Records of the Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee, Court of Common Council, including minutes, 1878-2004; committee papers, 1877-1957; subject files relating to specific developments including Jubilee Retreat, Bury Road, Chingford, Essex, 1941-1949, East Ham Civil Defence Centre, Capel Road, Wanstead Flats (including plans), 1952-1956, Western Sewage Works, Chingford Hatch, 1956 and report of Superintendent regarding Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, 1952; letter books, 1879-2001; reports of the Epping Forest Committee to the Court of Common Council, 1882-1949 and annual reports, 1983-1997. Please note that some of these records are closed.

Records pertain to the management of Epping Forest by the City of London Corporation.

The collection includes records which detail the City of London Corporation's statutory responsibilities in administering the forest (including bills and acts of parliament, legal cases, bye-laws and the election of verderers); administrative records (including Superintendent's correspondence, committee papers, forest keepers' diaries and reports and information relating to licences and land alterations); financial records (including annual accounts, ledgers of income and expenditure and cash books); staff records (including wages books and staff registers); records concerning the museum at Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge (including visitors books, research and interpretation materials and documents collected for their historical interest); printed materials (books, leaflets, posters and invitations produced both by the City of London and other organisations connected with Epping Forest); visual material (including photographs, postcards and slides); maps and plans.

The collection is particularly rich in visual material (see CLA/077/G) with photographs and slides covering the period 1880 to 2007.

Records of particular interest include: incoming and outgoing letters to the Superintendent comprehensively cover an 82 year period from 1880 to 1962 (CLA/077/B/01; CLA/077/B/02; CLA/077/B/03; CLA/077/B/15) . These letters illuminate many aspects of the history of the forest including forest management decisions, land-use changes and the relationship between forest staff and local residents and the central role played by the Superintendent.

Those researching individuals may be interested in the staff records for example, staff registers (CLA/077/D/03) and wages books (CLA/077/D/01) as well as the records kept by Forest Keepers (CLA/077/B/07 and CLA/077/B/08).

Papers of Professor James Watson Munro, 1931-1961, comprising records relating to Imperial College, notably Departmental reports for Zoology and Applied Entomology, 1936-1961, papers on the establishment of the Biological Field Station, Slough, 1931-1938, correspondence concerning administration, 1940-1942, staff, 1937-1954, air raid precautions, 1940-1942 (A);

papers relating to committees, including Biology War Committee, 1942-1945, Empire Marketing Board Advisory Committee, 1930-1934, Forestry Commission Committee on Ecological Reserves, 1939-1946, Pest Control Research Committee, 1938-1942 (B);

papers relating to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, notably correspondence relating to the Forest Products Research Laboratory, 1928-1941, student grants, 1931-1940, pest infestation and food storage, 1936-1943, staff, 1939-1944, relationship to the Department, 1938-1945 (C);

general correspondence, notably relating to committees, courses, staff appointments and testimonials, research, principally pest infestation and food storage including for the war effort, job vacancies, Slough Biological Field Station, Ministry of Food, 1932-1947 (D).