Late Middle Ages to 18th century was a regular haunt of
Dick Turpin. The history of Gilwell Park can be traced to 1407, when John Crow owned Gyldiefords, the land that would become Gilwell Park. Between 1407 and 1422, Crow sold the land to Richard Rolfe and the area became known as Gillrolfes; "Gill" being
Old English for
glen. Following Rolfe's death in 1422, different sections of the property came to be called "Great Gilwell" and "Little Gilwell." The two areas were named after the Old English "wella" (
spring). A farmhouse has stood at Gilwell Farm ever since. In 1754, William Skrimshire purchased Great Gilwell, Little Gilwell and half of Osborne's estate, including Osborne Hall. Skrimshire demolished Osborne Hall and built a new residence, which he also called Osborne Hall and is now called the White House. Timbers in the White House can be dated to this time but not to any previous era. Leonard Tresilian (?–1792) bought the estate in 1771 and expanded the land holdings and size of the residence. After Tresilian's first wife Margaret Holland died young after bearing three daughters, he married Elizabeth Fawson. Desiring that Gilwell pass on to his eldest daughter, who was also named Margaret (1750 – c.1844), Tresilian drew up a detailed
prenuptial agreement with Fawson's father. By the time of Tresilian's death in 1792, the younger Margaret had married William Bassett Chinnery (1766–1834), the elder brother of painter
George Chinnery.
Purchase by The Boy Scouts Association |thumb
William de Bois Maclaren, a wealthy publisher and Scout Commissioner from
Rosneath, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, suggested a campsite was needed for Scouts in the
East End of London. The Boy Scouts Association appointed its Scout Commissioner of the East End,
P.B. Nevill, to deal with the issue. On 20 November 1918, over dinner at Roland House, the Scout Hostel in
Stepney run by Nevill, Maclaren agreed to donate £7,000 to the project. Part of the agreement included narrowing the search for suitable land to
Hainault Forest and Epping Forest.
Rover Scouts searched both without success but John Gayfer, a young assistant Scoutmaster, suggested Gilwell Hall, which he visited to
watch birds. Nevill visited the estate and was impressed, though the buildings were in poor condition. The estate. which then occupied , was for sale for £7,000, the sum Maclaren had donated. In early 1919, Maclaren purchased the estate for The Boy Scouts Association. Nevill first took his Rover Scouts to begin repairing the estate on 17 April 1919. Maclaren was a frequent visitor to Gilwell Park and helped repair the buildings and donated another £3,000. An official opening was planned for 19 July 1919 but was delayed until 26 July so Scouts could participate in the Official Peace Festival commemorating the end of the
First World War. Invitations were changed by hand to save money. Maclaren's interest had been to provide a campground for Scouts but
Robert Baden-Powell envisaged a training centre for
Scouters and the first adult Scout leader training, with eighteen participants, took place in September 1919. In the 1920s, significant remodeling and construction was done but, because of limited finances, few improvements were made during the
Great Depression of the 1930s. Baden-Powell took the park's name as the territorial designation in his
peerage title
1st Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell in 1929.
Origin of the axe and log totem The symbol of the axe in the log is associated with
feudalism that was instituted after the invasion and conquest of England by
William the Conqueror. In that era, property, including forests, were owned by the landed barons and knights. Serfs were forbidden to cut wood from trees in the forest and only permitted to gather fallen wood. A
freeman who carried an axe in a nobleman's forest demonstrated he had earned the right by service. The axe-and-log logo was conceived by Francis Gidney in the early 1920s to distinguish Gilwell Park from the Scout Headquarters. Gidney wanted to associate Gilwell Park with the outdoors and
scoutcraft rather than the business and administrative headquarters offices. At Wood Badge courses, axe blades were masked for safety by being buried in a log. Seeing this, Gidney chose the axe-and-log as the totem of Gilwell Park. This logo came to be strongly associated with Wood Badge leader training and is still used on certificates, flags and other items.
1940s and later development (centre) in Gilwell Park, 1950. In 1940, during the
Second World War, the
War Ministry requisitioned the Gilwell estate as a local command, training and ordnance centre and remained there until 1945. Little remains at the estate from this period, except a hole that was created by a bomb the
Luftwaffe dropped. The hole was enlarged and is now used for swimming and canoeing. The purchase of Gilwellbury and adjoining land in 1945 allowed The Scout Association to close the original road and fully use Branchet Field. It was originally used for small retreats and conferences but is now used as staff accommodation. The
Ministry of Education assisted in the purchase. After the war, The Boy Scouts Association bought adjoining land to increase the estate and protect it from rapidly approaching new developments. These areas are called The Quick, New Field and Hilly Field. An additional purchase and a donation from South Africa in the early 1950s brought the estate to its present size. Camping facilities for Scouts were extended until the early 1960s. Training and sleeping facilities were added in the early 1970s. The Gilwell Farmhouse is believed to date from the early 18th century, making it the oldest original building at Gilwell Park. It is composed of two buildings that were joined. There is a brick
wellhead on the farm that is known as the
Gil Well. A field adjoining the boundaries of Gilwell Park, known as Bill Oddie Field, affords dramatic views of the
London skyline over
Pole Hill, Chingford. The field was named in 2006 after employees of The Scout Association saw television ornithologist
Bill Oddie recording a programme there. During the 1970s, the Dorothy Hughes Pack Holiday Centre for
Cub Scouts and the Colquhoun International Centre for training Scouters – which was originally called The International Hall of Friendship – were built. In the 1980s, the White House was extensive remodelled. In April 2001, The Scout Association moved its program staff from London to Gilwell Park, where its training staff were already located. Extensive renovations were done to the White House and other buildings. With a budget of £20,000,000 and individual contributions as high as £500,000, improvements to programs and facilities occurred in preparation for the
21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007, which was the 100th anniversary of Scouting, hosted at nearby
Hylands Park,
Chelmsford, with related activities held at Gilwell Park. Gilwell Park generates over £1,000,000 a year for The Scout Association through conference fees, accommodation fees and sales of materials.
R.F. "John" Thurman was a British Scout Leader who served as Camp Chief from 1943 until 1969 and was awarded the Bronze Wolf Award in 1959. He was a strong promoter of Scout training and wrote books on the subject. The Thurman Memorial stands near The Pigsty. Thurman was succeeded by
John Huskin as director of leader training.
Don Potter (1902–2004) was an English sculptor and wood carver who was a lifelong staff member at Gilwell Park, serving as a Gilwell Master Craftsman. Potter created wood carvings at Gilwell Park, including the Jim Green Gate, Gidney Cabin, the Leopard Gates and totems he carved for the 1929
World Jamboree. == Facilities==