Description
Ainslie Wood, together with nearby Larks Wood, is an area of ancient woodland that at one time was part of the Forest of Essex, now surrounded by suburban housing, Ainslie Wood was joined to Larks Wood until early in the C20th, privately owned and not publicly accessible until relatively recently, when its preservation became the responsibility of LB Waltham Forest. Ainslie Wood contains a number of Wild Service Trees, relatively rare in urban woodland, and an indicator of ancient woods.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Endsleigh Wood |
|---|---|
| Site location | Ainslie Wood Road, Rolls Park Road |
| Postcode | E4 9BG |
| What3Words | ///rate.amuse.rabble |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Highams Park; Chingford then bus. Bus: 97, 158, 215 |
| Research Updated | 7 May 2020 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Together with Larks Wood, Ainslie Wood was within the Manor of Chingford Earls, acquired by Henry VIII in 1544. The last private owners were the Boothby Heathcote family of Friday Hill House (q.v.). The manor was owned by the Boothby family from 1608 to 1774 when it was bequeathed to Lydia Heathcote, half sister to Robert Boothby, remaining in that family's ownership until the 1930s. Ainslie or Endsleigh Wood was also known as 'little larks' in 1559, and later as St John's Wood, according to a former owner in the C19th, Sir Robert. Sharpe Ainslie, who lived at Rolls. Now surrounded by suburban streets, the L-shaped site has a pond, a number of paths running through the woodland, and abuts a playing field to the north. There are many fine oaks and also wild service trees, relatively rare in urban woodland, as well hornbeam and ash, with hazel, crab-apple, field maple, hawthorn, blackthorn and rowan around the woods. Like Larks Wood it is known locally for its fine spring display of bluebells. The Friends of Ainslie Wood and Larks Wood was formed in December 2004.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ378920 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.03 |
| Site Ownership | LB Waltham Forest |
| Site Management | Urbaser Ltd as part of the Street Care and Associated Services contract with LBWF; Friends of Ainslie and Larks Woods |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance I |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Nature Reserve |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The Ropers Field Estate was laid out in the post-war period by Chingford Borough Council, a low-density development of 146 homes consisting of semi-detached houses and maisonettes. Its spacious layout and the distinctive design of the houses echo the Garden City /Garden Suburb movement. An intrinsic part of the original layout was the landscaping that remains an attractive feature of the estate: grass verges planted with ornamental street trees, generous gardens at front and rear of the properties with privet hedges along front boundaries and often between gardens, together with two areas of open space: Inks Green bowling green and the amenity green in front of Nos.64-82 Ropers Avenue. Probably conceived to recall a village green, the latter is largely surrounded by hedging with shrub beds at either end.
Memorial Park was Chingford UDC's first municipal park, laid out on an irregularly shaped site surrounded by early C20th residential streets. The park incorporated an already existing sunken Garden of Remembrance that had been created by public subscription as a memorial to those who lost their lives in WWI. It was taken over by the UDC when they laid out Memorial Park in 1930. Facilities in the new park included tennis courts, a bowling green and pavilion. The park entrance through the original 1930s gates lead directly to the small memorial garden before the park opens out. An area of planting surrounds a pond with a fine willow, a sculpture by Jack Gardner, 'Tao Column 92', sited nearby.
Larkswood Park comprises Larkswood Playing Fields and Larks Wood, an area of semi-ancient woodland that is a remnant of a much larger tract of woodland that once included Epping Forest. The wood is on hilly ground, with fine oak and hornbeam trees, and known for its bluebells displays, which in the early C20th attracted crowds of visitors. Larkswood Park was created by Chingford Borough Council in 1936, at which time an open air pool 'with accommodation for 2,500 bathers' was provided, built on the site of Larks Farm at a cost of £24,000. Designed for racing and water polo, it was considered one of the finest open-air pools in the country and was opened on 28 July 1936 by Sir Kingsley Wood, Minister of Health. However, in 1987 the pool was finally closed.
