Nazeing
Encyclopedia
Nazeing is a parish
of 3,952 lying about four miles north of Waltham Abbey
, England and bounded on the west by the River Lea. Most of it is still rural, but during the past 40 years there has been a considerable development of market gardening, light industry, holiday fishing, and boating. The older village of Nazeing is separated by open farmland from the larger Lower Nazeing to the west.
The Prime Meridian
passes to the west of Lower Nazeing.
. Nazeingwood Common, which covers much of the eastern plateau, was originally part of Waltham Forest, but in the 13th century was disafforested for pasture. It was ploughed up during the Second World War. From the common a small brook runs west through the middle of the parish.
of the Epping Forest
district. Many consider 1971 and 1972 to be Nazeing's finest years as it won the 'England's Greatest Village' competition for two consecutive years. It is the only village to have won the award twice in a row.
The village has two Anglican places of worship: The modern Saint Giles Parish found in Lower Nazeing and All Saints' Church, by far the older of the two. It also has a Congregational Church founded in 1795 and located on Middle Street. Heavy rainfall has known to flood the village to the point that even All Saints Church, at the top of the hill, has been affected. After Total
Petrol station was bought by Nazeing Parish Council, there have been plans for it to be made into a community hall.
's carefully kept secrets was the building of dummy or decoy airfields.
Nazeing Common was one of many sites, designed to be a decoy for nearby North Weald airfield
.
The land on the site is as it appears today, very hilly, not what one expects from an airfield. The lighting was mounted on wooden poles of varying lengths, so as to keep the proportion and angles right in its appearance from the air.
The command and control bunkers are still in good condition and were built away from the layout of the airfield so as to give the RAF crews that manned this site some protection. These buildings housed generators for powering the lighting and had an ops room where the lights were operated from, and where contact could be maintained by telephone to the controlling station i.e.: North Weald itself. The other bunker 100 ft further down the hill was used for shelter and a general area for sleeping and cooking.
This site was in operation from June 1940, but it is thought the Germans had detected Nazeing as a decoy site by the end of December.
The site probably closed by the end of July 1941 as land was needed for increased agriculture and this was put to the plough in August 1941.
These bunkers can be located north of the Nazeing Brook on the Lodge Farm side.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of 3,952 lying about four miles north of Waltham Abbey
Waltham Abbey, Essex
Waltham Abbey is a market town of about 20,400 people in the south west of the county of Essex, in the East of England region. It is about 24 km north of London on the Greenwich Meridian and lies between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east. It takes its name from The Abbey...
, England and bounded on the west by the River Lea. Most of it is still rural, but during the past 40 years there has been a considerable development of market gardening, light industry, holiday fishing, and boating. The older village of Nazeing is separated by open farmland from the larger Lower Nazeing to the west.
The Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
passes to the west of Lower Nazeing.
Topography
The land gradually rises from the river to a small hill and bowl-shaped plateau, about 270 ft. above sea level, in the east. Apart from the alluvium by the river, and a strip of gravel a little to the east of it, the soil is London clayLondon Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...
. Nazeingwood Common, which covers much of the eastern plateau, was originally part of Waltham Forest, but in the 13th century was disafforested for pasture. It was ploughed up during the Second World War. From the common a small brook runs west through the middle of the parish.
Community
Nazeing is home to a golf course, a Gym and many pubs: King Harolds Head, Sun Inn, Black Swan and the Crooked Billet. It forms a civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of the Epping Forest
Epping Forest (district)
Epping Forest is a local government district of the county of Essex, England. It is named after Epping Forest, of which the district contains a large part...
district. Many consider 1971 and 1972 to be Nazeing's finest years as it won the 'England's Greatest Village' competition for two consecutive years. It is the only village to have won the award twice in a row.
The village has two Anglican places of worship: The modern Saint Giles Parish found in Lower Nazeing and All Saints' Church, by far the older of the two. It also has a Congregational Church founded in 1795 and located on Middle Street. Heavy rainfall has known to flood the village to the point that even All Saints Church, at the top of the hill, has been affected. After Total
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
Petrol station was bought by Nazeing Parish Council, there have been plans for it to be made into a community hall.
Place of interest
One of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
's carefully kept secrets was the building of dummy or decoy airfields.
Nazeing Common was one of many sites, designed to be a decoy for nearby North Weald airfield
North Weald Airfield
North Weald Airfield is an operational airfield, near the village of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it was known as the RAF Station RAF North Weald. It is the home of North Weald Airfield Museum...
.
The land on the site is as it appears today, very hilly, not what one expects from an airfield. The lighting was mounted on wooden poles of varying lengths, so as to keep the proportion and angles right in its appearance from the air.
The command and control bunkers are still in good condition and were built away from the layout of the airfield so as to give the RAF crews that manned this site some protection. These buildings housed generators for powering the lighting and had an ops room where the lights were operated from, and where contact could be maintained by telephone to the controlling station i.e.: North Weald itself. The other bunker 100 ft further down the hill was used for shelter and a general area for sleeping and cooking.
This site was in operation from June 1940, but it is thought the Germans had detected Nazeing as a decoy site by the end of December.
The site probably closed by the end of July 1941 as land was needed for increased agriculture and this was put to the plough in August 1941.
These bunkers can be located north of the Nazeing Brook on the Lodge Farm side.
The fire
In the early hours of 5 January 2009 a fire broke out in Nazeing that raged for at least 48 hours and could be seen for a ten mile radius.People from Nazeing
- John EliotJohn Eliot (missionary)John Eliot was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the Indian apostle.”-English education and Massachusetts ministry:...
(1604–90), the 'Indian Apostle' in Massachusetts, lived at Nazeing as a boy.
External links
- Google Map of Nazeing, Waltham Abbey, Essex, UK
- British History Online: Nazeing
- Nazeing Congregational Church
- Decoy Airfield At Nazing