Last Saturday, while planning my first visit to Epping Forest, I had a little look at the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory, (ATI) and stumbled onto a Giant Sequoia living not far from me and with public access. I decided this was the perfect detour and informal launch to my project. I was actually a bit giddy as Giant Sequoias have a special place in my California heart.
And there she was! Just off the road in the churchyard of All Saints Epping Upland. I missed the small driveway at first and had to loop around a couple times, but eventually was able to find my way and explore the grounds on foot.
According to their website, “the church is believed to be of medieval origin and is first mentioned in 1177 as part of the possessions which were confirmed by Henry II to the Augustinian Canons of Waltham.
‘The oldest and most striking memorial is the brass on the south wall of the chancel in memory of Thomas Palmer. He was Professor of Common Law at Cambridge, and died in 1621, having lived at Gills, the moated farmhouse 1500 yards south west of the church.”
I poked around to see if anyone was available to speak with. I was mostly curious about the history of the tree and to see if it was ok to collect a few of the fallen pine cones and needles for some experimental ink-making. However, I appeared to have the place to myself, so I just collected a few bits on my way out and followed up with an email to ask about the history. We’ll see what happens next!