Thriving businesses, glorious natural surroundings and a fascinating history – our next-door town, Epping, has a lot going for it…
- The strange affair of the Epping Jaundice happened in 1965: 84 townspeople fell prey to a mystery illness with jaundice-like symptoms, which was finally traced back to a bakery which had accidentally used flour tainted by epoxy resin hardener.
- Shakespeare is said to been inspired by the area; A Midsummer Night’s Dream premiered at Copped Hall just outside Epping in 1594. It was written for the marriage celebrations of the hall’s owner, Sir Thomas Heneage, when he married the Countess of Southampton that year. Copped Hall, currently under restoration and occasionally open to the public, has recently hosted several open-air performances of Shakespeare plays in its grounds.
- Epping Forest, as a royal forest, had a special law system called Royal Forest law which operated outside common law and was administered by ”verderers”. The Forest of Dean and the New Forest have a similar system.
- Epping Market, which is held every Monday in the town’s main street, dates back to 1253. The High Street itself was home to no less than 26 coaching inns in the early 1800s
- Highwayman of note Dick Turpin started his life of crime in the forest just outside Epping as part of a deer-stealing cartel called the Gregory Gang.