Weald Country Park
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Weald Country Park is a 700 year-old, 500 acre (2 km²) country park in South Weald in the borough of Brentwood in the English county of Essex. It is on the north east fringe of Greater London.
The current layout is largely the result of landscaping in the 18th century of the grounds of Weald Hall, parts of which dated back to the 16th century. The estate was owned by Hugh Smith, ancestor of the Earls of Derby in the early 18th century. In 1752, the estate of was sold to Thomas Tower of Iver in Buckinghamshire, a lawyer and MP for Wareham in Dorset. Christopher Tower succeeded as the owner in 1778 until his death in 1810. Christopher Thomas Tower, his son succeeded until 1867. It was sold by another C. T. Tower in 1946. Some remnants of the Hall, which was demolished in 1946 due to war damage, remain – in particular some steps leading to what used to be a folly. The 16th century Queen Mary's Chapel (actually a lodge but rumoured to have been used by Queen Mary for quiet prayer and contemplation), which used to be enclosed within the Weald Hall's walled kitchen garden, still remains at the edge of the park.
The park is now managed by Essex County Council.
[edit] 2012 Olympic Games
The park was due to be the venue for the mountain biking events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, following a visit by inspectors from the International Cycling Union, the site was considered insufficiently challenging for international competition and a new venue was sought.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Mountain bike course 'too easy', BBC Sport, Friday, 1 February 2008
[edit] External links
- History of Weald Park
- Visitor details from Essex County Council
- Page from Brentwood Borough Council
- Panoramic view
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