Swaines Green

Swaines Green is a 22 acre site on the western side of Epping. It comprises mixed woodland, scrub and open meadow, providing habitat for a wealth of trees, plants and animals. It is made up of four fields which date from approximately 1200 AD. The fields are small, by today’s standards, and are bounded on almost all sides by hedgerows. There is firm evidence that the field boundaries are the original Saxon/Norman demarcations and the hedgerows have been dated back to pre-Tudor times.

The Green is currently a mosaic of open rough grassland, ancient hedgerows, scrub and developing woodland. It also has a stream, ponds and wetland areas. The varied composition means a huge diversity of plants and tress. Of particular importance are the areas of flower rich meadowland on which a total of over 120 different flowering plants have been recorded to date.

A study has also revealed a wonderful variety of wildlife. 64 different species of bird have been seen on the site, 18 different mammal species have been recorded, plus a wide range of beetles, bugs, ants, wasps, bees, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, crickets, bats, reptiles, amphibians, spiders and woodlice.