Epping Forest

On the border of London and Essex in England, lies a very large and ancient woodland area known as Epping Forest. It is said to be approximately 2.4 hectare big, with the valley of two rivers; Lea and Riding surrounding the woods. It is a former royal forest and managed now by the City of London Corporation, with an area of 1.7 hectare being a site of social specific interest and also used for conservation purposes. From north to south the wooded area is roughly 19 kilometres (12 mile), but from east to west at its widest point it is never any wider than 4 kilometres (2.5).

Numerous different species of wildlife hav been spotted here over time. The Grass Snake, Foxes, Squirrels, Rabbits, Rats and Mice, Shrews, Mink, Deer, Otters, Bats, Hedgehos, a wide rang of Freshwater Fish, Swans and various other types of Birds are all but a few to have been seen living amongst the great woods. Rivers, bogs , ponds and lakes take up a lot of the area, with over 100 lakes and ponds said to be found withing the forest. It is in fact one of these ponds that holds a very sinister and deadly side to it, one that should not be messed with, nor taken lightly.

It all started some 300 years ago when a young couple got together and decided to meet up in secret by the pond which in modern day has become more commonly known as "The Killer/Suicide Pool. Their relationship was forbidden by many but they ignored the orders of those close to them. When they met up they could hear a noise coming from behind them, a noise that turns out to be the girl's father who had followed her all the way to see were his inclinations correct. When he confronted them both he got into a fit of blind rage, punching and throwing the boy to the ground and accidently doing the same to his daughter who was trying to stop him. The thing was though when he had done so, she cracks her head against a rock and was killed instantly. 

The father, realising what he had done, preceeded to pick up her body and dump it in the pond. The boy, groggy and petrified sat sobbing in sadness and fear while watching her father run away back through the forest. A few moments later he decided he couldn't live with what he just seen, nor could he a life without his true love, so he decided to walk into the remarkably deep pond and take his own life.

When he did so, the pond water started to turn really thick and black. The vegetation around the pool died and all the animals that within a short distance of the pool had mysteriously dropped dead, the banks of the river especially filled with carcasses. 

A number of people after that day had committed suicide also by walking into the water. People who were with those when they done this had insisted that none of them had ever shown any signs of wanting to kill themselves. They were all described as happy and full of life people, but then they got to the lake it was like they were in a trance and the pond was calling them. Nothing they could do or say was enough to stop them from walking into the pond that day. 

Perhaps the most tragic incident was of a young servant girl called Emma Morgan who killed herself and her baby in 1887, the pond would reject no one. It is said that the wind would go quiet and then the water would start to turn colour and bubble. 

In 1959 the Essex Countryside magazine had held a competition to find the exact location of the pond, as it wasn't accurately known. One writer claimed she knew where the suicide pool was but refused to share the location. She would claim that the 'dank, evil and malignant' pool was evil beyond measure. She also went on to describe it as having an 'atmosphere unpleasant beyond description' and with the sunshine unable to penetrate the surrounding trees.

With the location never found and with there being over 100 of these ponds in the forest, you better hope that the day you decide to go for your relaxing picnic, might not be your last......