reference: TL 601 042 click here for streetmap.co.uk

Owners: Epping Forest District Council

Access: Norton Heath is a designated Common with unrestricted public access across the whole site. One improved footpath crosses the site in an East/ West direction. The footpath is part of the Blackmore and Norton Mandeville circular walk. A road runs across the wood dividing the northern and southern parts of the site.

Parking: Street parking available around the common.

 The history of Norton Heath is still a little sketchy, but we do know a few key dates and facts acquired from local historians, parish council papers and the Cuttle Collection. According to the reminiscences of a Miss Maryon of Garwood Cottage (who died in 1980 in her 90’s) the heath in the early 1900s was still very much open , it was grazed and an annual fair was held each year. What is for sure is that it would have looked very different from how it looks today.

The next significant date is the  7^th January 1909. On this day Norton Heath was designated a Common under the 1899 Commons Act by the Rural District Council of Ongar.  Under this agreement the Council agreed to protect and improve the Common and safeguard it against any encroachment.  The local community was given free access across the land and rights were also given for the “privilege of playing games”.

Between 1910 and 1920 the heath was used for gravel extraction to create the new turnpike road now the A414. This resulted in the numerous ephemeral and permanent ponds which exist across the common today. This extraction must have had a serious impact on use of the common making access much more difficult? But it was probably very good for the wildlife. This is reflected in a 1913 account of a field trip by the Essex Field Club. (Willmott et al. 1913). In it the authors described the surface of the heath as being disturbed by shallow excavations for gravel and that the resulting swampy heath and shallow pools “should prove happy hunting grounds for botanists”.  The authors go on to list the array of heathland plants that were found and these included Common Milkwort Polygala vulgaris, Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile, Heather Calluna vulgaris and Lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica to name but a few. 

There is evidence that there was active enforcement of the byelaws. On 15 May 1920, four persons were summoned for drawing caravans onto the heath. It involved travelling showman on their way from Hertfordshire to Maldon and they had with them seven vans and twelve horses. The byelaws appear to have been enforced by Arthur Smith, the Norton Heath blacksmith!

By 1936 we find that trees were being planted on Norton Heath 'Green' to commemorate King George V’s Silver Jubilee and at this point woodland succession must have begun at a pace.

In 1973 with local government reorganisation Epping Forest District Council became trustees and guardians of the Common and by 1988 Countrycare arrived on the scene.

For the last 20 years Countrycare staff and volunteers have been carrying out small scale works on the Common involving pond, woodland and access work. For example, in 2002 access improvement works were undertaken that included the construction of a board walk and pond revetment on a path running from east to west across the Common. 

Turning back the clock – Restoration of North Heath. Over the last couple of years Countrycare has been keen to see if the heathland habitat that once existed over the Common can be restored. Lowland heath is an extremely rare and threatened habitat. Over England only one sixth of the heathland present in 1800 still remains and it covering less than 0.3% of England’s land surface. Restoration of heath is a priority for the both the UK and Essex Biodiversity Action Plan as well as our local Epping Forest District Biodiversity Action Plan.