Tim's Walks: A wander through Wanstead

Join Tim on a walk through one of the most beautiful of London's parklands at the most beautiful time of year. Wanstead Park was once the grounds of one of the greatest houses in eighteenth century England, the home of the Tylney family who made their fortune from the East India Company. It was the second largest in England after Blenheim Palace and the grounds swept down to the River Roding. Its history was much older: a Roman villa was discovered here and a later manor house was once used as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.
It was the scene of one of the great scandals of Regency England when Catherine Tylney-Long, the richest heiress in Britain, married a dissolute rake, a nephew of the Duke of Wellington. In ten years, he managed to spend her fortune and the house was demolished to pay off his debts.
Today it remains a spectacularly beautiful park with one of the best displays of bluebells in London. There's a grade 1 listed Georgian church along the way along with Regency stables. The park is a haven for wildlife with kingfishers, owls, woodpeckers and teal all having been spotted.
NB: The paths in the park may be a bit muddy and uneven.

We meet at 10.45 in Joice Cafe, close to Wanstead tube station (Central Line), to start walking at 11 and we'll return to a pub close by a couple of hours later.
My phone for emergencies is 07846899I56. Cost is £12,payable cash on the day, by card, by PayPal (timpotter53@gmail.com) or bank transfer (08-90-33, 07162019).