THE FUTURE of a historic park is up for a discussion at a cruical meeting, as members of a conservation group highlight how much work is needed to restore it to its former glory.

Members of the public will be given a unique opportunity to have their say about what should be done to improve Wanstead Park – which dates back almost 500 year – at the event on Saturday February 6.

Members of the Wanstead Park Community Project (WPCP) fear for the future of the park – which is maintained by the Corporation of London – and say action must be taken now to preserve this much-loved landmark.

WPCP member and chairman of The Friends of Wanstead Parklands Alan Cornish said: “The view that the conservator has taken is that, because it occupies only five percent or so of the area of Epping Forest, it should only be allocated around five percent of the funding.

“Of course Wanstead Park is very different and needs far more funding. It's been placed on the 'at risk' register by English Heritage, which is very serious.

“The park was first enclosed in around 1540. So we're talking about something that has a long, long history.

“The next step is decide where we want to be, most likely back to the kind of state it was in about 1740, when it was at its peak.

“But it'll take some work – it's not just a matter of nipping out there and moving the lawn!”

Fellow WPCP member Paul Donovan said: “The pathways need to be properly gravelled over as they are likely to get muddy, especially during the recent snowy weather, when they got really churned up and people found it very difficult if not impossible to get passed.

“Having said that, I suspect a lot of the damage was done by the Corporation's own Land Rover, but there we are.

“Also we're keen to looking into the history of the park, such as looking for Roman remains and things.

“All the events that are put on in the park are well attended, there's a great deal of interest and if we can highlight the historical aspects of the park, then hopefully we'll have more people than ever.

A representative of English Heritage will be on hand at the event to answer questions and explain their organisation's role in helping preserve the park.

The meeting will be held at the function room at Wanstead Golf Club, Overton Drive, Wanstead from 2:30pm to 4pm.

Five things you never knew about Wanstead Park...

1. Wanstead Park was originally the site of Wanstead House, which was designed to rival the world-famous Blenheim Palace in both scale and grandeur.

2. The park was first enclosed in 1545, when the population of London was only around 225,000 – less than the current population of the borough of Redbridge alone (around 250,000).

3. The estate which became Wanstead Park was seized by Henry VII in 1541, after he had the previous owner – Sir Giles Heron – beheaded.

4. In 1717, the world's longest telescope – measuring 125 feet in length – was installed in Wanstead Park, thanks to Sir Isaac Newton.

5. Archaeologists have discovered a wealth of Roman relics on various digs in the park, including the foundations of villas, roof tiles, coins and much more.