About

Boating Lake New To The Park

Hainault lake for many years has only been used for fishing but now it has joint use for familys to adventure on to the lake in old traditional 5 seater rowing boats. Rowing is great fun for all the family and by teaching youre kids can have great benifits as it gives them great confidence and sense of direction and motivates them.

For adults this activity exercises all major muscle groups: legs, arms, back, abdominal, and buttocks. Legs provide most of the power of the rowing stroke; your upper body adds the rest. Rowing is one of the few aerobic activities that can actually strengthen your back

Park History

Hainault Forest Country Park was formed from former Hainault Forest land cleared from around 1853. Formerly part of Waltham Forest, its name may be a corruption of Hyneholt (community wood) referring to the practice when poor widows were allowed to gather free wood here in winter. Once part of Barking Abbey lands, it reverted to the Crown after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1851 2800 acres of woodland were cleared and the land then mostly used for farming, with only small areas of woodland left. In 1902/3 800 acres of woodland and farmland of Foxburrows Farm were purchased by the LCC and opened to the public in 1906. Foxburrows Farm buildings had been rebuilt in 1856 and were later converted for use for park offices and refreshment facilities. In 1939 further land was purchased to extend the public open space. Later managed by the GLC, the park became the responsibility of LB Redbridge in 1986.