Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is a 44-hectare site in Sewardstonebury, Epping Forest, close to Chingford, London. In the late Middle Ages the area was a farm, growing to a wealthy estate that fell into disrepair towards 1900. It was bought in 1919 by Scout Commissioner William de Bois Maclaren and given to The Scout Association of the United Kingdom. Gilwell is now home to Scout Adventures, one of the world’s largest Scout Adventures centres.
About Gilwell Park in brief
Gilwell Park is a 44-hectare site in Sewardstonebury, Epping Forest, close to Chingford, London. In the late Middle Ages the area was a farm, growing to a wealthy estate that fell into disrepair towards 1900. It was bought in 1919 by Scout Commissioner William de Bois Maclaren and given to The Scout Association of the United Kingdom to provide camping to London Scouts, and training for Scouters. The site contains a number of camping fields, indoor accommodation, historical sites, monuments of Scouting, and outdoor adventure activities. It is one of twelve national centres run directly by or in partnership with the Scout Association, alongside Buddens, Crawfordsburn, Downe, Fordell Firs, Great Tower, Hawkhirst, Lochgoilhead, Meggernie, Woodhouse Park, Yr Hafod and Youlbury. It can accommodate events up to 10,000 people, and regularly does so at Scouting events throughout the year. The history of Gilwell Park can be traced to 1407, when John Crow owned Gyldiefords, the land that would eventually become Gil well Park. Around 1736 the highwayman Dick Turpin began using Gilwell’s forests to conceal himself and for ambushing travellers and freight along roads leading into London. The Chinnery family was prominent enough for members of the English nobility to visit them during the early 19th century and King George III visited on occasion, and later became a regular visitor. The family’s eldest son, George, became a friend of Prince Adolphus Gorus, who tutored their son George IV, while their eldest son George tutored Gorus’ son George III, who later became Prince Regent.
Gilwell is now home to Scout Adventures, one of the world’s largest Scout Adventures centres, offering camping and adventure activities for children and adults of all ages, as well as a training centre for adults and a conference centre for young adults. The park is open to the public, and is free to visit, but it is not open to pets or children under the age of 16. It has been the home of the Chinnerys since 1793, when their eldest daughter, Margaret, moved there with her husband, William, and they have lived there ever since. In 1812, William was exposed as the embezzler from the British Treasury and was forced to sign over the Gilwell Estate to the Exchequer. He died in 1812 and was buried in the grounds of the park. In 1792, the younger Margaret had married William Bassett ChinnerY, the elder brother of the painter George Chinneries, and the couple moved to Gilwell in 1793. In 1800, William Chnery’s father, also named William, owned trading ships and named one Gil well in 1800. Around this time, an adjoining 5. 6 hectares property was purchased by Richard Osborne, who built a large dwelling called Osborne Hall, which stood for 300 years. The White House is now called the White House.
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This page is based on the article Gilwell Park published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
