Highams Park - "The Highams Park" and Highams Park Lake

"The Highams Park" and Highams Park Lake

The park is known officially as "The Highams Park" but is often known locally as "The Park", "The Field" or "The lake". Most of the park is on a hill with a gradual rise to the north end. It is frequented by dog walkers, runners and families. The park has no facilities except an under-8's playground and public notice boards.

Highams Park Lake is to the west of the park, and is owned by the City of London Corporation although the rest of the park is maintained by the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The lake was formed by the landscape gardener Humphry Repton who created it by damming the River Ching. The lake, the adjoining park and the Manor House (now Woodford County High School) were owned by Highams Bensted. The lake itself is about 450m long and about 80m wide at the widest point. At the south end of the lake is a boat house built by Kenneth Robert John Ford and owned by Waltham Forest South Scouts. The north end of the lake is much narrower and shallower, it often dries out into mud in the summer and is sometimes referred to as 'the smelly end'. The River Ching flows past the lake but does not actually flow into it, a small outflow at the south end of the lake flows into the river.

There is a small island in the lake which is inhabited by nesting swans. Near the top of the lake are some large rocks thought to have been placed there by Humphry Repton to improve the lakes appeal. A public toilet block used to be situated on the east side of the lake although it was demolished many years ago, and only the foundations remain.