Epping, for a small town of only 10,000 inhabitants, is relatively well known throughout the Southeast. It’s quaint pastoral Essex charm has been for over 70 years been connected to central London via the Central Line, turning it from small market town into part of London’s suburban sprawl. As a historic medieval settlement, the area has undergone numerous stylistic architectural changes, and the housing stock ranges from manor houses, Victorian villas, semi-detached post-war housing, townhouses, cottages, and indeed social housing stock.

Epping’s historical connection to the neighbouring Epping Forest is evident. But it was actually developed from the nearby Waltham Abbey. King Henry III, in 1253, granted the canons of the area rights to clear the woodland surrounding Epping Upland. Alongside this, he granted them permissions to host a market every Monday. Now, over 760 years later, that tradition has been maintained! The market is a central part of Epping’s ecosystem, and is still hosted every Monday on Epping High Street. The town maintained a slow development in the post-medieval period, but significantly increased throughout the 17th and 18th centuries as a vital corridor between Essex and London. This history, is again, maintained today! Due to the Central Line’s Epping Station, Epping acts as an essential commuter point between Essex and Central London.

Epping is well known in England, but it is also global! There are Epping’s in Australia, South Africa, the United States, and Canada. This is probably due to the fact that ‘Epping’, as a name, derives from Anglo-Saxon, roughly meaning ‘cultivated lands’. In 1981, the town was officially twinned with Eppingen, in the Baden-Württemberg region of soouthern Germany. In fact, the towns respective schools have been known to engage in large exchange programmes with one another!

There are over 30 listed properties on Epping’s high street alone, and the whole surrounding area is marked as a Conservation site. The heritage status of Epping has numerous implications for the area. Resident’s are largely anti-development, and are protective of the area’s Green Belt status. This means that new developments have to comply with Green Belt measures. It’s reputation as a commuter belt also causes tensions, with residents from nearby towns often using the streets of Epping as parking before hopping on the Central Line. However, new developments are underway for the Epping area as part of a strategic masterplan for the area, starting with the development of a new multistorey car park behind the high street. This masterplan also includes 270 new homes, a cinema, a new leisure centre, and more!