Another in the occasional series on historical sites on the “London Loop” (London Outer Orbital Path) walk …
Chingford was first recorded as Cingefort (sic) in the Domesday Book of 1086, and as Chingeford in 1181, probably taking its name from the Old English cingel, meaning shingle, and ford, and alluding to an ancient crossing-point on the River Lea.
What is now known as Elizabeth I’s Hunting Lodge was actually originally built by Henry VIII between 1542-43, before Elizabeth became queen, in the then heart of Epping Forest.
It now houses a museum featuring many original fixtures and fittings as well as Tudor period artefacts.
